Open source Lightdash receives support from Accel to bring AI to business intelligence.

Lightdash, a business intelligence (BI) platform and open source alternative to Google’s Looker, is unveiling a new product that allows companies to train “AI analysts” specific to individual teams’ use-cases, enabling anyone in a company to query aggregate business data. The startup recently announced raising $11 million in a Series A funding round led by Accel.

### Natural Language Queries
One of the latest features from Lightdash allows team members to ask natural language questions of the company’s data and receive relevant “curated insights” specific to their department. For example, the finance team will have an AI analyst tailored to their needs, interacting with it in natural language for quicker insights.

### Data Security Concerns
Enterprises may hesitate to adopt generative AI due to data security concerns. However, Lightdash reassures users that its AI Analyst is powered by the same secure Lightdash API, ensuring no additional risks for companies already satisfied with the platform’s security measures.

### Cloud Services and Growth
Since its commercial launch and $8.4 million seed funding two years ago, Lightdash has introduced a hosted cloud service for its open source product, attracting over 5,000 teams to use the platform. The company has experienced significant revenue growth, attracting customers like Workday, Beauty Pie, Hypebeast, and Morning Brew. With plans for team and product expansion, Lightdash aims to introduce new features, including the innovative AI analysts.
Apart from Accel, other investors in Lightdash’s Series A round included Operator Partners, Shopify Ventures, Y Combinator, and a few angel investors.