AutoCloud Secures $4M to Advance Open Source Cloud Visualization

AutoCloud Secures $4 Million in Seed Funding

This morning, AutoCloud announced the completion of a $4 million seed funding round. Animo Ventures spearheaded the investment, with additional participation from Uncorrelated Ventures, B Capital Group, and Moxxie Ventures.

Leveraging the Open Source Model

AutoCloud represents the commercialization effort built around the CloudGraph open source project. A hybrid approach, combining open source software (OSS) with commercial offerings, is gaining traction among startups. Hashicorp’s successful IPO was partly fueled by its robust OSS foundation.

Recently, Jina.ai secured $30 million in funding, demonstrating a similar strategy of blending commercial services with an open source core, specifically for neural search technologies.

Understanding CloudGraph

CloudGraph functions as an OSS tool designed to collect usage data from various cloud providers, such as AWS and Azure. It then standardizes this data, enabling queries through GraphQL – a technology experiencing increased adoption and positive reception, as highlighted in the State of Javascript 2020 report.

AutoCloud’s Value Proposition

AutoCloud builds upon CloudGraph, providing automated data ingestion, enhanced security compliance, and comprehensive cloud resource visualization. According to co-founder and CEO Tyson Kunovsky, the company aims to emulate the success of Hashicorp and others by refining areas where major cloud platforms currently underperform.

A SaaS-Based Business Model

Like many successful OSS projects, AutoCloud intends to offer valuable functionality as open code while establishing a commercial enterprise on top of this readily available foundation. The company will employ a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model with tiered pricing based on the number of tracked assets.

Early Traction and Future Plans

Being a relatively new startup, AutoCloud is still in its early stages and doesn’t yet have established traction metrics like revenue growth or net dollar retention. However, Kunovsky shared that the company has primarily focused on developing CloudGraph itself.

Hundreds of users discovering AutoCloud through the project’s documentation have already registered for the waitlist, indicating initial interest.

The company plans to launch its paid product before the end of 2021, allowing for a more detailed assessment of its performance in the near future.

A Globally Distributed Team

AutoCloud, headquartered in Chicago, operates with a geographically diverse team, including members located in Argentina and Chile.

Vision for a Graphical Interface

Kunovsky envisions AutoCloud transforming cloud management from the command line interface to a more user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). This represents a significant undertaking.

Competitive Landscape

Given AutoCloud’s multi-cloud strategy, direct competition from major cloud providers like Amazon, Microsoft, or Google Cloud appears less probable. However, other cloud infrastructure providers could potentially enter the market over time.

The strength and independent growth of the CloudGraph project will be crucial in determining AutoCloud’s ability to compete against established technology companies.

Looking Ahead

This funding round adds AutoCloud to the growing list of successful OSS ventures. Further updates and potential future funding rounds are anticipated in the coming quarters.