Matt Calkins launched Appian from a basement in 1999 with the belief that business software should be built faster and more intuitively, and today the company is a world leader in "Serious AI" and process automation. The platform is a high-powered toolkit designed to help giant companies and government agencies modernize their legacy applications and orchestrate an "agentic workforce" where AI and humans work together seamlessly. Users are particularly excited about the new "Agent Studio," which allows them to build and govern AI agents in one place, and the "Data Fabric" technology that connects all their business information without needing to move it between databases. Large organizations like NatWest and PwC rely on Appian to slash manual work and increase efficiency, often citing the famous "Appian Guarantee" which promises to get a first business process live in just eight weeks.