acryl data, commercializing linkedin’s metadata tool datahub, emerges from stealth with $9m from 8vc, linkedin and insight

DataHub Evolves: Acryl Data Launches to Commercialize LinkedIn's Open-Source Metadata Platform

LinkedIn’s engineering division initially unveiled DataHub in 2019, a metadata solution developed internally to facilitate the organization, search, and extraction of valuable insights from its extensive data resources. Subsequently, in 2020, LinkedIn made DataHub available as an open-source project.

Now, Acryl Data, a startup established by original DataHub creators and a former senior engineer from Airbnb involved in the development of Dataportal, is emerging from stealth mode. The company is supported by LinkedIn and other investors, aiming to propel the DataHub platform into a new phase focused on commercial applications.

Securing $9 Million in Seed Funding

Acryl Data officially launched today, having secured $9 million in seed funding led by 8VC, with participation from LinkedIn and Insight. This investment will enable the company to assist other organizations in leveraging these tools to address their own big data requirements.

The Challenge of Big Data Organization

The foundation for Acryl Data stems from the critical need to effectively organize, comprehend, and maximize the potential of fragmented big data assets. Information frequently originates from and resides in diverse locations, such as Snowflake, Databricks, or Looker, presenting a significant challenge for any organization with a substantial digital presence.

Historically, large technology companies have been at the forefront of innovation in tackling this issue, with many choosing to open-source their technologies for broader usability.

Metadata as the Key to Data Management

The founders of Acryl Data identified metadata as the pivotal element in organizing big data information. This realization occurred while they were still employed at their respective technology companies, prior to establishing Acryl Data.

“Metadata itself has evolved into a big data challenge,” explained Shirshanka Das, CEO and co-founder of Acryl Data, who previously worked at LinkedIn, alongside Swaroop Jagadish (CTO and former Airbnb engineer). “Consequently, the data infrastructure expertise we possess – encompassing large-scale data collection, streaming, indexing, and searching – necessitates metadata management solutions capable of scaling to meet the demands of modern enterprises. This, I believe, is our core strength: we’ve constructed a metadata platform that incorporates the best practices of data infrastructure and applies them to metadata infrastructure.”

Growing Adoption of DataHub

As an open-source initiative, DataHub has gained considerable momentum. Beyond LinkedIn, organizations like Expedia, Saxo Bank, and Klarna are utilizing the framework – a versatile metadata search and discovery tool – to construct their own metadata graphs, connecting various data entities.

The project has amassed over 3,200 stars on GitHub and boasts a community of more than 100 contributors.

Acryl Data's Commercial Offerings

Following the model of other open-source commercialization efforts, Acryl Data is developing a suite of tools designed to simplify the scaling and application of the framework across a wider range of use cases. This is particularly beneficial for companies that may lack the internal resources to implement these solutions independently.

The company’s initial offering will be a data catalogue, informed by design principles derived from Airbnb’s Dataportal. Acryl Data will collaborate with LinkedIn and the broader open-source community on the development of future products.

LinkedIn's Continued Support

“LinkedIn’s unique perspective on the global economy allows us to enhance economic outcomes for millions worldwide through data-driven insights and AI-powered products,” stated Igor Perisic, Chief Data Officer at LinkedIn. “DataHub is essential for discovering, managing, and effectively utilizing the tens of thousands of datasets our researchers and engineers rely on daily. We are pleased to partner with Acryl Data to further advance DataHub.”

A Significant Market Opportunity

The potential market is substantial. Collibra, a competitor in this space, secured funding at a $2.3 billion valuation last year, while Alation was valued at $1.2 billion earlier this month. The ongoing innovation within the field makes it compelling to witness the creators of foundational tools entering the entrepreneurial arena to address these challenges.

Investment Rationale

“The contemporary data stack requires a fundamental shift in how metadata is managed,” commented George Mathew, Managing Director at Insight Partners. “We believe a next-generation, real-time metadata platform is crucial, and Acryl Data is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation, building upon their pioneering work with DataHub.”