{{Short description|American data analytics company}} {{Infobox company | name = Platfora | logo = | industry = Big Data Analytics | founder = Ben Werther (Executive Chairman) | key_people = {{plainlist| * Jason Zintak (CEO) * Ben Werther (Executive chairman) }} | parent = Workday, Inc. | location_city = San Mateo, California, | num_employees = 125 | homepage = {{URL|http://www.platfora.com|Platfora.com}} }}
'''Platfora, Inc.''' is a big data analytics company based in San Mateo, California. The firm’s software works with the open-source software framework Apache Hadoop to assist with data analysis, data visualization, and sharing.<ref name="1 Business Insider">{{cite web|last=Bort|first=Julie|title=Larry Page's College Friend Has Launched a Cool New Startup|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/platfora-ben-werther-2012-10|publisher=Business Insider|accessdate=22 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="2 WSJ">{{cite news|last=Gage|first=Deborah|title=Platfora Founder Goes in Search of Big-Data Answers|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2013/04/15/platfora-founder-goes-in-search-of-big-data-answers/|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=16 April 2013|accessdate=22 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="4 Bloomberg">{{cite web|last=Vance|first=Ashlee|author-link=Ashlee Vance|title=Big Data for Dummies or at Least Product Managers|url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-12/big-data-for-dummies-or-at-least-product-managers|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140303204452/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-12/big-data-for-dummies-or-at-least-product-managers|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 3, 2014|publisher=Bloomberg Businessweek|accessdate=22 January 2014}}</ref>
== History == Platfora was founded in 2011 by Ben Werther. Werther studied Computer Science at Stanford University.<ref name="1 Business Insider" /> Prior to founding Platfora, he worked at There Inc., Siebel Systems, Microsoft, and Greenplum.<ref name="1 Business Insider" /><ref name="5 Information Week">{{cite web|last=Henschen|first=Doug|title=Big Data's Big Picture: An Insider's View|date=19 November 2013|url=http://www.informationweek.com/big-data/big-data-analytics/big-datas-big-picture-an-insiders-view/d/d-id/899326|publisher=Information Week|accessdate=22 January 2014}}</ref> In 2011, Werther met with former coworkers John Eshleman and Sri Satish Ambati in a café in downtown San Mateo, California.<ref name="2 WSJ" /> At one of these meetings, while discussing the technical process of big data analysis, Werther realized that he could develop software that paired with Hadoop to greatly speed up data analysis and visualization. Werther sought financing to start Platfora; Eshleman was initially an adviser, and later joined Platfora as founding vice president of technology. Ambati formed his own company, Oxdata (renamed H2O.ai).<ref name="2 WSJ" /> In 2012, Platfora acquired startup Plot.io for its browser-based data visualization technology.
Platfora received funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Battery Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures, Tenaya Capital, Citi Ventures, Cisco, and In-Q-Tel, the venture fund of the Central Intelligence Agency. Series C funding was $38 million. As of April 2014, total funding stood at $65 million.<ref name="1 Business Insider" /><ref name="2 WSJ" /><ref name="4 Bloomberg" />
Platfora is one of several data analytics companies that industry analysts expect to compete with established firms including SAP, IBM, SAS, and Oracle.<ref name="4 Bloomberg" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Bort|first=Julie|title=How Big Data Startups Could Kill a $30 Billion Industry|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/how-new-big-data-startups-will-kill-this-30-billion-industry-2012-8|publisher=Business Insider|accessdate=22 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Derrick|title=Visualization is the future: 6 startups re-imagining how we consume data|date=13 May 2013|url=http://gigaom.com/2013/05/13/visualization-is-the-future-6-startups-re-imagining-how-we-consume-data/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140303204500/http://gigaom.com/2013/05/13/visualization-is-the-future-6-startups-re-imagining-how-we-consume-data/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 3, 2014|publisher=Gigaom|accessdate=22 January 2014}}</ref>
On August 6, 2015, Platfora announced Jason Zintak as chief executive and Ben Werther executive chairman.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beltran |first=Luisa |date=2015-08-09 |title=Zintak named CEO of Platfora |url=https://www.pehub.com/zintak-named-ceo-of-platfora/ |access-date=2026-03-03 |website=PE Hub |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-08-07 |title=Platfora Names Jason Zintak as CEO - WSJ |url=http://www.wsj.com/articles/DJFVW00120150806eb86r6n7t |access-date=2026-03-03 |work=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Novet |first=Jordan |date=6 August 2015 |title=Big data startup Platfora appoints Jason Zintak as CEO; founder Ben Werther steps down |url=https://venturebeat.com/technology/big-data-startup-platfora-appoints-jason-zintak-as-ceo-founder-ben-werther-steps-down |access-date=3 March 2026 |website=Venturebeat}}</ref>
On December 8, 2015, Platfora announced $30 million of investment led by HSBC and Harmony Partners, alongside existing backers including Alleges Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Battery Ventures, Citi Ventures, Cisco Systems, Sutter Hill Ventures and Tenaya Capital.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Big Data platform Platfora raises $30M to boost sales efforts - Silicon Valley Business Journal|url = http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/blog/techflash/2015/12/big-data-platform-platfora-raises-30m-to-boost.html|website = Silicon Valley Business Journal|accessdate = 2015-12-09}}</ref>
In July 2016 it was announced that Platfora was being acquired by Workday, Inc. Workday expected the transaction to close in the third fiscal quarter of 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.workday.com/workday-to-acquire-platfora/|title = Workday to Acquire Platfora}}</ref>
== Product == Platfora’s software works with the open-source software framework Apache Hadoop; when a user queries a database, the product delivers answers in real time via a graphical user interface. Bloomberg Businessweek called it “Big Data for Dummies.”<ref name="4 Bloomberg" /> A corporate or government data analyst can use the interface to filter results, or drag and drop fields to create graphs, overlays, and other visualizations of the data. The analyst can then share those data visualizations and answers with others.<ref name="2 WSJ" /><ref name="4 Bloomberg" />
== Marketing == CRN Magazine named Platfora’s in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|last=Whiting|first=Rick|title=The 10 Coolest Big Data Products Of 2013|date=5 December 2013|url=http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/applications-os/240164423/the-10-coolest-big-data-products-of-2013.htm|publisher=CRN Magazine|accessdate=22 January 2014}}</ref> Platfora’s software was used at a festival in Kansas City to analyze the city’s crime data.<ref>{{cite web|title=Platfora and DST Win Big at Big Data Kansas City Festival|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/platfora-dst-win-big-big-140000848.html|publisher=Yahoo Finance|accessdate=22 January 2014}}</ref> Marketing firm Gartner named Platfora in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gartner.com/doc/3033817/cool-vendors-big-data-|title = Cool Vendors in Big Data, 2015}}</ref> A magazine mentioned Platfora in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|last=Vance|first=Jeff|title=10 Hot Hadoop Startups to Watch|date=16 April 2014|url=http://www.cio.com/article/751572/10_Hot_Hadoop_Startups_to_Watch_|publisher=CIO Magazine|accessdate=16 April 2014}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist|33em}}
== External links == * {{Official website|http://www.platfora.com}} * [http://patents.justia.com/inventor/john-glenn-eshleman Patents by John Eshleman]
Category:2011 establishments in California Category:2016 disestablishments in California Category:2016 mergers and acquisitions Category:American companies disestablished in 2016 Category:American companies established in 2011 Category:Big data companies Category:Defunct software companies of the United States Category:In-Q-Tel Category:Software companies based in California Category:Software companies disestablished in 2016 Category:Software companies established in 2011