Live from Las Vegas, HousingWire President Diego Sanchez sits down with Sarvesh Mahesh, CEO of Tavant, to discuss the company’s 25-year journey and its latest advancements in AI. Tavant, which spun out from Amazon in 2000, has evolved into a leader in technology solutions for the mortgage industry. Mahesh shares insights on Tavant’s history, its focus on AI-driven innovation, and the future of agentic AI in mortgage lending.

A journey rooted in technology and data

Reflecting on the company’s history, Sarvesh Mahesh shared the initial vision that led to Tavant’s founding. “At the time, Amazon was selling everything, and eBay was auctioning everything. Our original idea was to rent everything,” he recalled.

Tavant was built on three key principles: customer focus, using technology to improve efficiency, and understanding the value of data. “We had seen even back then how Amazon used data to make personalized recommendations,” Mahesh explained. “That same value of data has been at the core of our company ever since.”

A catalyst for change

Mahesh announced the launch of Tavant’s AI agent platform. “AI has been evolving slowly, and then all of a sudden, it’s everywhere,” he said. “It’s reached a tipping point where every aspect of business is getting affected.”

“With tools like Copilot and other AI-driven development solutions, we’re seeing 20-30% improvement in efficiency,” he noted. “And this is just the beginning.”

Bringing AI to mortgage lending

Tavant’s AI agents are being developed to assist in various areas, starting with sales teams. “We’re using agents to coach sales teams, helping them become more efficient,” Mahesh said. “But we’re also building AI-driven tools to optimize specific tasks throughout the origination process.”

“AI won’t eliminate market cycles, but it will help even them out,” Mahesh explained. “Instead of hiring and training new employees during a boom, lenders can spin up AI agents to handle increased volume more efficiently.”

The future of AI in mortgage

Mahesh is confident that AI will continue to play a transformative role across multiple industries, not just in mortgage lending. “Satya Nadella has predicted that all SaaS software will eventually be replaced by AI agents. While I don’t fully agree, I do believe we’ll see more and more AI agents working alongside SaaS platforms to drive efficiency,” he said.

Beyond financial services, Tavant is integrating AI into other verticals, including service lifecycle management, agriculture, and media. “AI is impacting all of our different business areas,” Mahesh said. “The next 25 years are going to be even more exciting than the last.”