Avante, the first AI-native employee benefits intelligence platform, today announced its public launch, providing employers with a dynamic approach to controlling rapidly rising employee benefits costs. With employer-sponsored health insurance spending projected to grow 10% in 2025—surpassing $1.7 trillion—Avante leverages AI-driven intelligence, HR automation, and real-time insights to align a company’s benefits investments with employee needs, driving cost savings, stronger utilization, and improved health outcomes.
Since beginning R&D in late 2023, Avante has been working closely with a small group of companies including Datavant, OneDigital, Real Chemistry, and Zscaler to refine the technology and significantly reduce benefits-related administrative workload. Early results show a 40% decrease in HR workload, a 7x increase in employee engagement compared to industry standards, and a path to 3% reduction in overall benefits program costs. In 2024, Avante raised $10 million in seed funding led by Fuse Venture Partners.
“In all my years leading benefits, I’ve never met a company that’s doing what Avante does,” said Dene Sparrman, Global Head of Benefits at Zscaler. “Avante provides data at my fingertips, in real time, in a truly vendor-neutral and transparent way. I can make data-driven decisions faster than ever to improve utilization and impact.”
Closing the Gap Between Cost and Value
“The employer benefits landscape is broken, burdened by inefficiencies and rising costs,” said Rohan D’Souza, CEO and Co-Founder of Avante. “This trillion-dollar industry is overdue for transformation, and Avante’s proprietary AI technology provides the operational efficiencies employers need to better support employees and effectively target their benefits spending.”
On average, employers spend over $15,000 per employee annually on family health insurance, while employees contribute an additional $6,000. Beyond core health coverage, companies also invest in a range of benefits from mental health support to fertility care and fitness programs. Yet most employees remain unaware of or fail to tap these offerings, leading to wasted spending and missed opportunities for improved well-being.
“For too long, employers have managed benefits without the visibility they need—dealing with disconnected systems, rising costs, and unclear ROI—while employees face a confusing and fragmented experience,” said Kabir Shahani, Avante’s Executive Chairman. “Employees genuinely want to use their benefits, but the process is often so complex and frustrating that they give up. Avante changes that by providing employees with personalized, 24/7 support, while simultaneously equipping HR and benefit leaders with a unified benefits intelligence platform.”
Personalized AI Agents: Unlocking Immediate ROI
HR teams and employees waste nearly 40 million hours a month navigating benefits administration, detracting from the core parts of their work. Avante eliminates this inefficiency for employers and benefits brokers with an employee-facing AI companion that delivers personalized, on-demand benefits guidance in 50 languages. Employees can optimize coverage, access high-impact but underutilized programs, and receive proactive recommendations for telehealth services, mental health resources, wellness programs, and more.
With Avante, companies gain 24/7 benefits support, expanding access to benefits information while reducing unnecessary administrative hours, all while empowering employees to make smarter healthcare and financial decisions.
“What sets Avante apart is the quality of our data and the clinical integrity built into every interaction,” said Dr. Carly Eckert, Avante Co-founder and Head of Innovation and Impact. “Our AI doesn’t just respond—it learns responsibly, with built-in safeguards and human oversight to ensure accuracy, relevance, and impact. Employees get trustworthy, actionable guidance, and employers finally gain confidence that their benefits investments are driving the right care to the right people, at the right time.”
Unified Analytics: Simplifying Costs & Complexity with AI-Powered Insights
Unlike today’s status quo of siloed and disconnected claims and point solutions, Avante offers a single source of truth, integrating medical and pharmacy claims, employee engagement metrics, and vendor performance into one intelligent system. Avante’s AI-driven analytics provide real-time ROI tracking, cost optimization insights, and vendor performance assessments.
Using its innovative Beacon™ technology, Avante deploys a constellation of connected AI agents to review complex benefits data and surface actionable insights. These “Beacons” empower HR, finance, and benefits advisors to identify savings opportunities and streamline vendor management—all while enhancing the employee experience and driving better long-term outcomes.
Bending the Cost Curve: A Flywheel of Cost Savings & Engagement
Avante doesn’t just reduce costs—it creates a virtuous cycle where better benefits engagement fuels smarter decisions, improved employee support, and long-term savings. With AI agents guiding employees to the right resources at the right time, organizations can maximize the value of their benefits investments while reducing HR workload and administrative inefficiencies. The result is a system that continuously enhances employee well-being and financial sustainability.
“HR professionals are some of the most essential members of the modern healthcare team, connecting employees to care options and supporting their ongoing health needs,” said Dr. Vin Gupta, an Avante clinical advisor, public health leader, and practicing pulmonologist. “Avante provides real-time intelligence to help them make informed decisions—bridging the gap between benefits offered and benefits accessed.”
Starting today, employers, health plans, third-party administrators, and other partners can implement Avante’s services in under 30 days, enabling a simple and rapid start to their AI journey while delivering immediate value.
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