What Lightyear does

Lightyear (legal entity: Lightyear AI, Inc.) is a New York-headquartered, remote-first enterprise software company founded in 2019 that has built a unified "Telecom Operating System" for the full enterprise telecom lifecycle — procurement, network inventory management, and expense management. The platform combines a procurement engine (automated RFP creation and quoting), a Network Inventory Manager that captures 30+ data points per service and automates MACD and renewal workflows, and an AI-native Expense Management module that ingests invoices in any format, extracts and categorizes charges via RAG-optimized models, runs automated variance analysis, and either pays or consolidates bills on the customer's behalf. Underlying technology assets include proprietary network and pricing intelligence built on a dataset of more than 1 million price quote data points and 100,000+ RFPs across 1,200+ global carriers, 1,000+ provider integrations, and an API platform connecting to ServiceNow, NetBox, Splunk, and Meraki.

The company serves mid-market and enterprise IT, telecom, and finance teams at organizations with distributed networks (10+ sites), with named customers spanning retail (Alo Yoga, Glossier, Five Guys), manufacturing (Westfall Technik, a Fortune 500 hardware manufacturer), construction (Aecon), healthcare (Teladoc), identity management (Okta), and other verticals — a deliberate horizontal segmentation strategy. The business model blends a freemium procurement product (free to enterprises, monetized via vendor commissions) with subscription-based Network Inventory Manager and Expense Management modules priced by network size, supplemented by a managed bill-consolidation service.

Lightyear has raised approximately $60.1M in disclosed funding across five rounds from 2019 through January 2026, with a $13.1M Series A in July 2021 (Ridge Ventures lead), a $31M Series B in November 2024 (Altos Ventures lead), and a $16M undisclosed round in January 2026. Investors include Altos Ventures, Ridge Ventures, Amplo, Zigg, Susa Ventures, Ludlow Ventures, Operator, and Contrary. Headcount sits in the 51-100 range, the company is venture-backed and private, and operations span North America, Europe, and global accounts.

Name

Lightyear

Legal name

Lightyear AI, Inc.

Website

https://lightyear.ai

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lightyear (Lightyear AI, Inc.) provides an AI-native software platform that automates enterprise telecom procurement, network inventory management, and expense management for IT and finance teams at multi-location enterprises. The platform serves 300+ customers across retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and technology verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Enterprise Telecom Management Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Connector/Adapter Frameworks & Integration Runtimes (HDAEACAJ)

Keywords

• Telecom procurement software
• Network inventory management
• Telecom expense management
• Enterprise connectivity software
• RFP automation platform

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Procurement Platform (Commission-based): Procurement platform is free to use. Lightyear receives commissions from vendors when customers purchase services through the platform. This commission does not increase the price paid by customers - similar to ISP sales rep commissions. In some cases, Lightyear has sold services with no commission when that was the best outcome for the customer.
2. Network Inventory Manager Subscription: Subscription-based pricing based on the size of an enterprise's network. Includes dedicated onboarding support and implementation manager.
3. Expense Management Subscription: Subscription-based pricing based on network size. Includes AI-native automation for telecom invoice management and payments, bill consolidation options, and human review for invoice accuracy.
4. Bill Consolidation Service: Lightyear provides a single monthly bill with all telecom costs and makes on-time payments on behalf of enterprise customers. Alternative 'No Bill Pay' option delivers invoices in exact data format needed without payment handling.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Lightyear operates as a unified Telecom Operating System that automates the full enterprise telecom lifecycle across three integrated products: Procurement (automated RFP creation and quoting using proprietary network and pricing intelligence across 1,200+ global carriers), Network Inventory Manager (a digital system of record capturing 30+ data points per service with automated MACD ticketing and renewal reshopping), and Expense Management (AI-native invoice processing, variance analysis, bill consolidation, and on-time payment). The platform is used by hundreds of enterprises to digitize telecom procurement, gain network visibility, and reduce spend.

