It was 2020, and Nicolas Orban, Stéphane Derosiaux, and Stéphane Maarek were all too unhappy with Apache Kafka. Tools to process real-time data streams simply weren't up to the task of meeting the trio's engineering needs, especially during the pandemic as companies rushed to deploy cloud services.
“Many companies found it difficult to scale their data operations,” Orbán told TechCrunch. “And they struggle to leverage the full potential of their data, leaving vast amounts unused or siled.”
After some discussion, Orbán, Derochaux, and Malek concluded that, although unwieldy, Kafka was not a total waste. They thought that maybe some tools could help.
So they decided to build a tool.
The three called their tool Conduktor, and over the years it has evolved into a full-fledged platform for streaming data management. A platform that can intercept and filter data according to company policies before it reaches its final destination.
According to Orban, the company's CEO, Conduktor essentially acts as a data gatekeeper, preventing “bad data” (corrupted, distorted, or otherwise incomplete data) from contaminating downstream applications. It is said to prevent This could be data such as real-time analytics or predictive maintenance.
View of the Conduktor console. Image credit: Conductor
“Customers are struggling with data explosion, underutilization, and technical hurdles associated with scaling real-time data,” said Orban. “We are currently working with some of the world's largest companies who are most affected by these challenges.”
Businesses can use Conduktor to monitor data streams and share data streams with third parties through Conduktor Share. This allows organizations to offer specific streams externally for data licensing.
This tool runs on a company's infrastructure and can enforce data masking and access controls to ensure that a company's data processing practices comply with regulations such as GDPR.
This month, Conduktor closed a $30 million Series B funding round led by RTP Global, with participation from Ansa, M12 (Microsoft's venture fund), and Accel.
Although Conduktor does have competition in this space (like Immerok), the startup has grown rapidly, tripling its annual recurring revenue in the past year. The startup counts DraftKings and Lufthansa as customers and plans to double its team of 60 people by 2026.
Citing a Fortune Business Insights report that predicts the stream processing market will grow to $185 billion by 2032, Orban said, “As streaming is inevitable for digital innovation, the demand for enterprise data management platforms will increase. It continues to rise.”
The new cash, which brings the New York-based company's total raised to $52 million, will be used for general expansion and product development, Orbán said.