# Bridging Data Collection and Analysis with Trifacta
## Overview
While companies invest trillions of dollars in big data technology to collect, store, and analyze vast amounts of data, a divide often exists between the collection and interpretation phases. San Francisco-based Trifacta aims to close this gap by offering a software solution that streamlines data transformation processes. Recently, Trifacta has secured $25 million in new financing to expand its sales and marketing efforts, further solidifying its position in the market.
### The Story of Trifacta
Trifacta's origins trace back to research conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and the University of Washington. Founded in 2012 by Joe Hellerstein, Sean Kandel, and Jeffrey Heer, the company sought to address a critical bottleneck in data analytics from a human perspective.
The mission of Trifacta revolves around improving how individuals interact with data. According to Hellerstein, the company’s CEO, the primary goal is "to radically improve the way people work with data." Their research revealed that data transformation was the key bottleneck, prompting them to focus their efforts on developing tools that automate this process.
### The Technology
Trifacta’s software automates the transformation of raw data from sources like Hadoop into formats that are easily digestible by business intelligence and visualization tools. Hellerstein explains that users can interact with the software through a dropdown menu of predefined steps, effectively creating programs that can be executed on large-scale data environments.
"One of the key features is our intuitive interface," says Hellerstein. "It allows users to perform complex data transformations without needing deep technical expertise."
The pricing model for Trifacta’s technology is based on the volume of data processed through their software. Typically, it ranges between $100,000 and $150,000 annually.
### Key Clients
Trifacta’s customer base includes both government and private sector organizations across various industries such as media, healthcare, and information technology. One notable client is Lockheed Martin, which uses the software to accelerate its data analysis efforts in the healthcare domain.
According to Hellerstein, Trifacta has enabled Lockheed Martin to reduce data analysis time from six weeks to just one day—a significant improvement that underscores the tool’s effectiveness.
### Market Impact
Trifacta’s success is evident in its ability to attract a wide range of clients and its growing list of enterprise customers. The company’s latest Series C funding round, led by Ignition Partners, has solidified its financial position, raising over $40 million to further develop and market its data transformation technology.
### Conclusion
Trifacta represents a promising breakthrough in the realm of big data analytics. By addressing the gap between data collection and interpretation, the company is empowering organizations to derive meaningful insights more efficiently. With its innovative software and expanding client base, Trifacta stands as a leader in the industry, setting new standards for how businesses interact with their data.
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