Seattle-based startup Codified has garnered attention and support from venture capital firms and seasoned tech executives with its mission to streamline internal data access standards for companies. Founded in 2023 and incubated at Madrona Venture Labs, the 5-person company recently announced a successful $4 million seed round led by Madrona Venture Group and Vine Ventures, with additional participation from Soma Capital.
Notable figures in the tech industry, including former Snowflake CEO Bob Muglia, SAP executive and former Microsoft VP JG Chirapurath, and Shireesh Thota, vice president of databases at Microsoft, have invested in Codified. The company's founder and CEO, Yatharth Gupta, brings over 14 years of experience from Microsoft, where he played a key role in leading Azure-related data access and management projects. Gupta's most recent position was as a senior vice president of product management at enterprise database company SingleStore.
Leveraging his extensive background in data access, Gupta is spearheading Codified, positioning it as an end-to-end data governance operating system. The startup utilizes generative AI to enable users to create data access rules seamlessly by articulating policies in plain English. The overarching goal is to enhance and expedite companies' decision-making processes concerning data access, specifying who has access, for what purpose, and for how long.
Gupta emphasizes that many companies currently rely on in-house engineers to manage data access, a process that can be both time-consuming and intensive. Codified aims to address this challenge by providing a user-friendly platform powered by AI, allowing companies to navigate data access regulations with greater efficiency.
The startup recognizes the industry-wide struggle in managing data access, with Gupta stating, "This is a problem that the industry has done a terrible, terrible job [with]." Factors such as increasing data regulations, heightened investments in cybersecurity, and the substantial data requirements for AI systems contribute to the tailwinds supporting Codified's innovative approach.
The company, with early partnerships already in place, is gearing up for a product launch later this year. Notable executives joining Codified include Stefan Batres, former director of engineering at Tableau Software, and Karan Thakker, former senior software engineer at ExtraHop and Alation.
Soma Somasegar, Managing Director at Madrona, emphasized the significance of Codified's solution, stating, "Codified is built for any company wrestling with data governance solutions, offering just-in-time access and protection in alignment with company policies." As Codified prepares to make its mark in the data governance space, its unique approach and substantial funding underscore its potential to revolutionize how companies manage and govern their internal data access standards.
