Tellius Secures $8 Million Series A to Democratize Data Insights

Providing relevant business intelligence to users promptly has consistently presented a significant hurdle. Delays in accessing expert analysis can often render information obsolete. Tellius, a nascent startup, is addressing this challenge by developing a solution designed to empower business users with the information they require, precisely when they need it.

Recent Funding and Company Growth

The company recently announced the successful completion of an $8 million Series A funding round, spearheaded by Sands Capital Ventures, with additional participation from Grotech. This latest investment elevates the total funding secured by Tellius to $17 million.

Bridging the Gap Between Business Intelligence and AI

Ajay Khanna, CEO and founder, explains that Tellius is focused on integrating two traditionally separate technological domains: business intelligence and artificial intelligence. He posits that their convergence can unlock deeper understanding and effectively narrow the insight gap.

“Tellius functions as an AI-driven decision intelligence platform,” Khanna stated. “We merge machine learning – AI-powered automation – with a natural language interface reminiscent of Google’s search functionality, effectively combining analytical and intuitive approaches to empower business teams in deriving insights from their data.”

From Data to Decisions

The core concept is to allow data science and data analysis teams to continue their specialized work, while simultaneously providing a platform where business users can leverage their expertise. “Our belief is that transitioning from data to informed decisions necessitates understanding not only past events, but also the drivers of change and strategies for company improvement,” Khanna elaborated.

Targeting Diverse User Groups

The product is designed to cater to three distinct employee segments. Business users can obtain results simply by posing questions in natural language. Data analysts can refine queries by selecting specific models. Finally, data scientists can augment queries using Python or Spark code.

Data Connectivity and Deployment Options

Tellius integrates with a variety of data sources, including Salesforce and Google Analytics. It also connects to data lakes like Snowflake, as well as csv files and cloud storage solutions such as Amazon S3.

The platform offers two deployment models: a customer-managed version hosted on their preferred cloud infrastructure, and a fully-managed service provided by Tellius.

Pandemic-Driven Growth

Khanna notes that the pandemic underscored the need for the type of insights his company delivers, as organizations adapted to rapidly changing business conditions. Consequently, the company experienced a 300% growth in business last year.

Company History and Launch

The startup was founded in 2016 following Khanna’s sale of a prior company, which allowed for initial bootstrapping during a period of stealth development. Two years were dedicated to product development, culminating in the release of the first version of Tellius in the third quarter of 2018. This launch was followed by a $7.5 million seed funding round.