Barndoor unveils Venn.ai, a platform that connects AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to workplace apps with controlled, permissioned access.
Barndoor on Tuesday introduced Venn.ai, a platform designed to give generative AI tools controlled access to business applications — allowing them to take real actions across enterprise systems while maintaining human oversight.
The product connects AI systems such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude to widely used workplace tools, including Salesforce, Jira, Google Workspace and Notion. Unlike many existing integrations that offer read-only access or limited functionality, Venn.ai is built to enable AI agents to update records, send messages and execute multi-step workflows across platforms.
While AI adoption has accelerated, most enterprise users remain confined to conversational interfaces detached from the systems where work actually happens. Barndoor argues that bridging that gap has introduced new security risks, particularly when agents are granted broad system permissions.
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“People want AI to do things across the apps they use every day, but without proper controls, that’s risky,” said Oren Michels, co-founder and chief executive of Barndoor. “Venn.ai gives everyone — not just engineering and IT teams — the ability to use agentic AI safely.”
The platform is designed to operate within AI tools employees already use, rather than requiring a separate interface. It supports dozens of workplace applications out of the box and introduces what the company calls “write functionality,” which pauses before executing an action so users can review and approve it. The aim, Barndoor said, is to embed security and governance directly into everyday workflows.
Early adopters have used Venn.ai to generate customer health dashboards by pulling data from Salesforce and Zendesk, categorizing weekly product feedback across Intercom and Notion, reconciling financial reports from Xero and Google Sheets, and auditing personal subscriptions by analyzing Gmail and populating spreadsheets.
The broader pitch is that AI should move beyond drafting emails or summarizing documents and begin executing real business processes — without exposing sensitive systems to unchecked automation.
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Venn.ai is available in free early access, with paid plans expected later. The product builds on Barndoor’s experience developing AI access controls and governance infrastructure, though the company said Venn.ai is designed as a standalone platform focused on usability.
As enterprises explore “agentic AI” — systems capable of reasoning and acting across applications — the tension between productivity and control is becoming central. Barndoor’s bet is that wider AI adoption will depend less on model performance and more on who controls what the agents are allowed to do.
