40. VAST Data

Founders: Renen Hallak (CEO), Jeff Denworth, Shachar Fienblit, Alon HorevLaunched: 2016Headquarters: New York CityFunding: $381 millionValuation: $9.1 billionKey Technologies: Artificial intelligence, deep neural networks/deep learning, explainable AI, generative AI, machine learningIndustry: Enterprise technologyPrevious appearances on Disruptor 50 list: 0
Software company VAST Data has an ambitious goal: It wants to redefine the data infrastructure stack for generative AI from the ground up. The company has rapidly become a disruptive force in enterprise storage and data computing, evolving from a startup with a flash storage concept into a full-fledged platform.
In April, VAST Data platform was expanded to be fully integrated into Google Cloud, which allows customers to tap into its training, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), inference, and analytics capabilities, allowing users to better access, move, manage and protect structured and unstructured data.
"This collaboration represents a leap forward for organizations pushing the boundaries of what's possible with AI," VAST Data founder and CEO Renen Hallak said in a release.
This is just one of a number of partnerships with major tech players. VAST released InsightEngine, a real-time AI retrieval application it developed with Nvidia. The app makes data instantly searchable and actionable for AI-driven applications and uses Nvidia's NIM microservices.
"By unifying all elements of the AI retrieval pipeline into an enterprise data foundation, VAST Data InsightEngine with Nvidia is the industry's first solution to provide a universal view into all of an enterprise's structured and unstructured data to achieve advanced AI-enabled decision-making," VAST Data co-founder Jeff Denworth said in a release.
VAST unites data management on its platform as an AI infrastructure enabler, which lets companies increase their data inputs and computation-intensive workloads. The company, which currently holds 50 patents, focuses on three types of businesses: high-performance computing including research institutions, AI cloud/model builders, and enterprise. Users include Cisco, Equinix, Supermicro and ServiceNow. It is also the data platform behind Elon Musk's xAI's Colossus cluster, the largest massive AI supercomputer in the world, located in Memphis, Tenn.
Because its system can be used for the entire AI data lifecycle, it also opens it up to many competitors. Storage vendors like Pure Storage and Dell EMC offer similar services, in addition to data lakehouse and data fabric providers such as Snowflake and fellow Disruptor Databricks.
Still, the company is bullish on the need for AI in the future. As of 2024, 78% of companies said they used AI in at least one functionality in their business, according to McKinsey. To further optimize growth, VAST has added Amy Shapero as its first CFO, who previously scaled Shopify's revenue from $700 million to $6 billion in just five years.

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