Platfora
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Big data analytics |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Ben Werther |
| Headquarters | San Mateo , United States |
Key people | Jason Zintak (CEO), Ben Werther (Executive Chairman) |
| Products | Big data analytics platform integrated with Apache Hadoop |
| Owner | Workday, Inc. |
Platfora, Inc. is a company specializing in big data analytics, based in San Mateo, California. Its platform integrates seamlessly with the Apache Hadoop ecosystem to improve data exploration, visualization, and collaborative analysis.
History
Established in 2011 by Ben Werther, a Stanford Computer Science alumnus and former executive at Microsoft, Greenplum, Siebel Systems, and There Inc., Platfora was designed to speed up big data processing workflows. The concept originated from conversations between Werther and his former associates John Eshleman and SriSatish Ambati in San Mateo. Eshleman took on the role of founding vice president of technology, while Ambati went on to create Oxdata (which evolved into H2O.ai). In 2012, Platfora expanded its capabilities by acquiring Plot.io to integrate browser-based data visualization tools.
The company amassed $65 million in investments from notable backers such as Andreessen Horowitz, Battery Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures, Tenaya Capital, Citi Ventures, Cisco, and In-Q-Tel. Its Series C funding round alone raised $38 million. Platfora positions itself within the competitive big data analytics sector alongside industry leaders like SAP, IBM, SAS, and Oracle by delivering more rapid and user-friendly data visualization offerings.
On August 6, 2015, Jason Zintak was named CEO while Ben Werther transitioned to executive chairman. Later that year in December, Platfora secured an additional $30 million investment led by HSBC and Harmony Partners aimed at scaling its sales operations.
In July 2016, Workday, Inc. revealed plans to acquire Platfora, with the deal anticipated to finalize during Workday’s third fiscal quarter.
Product
Platfora’s application works with the Apache Hadoop open-source framework to provide immediate query feedback through a user-friendly graphical interface. This allows business and government analysts to efficiently filter datasets, generate visualizations such as charts and overlays, and disseminate insights swiftly to support informed decision-making.
Marketing
In 2013, CRN Magazine recognized Platfora among the "10 Coolest Big Data Products." Its technology has been utilized in real-world scenarios including the analysis of crime statistics in Kansas City. Additionally, Gartner honored Platfora as a "Cool Vendor" in Big Data in 2015, emphasizing its rising presence and innovative approach within the big data landscape.