Southeast Asia-based venture capital firm 1982 Ventures has led a new funding round in YäRKEN, an AI-native IT financial management (ITFM) platform, to support its expansion across North America and advance its artificial intelligence capabilities.
YäRKEN, founded by Ravi Kuppan and Vaibhav Kulkarni after their previous venture Tarantula Global was acquired by Constellation Software, offers enterprise clients a platform to analyze IT spending across cloud, software licenses, and hardware assets.
The platform promises 15–25% cost reductions and 50% lower maintenance hours compared to traditional solutions.
The investment comes as the ITFM market is forecast to grow at a 12.7% annual rate to reach US\$14 billion by 2033, driven by increasing enterprise demand for real-time IT cost transparency and forecasting.
The company has gained early traction, recently being listed in Gartner’s 2025 Market Guide for ITFM. U.S.-based Maryville Consulting, known for its Technology Business Management (TBM) services, will integrate YäRKEN into its enterprise solutions portfolio, boosting its U.S. and Canadian reach.
1982 Ventures Operating Partner James Kim, formerly of Accenture, highlighted YäRKEN’s ability to deliver “faster time to value” through integrated AI, while founding partner Scott Krivokopich noted the startup aligns with their strategy of backing enterprise-focused AI disruptors.
YäRKEN plans to use the funds to scale operations, grow its customer base, and forge new partnerships to broaden market reach. Preliminary discussions are also underway with additional strategic partners to further accelerate growth.
Business News Asia