The morning after Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (now X), there was a viral prank involving a fake Twitter engineer named “Rahul Ligma” who turned out to be real tech enthusiast Rahul Sonwalkar. Despite never working for X, Sonwalkar has a background in tech, having worked at Uber and founded an AI data analyst startup called Julius.
AI Data Analyst Startup
Julius, founded by Sonwalkar around two years ago, aims to make data science accessible to everyone. The tool has gained over 2 million users and offers features like analyzing datasets and predictive modeling from natural language prompts.
Partnership with Harvard Business School
Julius caught the attention of Harvard Business School, where assistant professor Iavor Bojinov convinced Sonwalkar to tailor the tool for HBS’ course on Data Science and AI for Leaders. This partnership with HBS, an institution that shapes future business leaders, was a significant achievement for the startup.
Seed Funding and Growth
Sonwalkar has successfully raised a seed round led by Bessemer Venture Partners’ Talia Goldberg, although specific details remain undisclosed. With a team of 12 employees, Julius continues to expand its user base and influence in the tech industry. Despite his early viral antics, Sonwalkar’s focus remains on developing innovative solutions through his startup.
