Introduction
Jared Zhao, the founder and CEO of Athenic AI, has a passion for data analytics that dates back to his time at UC Berkeley. He was drawn to the field because of its ability to turn raw data into a story. After founding his first data analytics startup, Polyture, in 2021, he realized that advancements in generative AI a year later made his previous work too complicated for users in a post-ChatGPT world.
Athenic AI: A New Approach to Data Analytics
The result was Athenic AI, a company that uses AI to run data analytics for enterprises across all of their data sources. Athenic’s products are designed to be a central nervous system of an organization’s databases, accessible to anyone in the company, regardless of coding or data experience.
How Athenic AI Works
Zhao explained that Athenic is built to be flexible, allowing companies to work with the AI to get it to understand their unique "tribal knowledge," KPIs, or internal terminology. This enables the AI to run proper analytics. Each data report generated by the AI-driven system includes an explanation of how the AI interpreted the data, making it easier for users to spot potential errors and provide feedback to the AI model. This approach helps with visibility, as even human data analysts can’t reach 100% accuracy.
The Importance of Transparency and Feedback
Zhao emphasized that even when the system is wrong, it’s aware of the potential error and explains why it thinks it’s incorrect. This is similar to what a good data analyst does, providing an executive summary that explains how to interpret the data and what was done to perform the analysis.
Athenic’s Product and Customer Base
Athenic was founded in 2022 and launched its product in the summer of that year. The company has since landed customers ranging from small startups to large enterprises, including Additel and PMC. While many of its smaller customers came from outbound sales leads, the majority of its enterprise clients came from inbound interest.
Funding and Future Plans
Athenic is announcing a $4.3 million seed round led by BMW i Ventures, with participation from TenVC, Scrum Ventures, and Stage 2 Capital, among others. The funds will be used to hire new talent and build out new tech capabilities.
The Future of Data Analytics
Zhao believes that in the future, users will ask questions and pull insights from the system, but the data will also have innate insights that the AI will suggest to the user before they even ask. Samantha Huang, a principal at BMW i Ventures, praised Athenic for its unique approach, saying that it helps companies set up their AI models with company-specific context and knowledge.
Conclusion
In a crowded data analytics market, Athenic stands out for its focus on user experience and ensuring that AI models have the proper company context. By solving the problem of flying blind, Athenic aims to help businesses make more informed decisions.
FAQs
Q: What is Athenic AI?
A: Athenic AI is a company that uses AI to run data analytics for enterprises across all of their data sources.
Q: How does Athenic AI work?
A: Athenic AI is designed to be flexible, allowing companies to work with the AI to understand their unique "tribal knowledge," KPIs, or internal terminology.
Q: What sets Athenic apart from other data analytics companies?
A: Athenic’s focus on user experience and ensuring that AI models have the proper company context sets it apart from other companies in the market.
Q: How does Athenic plan to use its funding?
A: The company plans to use its $4.3 million seed round to hire new talent and build out new tech capabilities.
