Business intelligence startup DataHero takes on $6.1M, partners with HubSpot

DataHero, a startup with cloud software for data visualization that can connect to several other cloud services, announced today a $6.1 million funding round.

DataHero also announced a new partnership with marketing-automation software company HubSpot that will allow HubSpot customers to analyze data from HubSpot and other sources using DataHero’s technology.

Cloud-based business intelligence (BI), which is the market that DataHero is targeting now, is chock full of competitors. In October Salesforce introduced its Wave analytics cloud, and last month Domo announced a $200 million funding round. But that hasn’t stopped investors from giving DataHero more money.

“We’re basically looking to take the lead in self-service cloud BI,” said Chris Neumann, a cofounder of DataHero who until this point has been chief executive.

Neumann is becoming the startup’s chief product officer and stepping aside so Ed Miller, formerly of Xythos, Blackboard, and Oracle, can come on board as chief executive.

Miller will help DataHero expand its sales and marketing activities and figure out which industries to focus on, Neumann told VentureBeat in an interview.

Some business intelligence vendors have been adding support for their applications on mobile devices. A native app for iOS and Android isn’t the highest priority for DataHero at the moment, Neumann said, as it’s difficult to switch between browser tabs and assemble new charts on a smartphone. “What we are seeing is that mobile usage is great for pre-built reports,” Neumann said.

What’s more important now is to figure out what types of data companies want to bring together and chart out. That includes DataHero’s own customers, but also partners.

“Customer success is at the intersection of marketing automation, CRM [customer relationship management], and support,” Neumann said. “Everyone wants to connect those three, and nobody knows what it looks like.”

DataHero started in 2011 and is based in San Francisco. The startup has 15 employees and almost 200 paying customers, including SendGrid, Renesola, Nerdwallet, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Existing investor Foundry Group led the round. Existing investors such as Neu Venture Capital, Dave Kellogg, and Tasso Argyros also participated.

To date DataHero has raised $10.25 million, including a $3.15 million round announced in December 2013.