Product overview

Lightyear is The Telecom Operating System - a unified platform consisting of three integrated core products: Procurement (automated network RFP and quoting), Network Inventory Manager (digital system of record with lifecycle automation), and Expense Management (AI-native invoice processing and bill consolidation). The platform provides end-to-end telecom lifecycle management from procurement through implementation to ongoing expense optimization, with the three products designed to work together as a closed-loop system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Procurement Automated telecom and network procurement software that digitizes and automates the RFP process from creation through implementation. Uses proprietary network intelligence and pricing data to deliver optimal vendor selection and rates for internet, WAN, voice, and colocation services. Free to use for enterprises, with Lightyear earning commissions from carriers on services purchased through the platform.
• Network Inventory Manager Network inventory management software that establishes a digital system of record for enterprise networks. Tracks 30+ data points per service (static IPs, contract details, account IDs) and automates lifecycle management workflows including MACD ticketing and renewal reshopping. Priced by subscription based on network size with dedicated onboarding and implementation manager.
• Expense Management AI-native telecom expense management platform that automates invoice processing, cost allocation, variance analysis, and bill payments. Provides global invoice receipt across all carrier formats with AI-powered data extraction and flexible payment options including bill consolidation that delivers a single monthly bill and on-time payment service. Priced by subscription based on network size.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70%+ time savings on telecom management workflows
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ServiceNowcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partnership enabling enterprises to connect Lightyear's telecom management data with ServiceNow enterprise workflows. Available via Lightyear API.
• MerakicoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partnership enabling network data synchronization with Cisco Meraki infrastructure. Available via Lightyear API.
• SplunkcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partnership for logging and monitoring network data within Splunk enterprise observability platform. Available via Lightyear API.
• NetBoxcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partnership for network infrastructure documentation and synchronization with NetBox IPAM/DCIM platform. Available via Lightyear API.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tangoe (ASG): Tangoe is one of the largest telecom expense management (TEM) and managed mobility services providers, directly competing with Lightyear in enterprise telecom lifecycle management including expense processing, inventory, and procurement automation. Acquired by ASG (Allen Systems Group), Tangoe serves a similar multi-location enterprise customer base.
• Calero-MDSL: Calero-MDSL is a leading telecom and SaaS expense management provider offering expense management, usage optimization, and invoice processing for enterprises. Like Lightyear, it serves multi-location enterprises managing complex telecom estates, and is a direct competitor in the TEM category.
• Sakon: Sakon is a telecom and cloud expense management platform that automates invoice processing, expense management, and optimization for enterprise communications services. It competes directly with Lightyear's Expense Management product and serves similar IT and finance buyers.
• WidePoint: WidePoint is a managed mobility and telecom management services company providing expense management, mobile security, and lifecycle management. It is comparable to Lightyear in serving enterprises managing telecom service spend and inventory at scale.
• Cimpl (now part of Tangoe): Cimpl was a cloud-based telecom and mobile asset/expense management platform serving enterprise customers, and was acquired by Tangoe. Its product focus on inventory and expense automation for IT/telecom mirrors Lightyear's Network Inventory Manager and Expense Management products.

Emerging players

• Vendr: Vendr is a SaaS procurement platform that helps enterprises buy and manage software subscriptions, with a similar land-and-expand motion and data-driven pricing intelligence approach. While focused on SaaS rather than telecom, the procurement platform mechanics, free PLG entry, and data moat strategy are directly comparable to Lightyear's Procurement product.
• Tropic: Tropic is a SaaS buying and management platform for enterprises, with a free procurement entry point and paid spend intelligence subscriptions. Its GTM motion, focus on procurement data intelligence, and target buyer (IT and finance) are closely analogous to Lightyear's land-and-expand model in the telecom category.

Broad incumbents

• Cisco (Meraki): Cisco is a broad incumbent networking and telecom infrastructure provider, and through Meraki, sells SD-WAN, switching, and wireless solutions that sit adjacent to Lightyear's network inventory domain. Cisco's networking data and enterprise relationships are a strategic threat and partnership channel for telecom management platforms.
• ServiceNow: ServiceNow is a broad ITSM and enterprise workflow platform that Lightyear integrates with via API, and which could extend its own telecom management workflows. As a strategic platform incumbent serving IT and procurement functions, it represents both a key integration partner and a potential competitive entrant in the telecom management space.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lightyearai
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lightyearai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors13 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lightyear