Cask Data, Focused on Simplifying Hadoop, Gets $20 Million in Funding

Large funding rounds by Hadoop-focused startups seem to be par for the course these days, as the open source big data framework becomes more of an attraction for businesses everywhere. The concept of making Hadoop easier to use is also not new. We've reported on the new front-ends and connecting tools that are appearing for the platform.

Now, Cask Data, an open source software company that helps developers deliver enterprise-class Apache Hadoop solutions for simplifying its use, has announced that it's raising a $20 million Series B financing round led by Safeguard Scientifics, with participation from Battery Ventures, Ignition Partners and other existing investors.

Cask has a number of huge customers already. According to the company:

"Cask accelerates the development and deployment of production Hadoop applications. Hadoop is the industry standard open source software framework for large-scale data applications. Cask's flagship offering, the Cask Data Application Platform ("CDAP"), provides an open source layer on top of the Hadoop ecosystem that adds enterprise-class governance, portability, security, scalability and transactional consistency. From Data Lakes to Data Apps, the CDAP platform is ideal for enterprise environments because it abstracts many layers of the Hadoop ecosystem, allowing developers to use their existing skills to build high-performance, large-scale Big Data applications. This dramatically accelerates development of applications and deployment into production, cutting average time to implement by more than 80%, while retaining the operational controls required by today's enterprise customers. Major customers and partners include AT&T, Cloudera, Salesforce, Pet360 and Lotame."

 "Big data has moved into the mainstream, but enterprises continue to struggle with the complexities and new skill sets required in the Hadoop ecosystem," said Cask Founder and CEO, Jonathan Gray. "Because our platform can layer on top of any distribution, instantly integrate with new and existing data stores, and easily support both Spark or MapReduce, it delivers real value for enterprises in a data-heavy environment, slashing development and deployment timelines. We are excited to be a part of the Safeguard family of partner companies. This financing, along with the operational expertise and guidance from our new board members Phil and Frank, will allow us to take Cask to the next level."

"Ignition has been a long-time believer in the importance of application enablement for Hadoop, and we know that businesses of all sizes and developers remain challenged to deliver real value in reasonable amounts of time," said Frank Artale, managing partner at Ignition Partners. "We have invested in, and partnered closely with, Cask since they were just an idea in their seed round, and look forward to working with them to take advantage of what we see as an original way to address these challenges and simplify the application enablement process."

"We are really pleased to get this opportunity to work with the Cask team," said Philip D. Moyer, Managing Director, Technology at Safeguard. "Data volumes are multiplying at an astronomical rate, making Hadoop an exceptionally fast growing market. Jon, Nitin and the entire Cask team are very respected in the open source Hadoop community for their contributions and leadership in the build out of enterprise capabilities for Hadoop. Cask is transactional, scalable, portable, governable, open, and secure.  Cask's combination of deep technical capabilities, strong financial growth and enterprise class customer traction makes the company a leader in the market and an exciting addition to Safeguard's portfolio."

 You can learn more about Cask and its focus on Hadoop at www.cask.co