# Two startups at global scale without DevOps

DevFeed: [Two startups at global scale without DevOps](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/two-startups-at-global-scale-without-devops-778.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://vercel.com/blog/two-startups-at-global-scale-without-devops>)

Author: Ben Sabic

Published: 2026-03-19T13:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Vercel News](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/vercel-news.md>)

Topics: [DevOps](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/devops.md>), [Artificial Intelligence](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai.md>), [Automation](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/automation.md>), [workflow automation](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/workflow-automation.md>), [REST API](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/rest-api.md>), [Vercel](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/vercel.md>)

Tags: [2025](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/2025.md>), [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [ai-agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai-agents.md>), [apac](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/apac.md>), [australia](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/australia.md>), [automation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/automation.md>), [devops](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/devops.md>), [infrastructure](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/infrastructure.md>), [rest-api](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/rest-api.md>), [vercel](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/vercel.md>), [workflow-automation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/workflow-automation.md>)

## AI overview

The article examines how Leonardo.AI and Relevance AI operate at global scale without dedicated DevOps teams. It attributes this model to lean infrastructure, limited DevOps talent in APAC, and automation. Relevance AI uses autonomous agents across business tools and the Vercel REST API to create, test, and deploy web experiences.

## Source excerpt

Leonardo.AI processes more than 4.5 million images every day across cities worldwide, and Relevance AI's agents run autonomously across time zones, touching Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, and dozens of other systems without pause. Neither company has a dedicated DevOps team. That's not an oversight. It's an operational model. The startup ecosystem in APAC is a clear example of why this model is taking hold. AI-native startups are surging across the region: over 1,000 are building in Australia alone, according to the State of Australian Startup Funding Report. Meanwhile, nearly a third of Singapore's new startups last year were focused on AI. Startups can find capital, but not DevOps talent Billions in AI venture capital are flowing into APAC. In Australia alone, more than $1 billion was invested in AI-native startups in 2025. Singapore attracted $8.4 billion, accounting for 75% of the region's total. The money is there. The infrastructure talent is not. A single DevOps engineer in Australia costs $150K+, takes months to close, and that's only if you can find one. Sixty to 80 percent of APAC organizations report difficulty filling IT roles, according to IDC. For a 15-person startup, that math means shortening the runway by three months. Factor in tooling, on-call overhead, and the opportunity cost of pulling engineers off product work, and the true cost extends well beyond the salary line. That's why companies are increasingly deploying on infrastructure that keeps them lean and accelerates their ability to ship. Two Australian startups didn't solve this problem by hiring faster; they solved it by not needing to hire at all. Relevance AI 50,000 agents, zero infrastructure team Relevance AI, based in Sydney, builds a platform that lets sales and marketing teams run AI agents across their existing tools. Their agents run autonomously across systems like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Slack, handling lead qualification, customer support, and outbound workflows. What makes their