Nova Intelligence, an agentic AI platform for SAP teams, raised $40M in Series A funding led by Chemistry, with participation from Accel, Conviction Partners, and SAP.iO. The platform delivers AI-powered querying, fit-to-standard analysis, and agentic development tools for modernizing SAP systems while ensuring Clean Core compliance. The new capital will expand the platform across the full SAP lifecycle from design to operations.
SAP Migration Deadline Drives AI Investments
Nova's raise times with the accelerating S/4HANA migration wave valued at $89B, as SAP ECC support ends in 2027 with extensions to 2030 at premium fees. Competitors including Conduct, focused on SAP customization management, and Dodge AI, specializing in ERP support automation, target overlapping pains in complex SAP environments. Nova differentiates through end-to-end agentic AI covering understanding, modernization, and building. This positions it amid S/4HANA applications growing from $51.12B in 2026 to $333.92B by 2035.
Custom Code Burdens SAP Teams
SAP powers core operations for 92% of Global 2000 companies, yet legacy customizations create massive technical debt ahead of the 2030 S/4HANA deadline. Migrations often overrun budgets by 60% due to code complexity and skills gaps. Current tools fall short on real-time insights and automated development, forcing reliance on expensive consultants in a $100B+ services market.
Agentic AI Transforms SAP Workflows
Nova's platform ingests SAP systems for instant natural language queries on code, configs, and processes. It performs fit-to-standard analysis to slash custom code and generates Clean Core-compliant ABAP and BTP apps via AI agents. Customers report 5x productivity gains at Festo, 400% app performance uplift at KION Group, and 75% less manual effort at Kyndryl.
As CEO Emma Qian explained:
“We’re an AI platform for SAP that accelerates the work… full life cycle.”
Chemistry Leads Enterprise AI Bet
Chemistry, a new VC with partners from Bessemer, a16z, and Index, led the $31.5M Series A portion of the $40M total. Their portfolio in agentic AI like Decagon and Serval signals conviction in Nova's SAP specialization. Accel's seed leadership and follow-on, plus Conviction's AI-native focus and SAP.iO's ecosystem validation, underscore strategic alignment for scaling in enterprise.
Clean Core Push Reshapes ERP Market
SAP's Clean Core strategy demands standard cores with extensions, amplifying need for tools like Nova amid 26.44% CAGR in S/4HANA market. Players like smartShift handle code transformation but lack Nova's querying and dev agents. SAP's own Joule copilot focuses on general tasks, leaving room for Nova's custom code expertise. Recent SAP AI acquisition of Prior Labs further validates the vertical.
Elite Team Fuels SAP Innovation
Co-founder and CEO Emma Qian brings ex-Google DeepMind expertise, Chief Scientist Prof. Alexander Zeier co-invented SAP HANA, and Chief Customer Officer Justin Kershaw served as Cargill CIO. This blend of AI research, SAP invention, and enterprise leadership equips Nova to tackle the most complex environments. Their track record includes production deployments at Festo (15,000+ SAP users) and KION (€11B revenue).
Partnerships Signal Expansion Path
Nova partners with Kyndryl for modernizations and joined Chevron Technology Ventures Catalyst. With funding, the team of 20 plans GTM expansion and platform scaling. Recent SAP Sapphire sponsorship and TechEd sessions build ecosystem momentum ahead of mass migrations.