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A New Chapter for MotherDuck
MotherDuck, a startup that is bringing the power of the open-source database platform DuckDB to the commercial world, has successfully secured a whopping $52.5 million in its Series B funding round. This round was spearheaded by the VC firm Felicis and saw contributions from notable names such as a16z, Madrona, Amplify Partners, Altimeter, Redpoint, and Zero Prime. This influx of capital has boosted MotherDuck’s total funding to an impressive $100 million, valuing the company at a post-money valuation of $400 million.
Expansion on the Horizon
The funds raised are earmarked for specific growth areas. Jordan Tigani, the CEO of MotherDuck, has shared plans to channel these funds towards bolstering the company’s engineering and go-to-market teams. The company, which currently boasts a team of 32, is set to expand its headcount to 45 by the year’s end.
The Genesis of MotherDuck
Jordan Tigani, with a rich background as the former engineering director at database startup SingleStore and a foundational engineer at Google’s BigQuery, was motivated to establish MotherDuck. His observations revealed that most company database workloads were relatively small, ranging between 1GB and 10GB. Recognizing the efficiency of recent hardware advancements in handling these datasets, Tigani approached Hannes Mühleisen, Co-Creator of DuckDB. This collaboration led to the inception of MotherDuck, aiming to merge the efficiency of DuckDB with the scalability and collaboration features of the cloud.
The Rise of Open Source Databases
Open-source databases are witnessing a surge in adoption. A survey by Percona highlighted that nearly 90% of IT organizations are leveraging at least two open-source databases. With a myriad of database software options available, companies like MotherDuck are carving a niche by managing these open-source database solutions for their clientele.
MotherDuck’s Unique Offering
MotherDuck offers a cloud analytics service rooted in DuckDB. This platform can be harnessed to develop SaaS applications with analytical capabilities, serve as a data warehouse, or function as a query engine for data lakes. The platform’s scalability and performance set it apart from competitors. Tigani emphasizes the platform’s performance, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility as its unique selling points. DuckDB’s ability to execute analytical queries swiftly, even outpacing alternatives like PostgreSQL, offers organizations a cost-effective solution.
What’s Next for MotherDuck?
With close to 2,000 users, including companies like ATM.com, MotherDuck has removed its platform’s waitlist. The company’s immediate product roadmap includes enhancing the programming notebook experience, expediting data import, refining database sharing, and integrating the upcoming release of DuckDB, DuckDB 0.9.0, into the MotherDuck platform.
This recent funding round and the company’s ambitious plans underscore MotherDuck’s commitment to revolutionizing the database landscape. As the company continues its growth trajectory, the tech world will undoubtedly keep a close watch on its developments.
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