Source: finextra.com
Data science company DataRobot has raised a Series E funding round of an estimated $200 million to develop its artificial intelligence software and automated machine learning, sources have revealed to Xconomy.
News of the funding, led by the California-based firm Sapphire Ventures, spread via a blog linked to unicorn investment index run by research firm Lagniappe Labs Prime Unicorn Index; the post detailed that the round would secure DataRobot’s position within unicorn territory, with a valuation of above $1 billion.
The company has raised more than $400 million in venture capital since it was founded in 2012, and it seems this figure is poised to increase. In a statement sent to Xconomy, the company stated that “DataRobot continues to experience significant growth, which is attracting an increased level of interest in the company. If and when we raise funding, we will make a formal announcement.”
Some of the funding obtained so far has been targeted towards acquisitions. For example, in 2017 DataRobot bought Nutonian. In 2018, it acquired Nexosis, and in 2019 it has already purchased two startups, Cursor and ParallelM.
After the Series D funding round of $100 million, CEO Jeremy Achin told Xconomy that the strategy behind adding cash to its coffers was to maintain competitiveness in the enterprise machine learning sector. He said: “The worst thing is to take it easy and competitors start to catch up.”
