VAST Data is a privately held technology company focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning computing infrastructure.[2][3] Founded in 2016, the company offers a data computing platform that allows users to train AI models by storing and synthesizing large amounts of unstructured data.[4][5][6]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer Software |
| Founded | January 2016 |
| Founders |
|
Key people |
|
Number of employees | 321 (2021)[1] |
| Website | vastdata |
History
editVAST Data was founded in 2016 by Renen Hallak, the former head of R&D at XtremIO (acquired in 2012 by Dell EMC),[7][8] Shachar Fienblit, formerly of Kaminario, and Jeff Denworth, formerly of CTERA Networks.[9][10] Mike Wing, formerly of Dell EMC, serves as company president.[10][11]
In February 2019, VAST emerged from stealth mode, announcing $80 million of funding and the launch of its data storage software built on a new distributed systems architecture called DASE (Disaggregated and Shared Everything).[12][9]
VAST ranked No. 5 on the 2022 Deloitte Technology Fast 500[13] and No. 3 on the 2023 Financial Times list of The Americas’ Fastest-Growing Companies, based on VAST’s fiscal revenue growth from 2018 to 2021.[14] VAST Data also was included in Fast Company’s list of the 10 most innovative companies in data science of 2023, as well as Forbes’s America’s Best Startup Employers.[15]
In April 2023 VAST entered into a partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise to provide software for HPE GreenLake for File Storage.[16]
On August 1, 2023 VAST announced the launch of the VAST Data Platform, which offers storage, database, and compute engine services, and is designed to accelerate AI-enabled research.[17]
In December 2023 VAST announced it had surpassed $1 billion in cumulative software bookings; had surpassed $200 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR); and had maintained positive cash flow for the previous 12 quarters with a gross margin of nearly 90 percent.[18][19][20][21]
Funding
editVAST Data has raised $381million in funding.[22]
On December 6, 2023 VAST announced a Series E funding round led by Fidelity Management and Research Co. that raised $118 million at a valuation of $9.1 billion.[23][24][25][26][27]
| Series | Date | Amount (million $) | Lead Investor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2016 | 15 | 83North, Norwest |
| A1 | 2018 | 25 | Dell Technologies Capital, 83North, Norwest |
| B | 2019 | 40 | Greenfield, 83North, Norwest |
| C | 2020 | 100 | Next47 |
| D | 2021 | 83 | Tiger Global Management |
| E | 2023 | 118 | Fidelity Management and Research Co. |
Product
editThe VAST Data Platform is a unified global datastore, database, and AI computing engine comprising the following features:[28]
- VAST DataStore (formerly known as Universal Storage), an unstructured data storage solution
- VAST DataBase, a database management system (DBMS) that includes the constructs of a traditional database, data warehouse, and data lake
- VAST DataEngine (scheduled to be generally available in 2024), a global function execution engine
- VAST DataSpace, a global namespace that permits every location to store, retrieve, and process data
The platform is deployable in on-premises data centers, public clouds, and edge and ruggedized environments, and is delivered as a subscription-based service.[29]
Operations
editAs of February 2022 VAST operates in the United States, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Israel, Turkey, Czech Republic, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and Korea, with further expansion planned across EMEA with Benelux, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and the Nordics, and in Asia with Japan.[30]
VAST partners with several distribution partners worldwide, including Carahsoft, Arrow Electronics, Logicom, TechData, Climb Solutions, ASBIS, ASI and Macnica.[31][30]
VAST is a no-headquarters company with offices in New York City; Durham, North Carolina; Campbell, California; and Yafo, Israel.[10]
References
edit- ^ "FT ranking: The Americas' Fastest-Growing Companies 2023". Financial Times. March 27, 2023.
- ^ Mellor, Chris (February 26, 2019). "VAST Data: The first thing we do, let's kill all the hard drives". Blocks and Files.
- ^ Miller, Ron (April 16, 2020). "TechCrunch".
- ^ Coughlin, Tom (March 1, 2019). "VAST Storage Dreams". Forbes.
- ^ Adshead, Antony. "QLC + 3D Xpoint = Vast Data's universal storage". Computer Weekly.
- ^ Williams, Joe (April 17, 2020). "Business Insider".
- ^ "EMC buys XtremIO for $430m - Globes". en.globes.co.il. 2012-05-10. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ Kovar, Joseph F. (April 16, 2020). "Renen Hallak Talks Future". CRN.
- ^ a b Wilson, Alexandra (April 16, 2020). "VAST Data Gets $1.2 Billion Valuation, As Researchers Race To Combat COVID-19". Forbes.
- ^ a b c Mellor, Chris (February 26, 2019). "VAST Data's business sitrep". Blocks and Files.
- ^ "Mike Wing, Vast Data Inc: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ Robinson, Daniel (2019-06-05). "VAST Data guarantees no downtime, no data loss". Blocks and Files. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "2022 Technology Fast 500™ Rankings" (PDF). deloitte.com.
- ^ "FT ranking: The Americas' Fastest-Growing Companies 2023". 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "America's Best Startup Employers 2023". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "Vast dips into HPE GreenLake with new file storage service | TechTarget". Storage. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ Hampton, Jaime (2023-08-04). "Vast Data Boosts AI Infrastructure with New Unified Data Platform". EnterpriseAI. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "VAST Data closes $118 million Series E, nearly triples valuation to $9.1 billion". ctech. 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ "Genesys Cloud Reaches Nearly $1.3 Billion Annual Recurring Revenue in Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2024". Genesys. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ McDowell, Steve. "VAST Data More Than Doubles Valuation to $9.1B in Latest Funding Round". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ "Vast Data closes funding round in wake of AWS upgrade". Capacity Media. 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ Wiggers, Kyle (2023-12-06). "Vast Data lands $118M to grow its data storage platform for AI workloads". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
- ^ Sharma, Shubham (2023-12-06). "AI infrastructure major VAST Data's valuation surges to over $9B after fresh funding". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ "AI data platform VAST Data raises $118m at $9b valuation". Globes. 2023-06-12. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ "CrowdStrike and Optiv Surpass $1 Billion in Sales". wallstreet-online.de (in German). 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ Wiggers, Kyle (2023-12-06). "Vast Data lands $118M to grow its data storage platform for AI workloads". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ Hu and, Krystal. "VAST Data eyes IPO after valuation surges to $9.1 bln in latest fund raise". Reuters.
- ^ Morgan, Timothy Prickett (2023-08-01). "Vast Data Intentionally Blurs The Line Between Storage And Database - The Next Platform". www.nextplatform.com. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "VAST Data Deep Learning Data Platform - Built for AI". StorageReview.com. 2023-08-04. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ a b "Distribution underpinning VAST Data's EMEA expansion plans". MicroScope. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ Salamone, Salvatore (2023-10-01). "Real-time Analytics News for the Week Ending September 30". RTInsights. Retrieved 2023-11-15.