DataBahn.ai: Why We Invested

I’m excited to announce that Forgepoint Capital is leading DataBahn.ai’s $17 million Series A funding round. We’re thrilled to partner with co-founders Nanda Santhana and Nithya Nareshkumar and the DataBahn.ai team as they further their groundbreaking approach to AI-driven data pipeline management across the enterprise. We’re also glad to welcome new investors S3 Ventures and join returning investors GTM Capital as we back the company’s global growth.

Telemetry overload in the age of AI, cloud computing, and IoT/OT

Enterprise adoption of cloud, Internet of Things/Operational Technology (IoT/OT), and AI technologies is accelerating, creating larger technology stacks and SaaS sprawl. Each new tool, application, and system must be monitored and secured by Security Operations Center (SOC) teams that now manage more security data than ever. Modern stacks generate hundreds of terabytes of telemetry data and SOCs receive nearly 4,000 alerts per day on average.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions play a key role as the primary dashboard from which SOC teams manage security data to initiate threat detection, analysis, response, and remediation. However, legacy SIEMs utilize volume-based pricing and licensing models which aren’t built for large-scale data ingestion, presenting a fundamental challenge in today’s distributed high-volume environments.

Given that over 80% of security telemetry may be redundant, duplicated, or noise, security teams must determine which data to send to the SIEM to reduce costs- without missing essential incident data. Regulatory and compliance demands such as the SEC’s incident disclosure rules in the US and GDPR in the EU complicate an already difficult endeavor by requiring accurate security data storage and reporting.

DataBahn.ai: Optimizing the security data pipeline with AI

DataBahn.ai helps companies eliminate irrelevant telemetry and optimize data flows to get the most out of their security data and reduce SIEM costs.

DataBahn.ai’s AI-enabled platform delivers high quality telemetry to SOC teams without losing visibility over critical incident data. Founded on a unique approach that streamlines data pipelines- the connective tissue carrying and transforming raw telemetry from the source to the SIEM, data lake or warehouse, or another storage destination- the platform delivers intelligent tools that gather, preprocess, and move data at lightning speed. Accessible interfaces, flexible agentless and agent-based deployment options, and faster data access ensure immediate ROI.

Two key differentiators in the DataBahn.ai platform are Cruz and Reef. Cruz acts as an AI-driven agent- a data engineer in a box that eliminates manual pipeline management, proactively detecting and resolving data issues like schema drift to reduce noise by up to 50%. Reef is a security insights layer with an LLM interface- a conversational AI which identifies relevant security data, enables federated search, and intelligently routes data to SIEMs and lower-cost cold storage.

These AI capabilities amplify the platform’s impact. Today, sophisticated enterprise customers including McAfee, Archaea Energy- a BP company, CSL Behring, and ThinkOn work with DataBahn.ai to achieve remarkable results: a 50%+ reduction in SIEM costs and 80%+ automation of data engineering workloads

The team, technology, and traction to scale globally

At Forgepoint Capital, we invest in transformative companies with strong teams, unique technologies, and customer traction- clear market validation that their products meet real problems with real demand. DataBahn.ai has all of these attributes in spades.

Co-founders Nithya and Nanda bring proven track records in enterprise digital transformation. Nanda, the CEO, is a visionary enterprise data security expert who has helmed transformative cybersecurity initiatives for Securonix, Oracle, and Sun Microsystems (acq. Oracle). Nithya, the company President, is an experienced technologist with deep technical and leadership expertise, having led the management of complex data ecosystems for J.P. Morgan and The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC). Together, they have cultivated a team of seasoned data experts and technology leaders to drive DataBahn.ai forward.

In an extremely short period of time, DataBahn.ai has experienced rapid growth and attracted a loyal customer base of major enterprises. Fueled by this validation and tailwinds from the team’s strong go-to-market execution across direct sales and channel partnerships, DataBahn.ai’s platform has gained traction across financial services, healthcare, the semiconductor industry, and tech- including cybersecurity.

Streamlined data pipelines for cybersecurity, IT, and beyond

I’m confident that DataBahn.ai will continue to deliver cutting-edge, AI-enabled data pipeline optimizations, not only in security but in broader IT, IoT/OT, and enterprise data and observability as well. As emerging standards like Model Context Protocol (MCP) drive greater AI utilization across the full range of enterprise data sources, organizations will require intelligent data routing and management to fully benefit from AI. Forgepoint Capital looks forward to working with Nanda, Nithya, and the entire DataBahn.ai team as they redefine enterprise data pipelines.