Editorial note: While Twitter and Meta aren’t precisely on the BI to AI spectrum per se, given the sheer prevalence and use of these massive data sources and the fast-moving news around layoffs and security issues for these properties lately, Amalgam Insights would recommend confirming that you are performing backups of relevant data on a regular schedule; that you are taking available security precautions including the use of two-factor authentication where possible; and that your communications strategies are nimble enough to respond to issues of impersonation.
Funding and Finances
Coefficient Secures $18M Series A Funding Round
Spreadsheet data automation company Coefficient has raised an $18M A round. Battery Ventures led the funding round, with participation from existing investors Foundation Capital and S28 Capital. Coefficient will use the money to scale up global operations and expand its offerings.
Databricks Ventures Invests in Matillion
Strategic investment firm Databricks Ventures has taken an equity stake for an undisclosed sum in Databricks partner Matillion, a data integration solution. In doing so, Databricks extends their existing partnership with Matillion, providing financial support for Matillion’s Data Productivity cloud and how it works with Databricks’ Lakehouse Platform.
Updates and Launches
Tellius Improves User Experience and Ease of Visual Analysis with Version 4.0
Decision intelligence platform Tellius announced version 4.0 on Wednesday. Key new features include Multi-Business View Vizpads, allowing users to view and analyze across multiple data sources without needing to constantly switch between individual dashboards for each; an enhanced onboarding and ongoing user experience with walkthroughs and in-app chat; and more robust search functionality.
Neo4j Announces General Availability of its Next-Generation Graph Database Neo4j 5
Graph data platform Neo4J made Neo4J 5, the next version of its cloud-ready graph database, generally available earlier this week. Among the notable improvements: new syntax making complex queries easier to write; query performance improvements by up to 1000x; automatic scaleout to handle sudden massive bursts of query activity; and the debut of Neo4J Ops Manager to monitor and manage continuous updates across global deployments.
Partnerships
Anaconda Will Integrate with Domino’s Enterprise MLOps Platform
Anaconda in Snowpark for Python Enters Public Preview
Anaconda made two partnership announcements this week. First, Anaconda is collaborating with Domino Data Lab to incorporate the Anaconda repository into Domino’s Enterprise MLOps Platform. Domino users will be able to access Anaconda’s Python and R packages without requiring a separate Anaconda enterprise license.
Second, Snowpark for Python, the Anaconda repository and package manager within Snowflake Data Cloud, has entered public preview. Snowflake users will be able to use Python to build data science workflows and data pipelines within Snowpark.
On a related note, dbt Labs also announced support for data transformation in Python to dbt, allowing dbt customers to take advantage of Python capabilities on major cloud data platforms such as Snowflake. Joint dbt and Snowflake customers will be able to use Python capabilities for both analytics and data science projects on Snowpark.
Acquisitions
PwC Acquires Data Strategy Consulting Firm Sagence
Data management and analytics consulting firm Sagence has been acquired by PwC, adding to PwC’s existing data strategy and digital transformation capabilities. Sagence provides additional expertise and experience in creating action plans for proposed data strategies.