Valyant AI
Valyant AI was a Denver-based conversational AI company (founded 2017) that built voice-ordering automation for QSR drive-thrus, deployed via enterprise partnerships including CKE Restaurants (Carl's Jr./Hardee's), and was acquired by ConverseNow in July 2024.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Valyant AI does
Valyant AI was a privately-held, Denver-based conversational AI company founded in 2017 that built voice-ordering automation specifically for quick service restaurant (QSR) drive-thru operations. The company's core product, the AI Voice Assistant, processed spoken customer orders autonomously at the drive-thru speaker post, while a complementary product, AI Employee Assist, provided AI-driven support to restaurant staff for order processing and customer service tasks. The underlying technology combined speech and audio AI capabilities with autonomous-agent behavior, designed to operate in the acoustically challenging drive-thru environment.
The company monetized through a B2B enterprise subscription model, deploying its technology directly with QSR chains rather than selling to long-tail operators. Its go-to-market was anchored on strategic enterprise partnerships, most notably a May 2023 multi-vendor agreement with CKE Restaurants Holdings (parent of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's) alongside Presto Automation and OpenCity to roll out AI-powered voice ordering across CKE's nationwide drive-thru footprint. Marketing was predominantly driven by PR and earned media coverage in industry research reports on fast-food automation.
Across its operating life Valyant AI raised approximately $16.9 million across eight funding rounds between 2017 and 2023, operated with a headcount in the 11–50 range, and served only North America (United States). In July 2024 the company was acquired by ConverseNow — itself a competitor in the QSR voice-AI space — with the transaction including Valyant AI's technology, team, and product portfolio. The acquisition transferred Valyant AI's assets into a larger combined voice-AI platform serving the US quick service restaurant market.
Valyant AI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Valyant AI
- Legal name
- Valyant AI
- Website
- https://valyant.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Valyant AI was a Denver-based conversational AI company (founded 2017) that built voice-ordering automation for QSR drive-thrus, deployed via enterprise partnerships including CKE Restaurants (Carl's Jr./Hardee's), and was acquired by ConverseNow in July 2024.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Valyant AI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Restaurant Voice AI
- NAICS
- Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing (33421)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Contact Center Speech AI (agent assist, IVR automation) (HDAAAFAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Conversational AI Platforms (chat/voice bots, orchestration) (HDAAAFAC), Voice Assistants & Voice UI (VUI) (HDAAAFAD)
Keywords
Where Valyant AI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Valyant AI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- AI Voice Automation Services: AI-powered voice ordering automation deployed at quick service restaurant drive-thrus, generating recurring revenue from restaurant operators for technology deployment and usage
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Valyant AI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Valyant AI developed a proprietary conversational AI platform that automates order taking at quick service restaurant (QSR) drive-thrus through an AI voice assistant. The platform processes spoken customer orders autonomously and includes an AI Employee Assist tool to support restaurant staff with order management and customer service. The technology was deployed at enterprise QSR drive-thrus, including Carl's Jr. and Hardee's locations operated by CKE Restaurants Holdings.
Product overview
Valyant AI was a provider of restaurant drive-thru automation technology offering AI voice ordering systems for quick service restaurants. The company provided an AI Voice Assistant as its core product for autonomous order taking, along with an AI Employee Assist module to support staff. Valyant AI operated in partnership with CKE Restaurants Holdings (parent of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's) to deploy voice AI across drive-thru locations nationwide. The company was acquired by ConverseNow in July 2024.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AI Voice Assistant: AI-powered voice ordering system for drive-thru restaurants
- AI Employee Assist
Products and services
- AI Voice Assistant AI-powered voice ordering system for drive-thru automation in quick service restaurants that processes customer spoken orders autonomously, deployed at CKE Restaurants Holdings' drive-thru locations across Carl's Jr. and Hardee's.
- AI Employee Assist AI tool designed to assist restaurant employees with drive-thru operations, providing support for order processing and customer service tasks at quick service restaurants.
Companies that use Valyant AI
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Valyant AI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature2 records
Valyant AI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ConverseNowcoreConverseNow acquired Valyant AI in July 2024, integrating Valyant's complementary technology stack to accelerate ConverseNow's drive-thru installations. The acquisition included Valyant AI's technology, team, and products such as its AI voice assistant and AI Employee Assist, enabling the combined entity to offer more robust solutions for the quick service restaurant industry.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Valyant AI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SoundHound: Publicly traded voice AI company with a dedicated restaurant vertical (SoundHound for Restaurants) offering voice ordering across drive-thru, phone, and kiosk. Comparable target customer and AI technology stack.
- Kea: Voice AI platform purpose-built for restaurants, handling phone orders and customer interactions for QSR and fast-casual chains. Comparable conversational AI technology and restaurant target market.
- OpenCity: AI-powered voice ordering platform focused on restaurant drive-thru and phone channels. Direct competitor and co-deployment partner with Valyant AI on the CKE Restaurants partnership.
- Hi Auto: Voice AI startup focused specifically on QSR drive-thru order-taking automation. Direct competitor in the same niche with comparable speech AI technology and target customer base.
- PolyAI: Enterprise conversational AI platform with a dedicated restaurant vertical for phone and drive-thru ordering. Comparable technology (LLM-based voice agents) and overlapping customer segments in QSR and foodservice.
- Presto Automation: Publicly traded provider of drive-thru voice AI and restaurant automation technology. Direct competitor and co-deployment partner with Valyant AI on the CKE Restaurants nationwide rollout.
- ConverseNow: Voice AI platform for QSR drive-thru and phone ordering; acquired Valyant AI in July 2024 to combine complementary stacks. Materially comparable in product, target market (US QSR), and AI voice technology.
Broad incumbents
- Interactions: Established enterprise voice AI and customer care automation provider serving multiple verticals including retail and hospitality. Overlapping conversational AI capabilities applied to broader customer service use cases beyond QSR.
- Yellow.ai: Enterprise conversational AI platform supporting voice and chat automation across customer service, sales, and support. Comparable underlying technology (conversational AI orchestration) but applied across multiple industries rather than QSR specialization.
Emerging players
- Tori: Voice AI for restaurant phone ordering and customer engagement. Earlier-stage direct competitor in restaurant voice ordering with narrower footprint than the CKE-scale operators.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Valyant AI social profiles
Digital presenceValyant AI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Valyant AI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Valyant AI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Valyant AI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Valyant AI
What does Valyant AI do?
Valyant AI developed a proprietary conversational AI platform that automates order taking at quick service restaurant (QSR) drive-thrus through an AI voice assistant. The platform processes spoken customer orders autonomously and includes an AI Employee Assist tool to support restaurant staff with order management and customer service. The technology was deployed at enterprise QSR drive-thrus, including Carl's Jr. and Hardee's locations operated by CKE Restaurants Holdings.
When was Valyant AI founded?
Valyant AI was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Valyant AI based?
Valyant AI is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does Valyant AI make money?
One revenue line is on record: AI Voice Automation Services.
Who are Valyant AI's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SoundHound, Kea, OpenCity, Hi Auto, PolyAI, Presto Automation and ConverseNow. Broad incumbents are Interactions and Yellow.ai. Tori is listed as an emerging player.
Does Valyant AI have an API?
No public API is recorded for Valyant AI.
What industry is Valyant AI in?
Valyant AI's product category is Restaurant Voice AI. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAFAL, Contact Center Speech AI (agent assist, IVR automation), with a secondary code of HDAAAFAC, Conversational AI Platforms (chat/voice bots, orchestration). Its NAICS code is 33421 and its SIC code is 7373.