Startups Navigate Walled Off Data

Artificial intelligence startups aren’t just chasing capital. They’re seeking deals for customer data.

As my colleague Kevin and I reported earlier this week, enterprise software firms such as Salesforce, Notion and Atlassian are limiting other companies’ access to customer data they host. The reason seems to be that AI startups like Glean threaten these software firms by making it easier for customers to search and analyze their data in the enterprise apps, such as Slack. 

Venture capitalists are watching this brewing fight over data closely and trying to determine which startups will or won’t get squeezed. Other than Glean, companies like Celonis, which sells software for improving business processes, or Cresta, whose AI analyzes call center conversations, are navigating fights of their own over access to data.