Trigger.dev

The Problem with Serverless Timeouts

Serverless functions time out after seconds, but AI workflows, data pipelines, and complex automations need to run for minutes or hours. Most developers resort to fragile queue systems or over-provisioned servers just to keep long-running tasks alive. As AI-powered features become table stakes, this fundamental limitation of serverless architecture creates a painful gap between what developers want to build and what their infrastructure allows.

What They're Building

Trigger.dev is an open-source platform for building reliable AI workflows and background jobs in plain TypeScript. The platform features checkpoint-resume execution so tasks survive serverless timeouts, handles parallel AI calls, human-in-the-loop approvals, and complex automation — all written in standard TypeScript with no special DSLs or configuration languages required.

CEO Matt Aitken previously created two iPad apps that won Apple's App of the Year, and the team built JSON Hero, an open-source JSON viewer used by 35,000+ developers monthly. Founded in 2022 and part of Y Combinator's W23 batch, Trigger.dev is purpose-built for the wave of AI-native applications that demand long-running, reliable background execution.

Traction and Growth

Trigger.dev raised a $3M seed round from Y Combinator and has since closed a $16M Series A led by Standard Capital. The platform is growing rapidly as AI workflows become critical infrastructure for engineering teams, with developers increasingly needing reliable ways to orchestrate complex, long-running AI pipelines without fighting serverless constraints.

About Matt Aitken, Eric Allam, Dan Patel & James Ritchie

Matt Aitken is CEO and co-founder of Trigger.dev. Before entering the developer tools space, he created two iPad apps that won Apple's prestigious App of the Year award — a rare achievement that speaks to his product instincts and design sensibility.

The founding team includes Eric Allam as CTO, alongside Dan Patel and James Ritchie. Before Trigger.dev, the team built JSON Hero, an open-source JSON viewer that grew to over 35,000 monthly active developers and demonstrated their ability to build tools that resonate with the developer community.

Based in London, the team went through Y Combinator's W23 batch where they refined their vision for making background jobs and AI workflows accessible to every TypeScript developer. Their combination of consumer product excellence and deep developer tooling experience positions them uniquely in the infrastructure space.

Co-Founders

Apple Awards

App of the Year

YC W23

Accelerator

$3M

Seed Funding

Sources: Public press releases, SEC and state business filings, published interviews, news coverage, and company disclosures.

The Problem with Serverless Timeouts

What They're Building

Traction and Growth

About Matt Aitken, Eric Allam, Dan Patel & James Ritchie

Founder Media Mentions for Matt Aitken, Eric Allam, Dan Patel & James Ritchie