Investing in Hex

Much has been discussed, written, and reconfigured around the modern data stack – and for good reason, it’s one of the most significant shifts in data architecture of our time. But as close followers of its evolution, one of the biggest gaps we’ve been missing in data science and analytics is the collaboration layer that companies like Figma brought to product design and Benchling brought to life sciences. 

That is, until we met Hex – the platform for collaborative analytics and data science. Hex brings SQL, Python, R, and no-code workflows together in powerful notebooks, and allows users to do exploratory analysis with minimal friction and publish projects as interactive data apps that anyone in an organization can use, from data scientists and data analysts to the C-suite. After all, if an interesting analysis is being done and no one is around to learn from it, does it make a sound? Collaboration is the key to unlocking true knowledge building.

Despite data management software already accounting for over $70B of spend, the modern data stack is still in its very early innings and continues to be one of the most exciting and furiously growing areas of customer adoption and investment. We believe no modern data stack is complete without Hex. 

It’s no wonder that some of the most exciting companies including Notion, Fivetran, Loom, Glossier, and Whatnot are already using Hex as the home base for thousands of data scientists and analysts to solve some of their most complex and cross-functional data problems. Over a dozen customers that we spoke with reiterated this – with one emphatically noting: for projects requiring collaboration across data engineering, data science, machine learning, production, and operations, “Hex is the only tool I’ve ever used that elegantly handled the needs for all of these roles.” 

Hex’s viral growth within data teams and among non-technical stakeholders as both editors and viewers got us the most excited about the opportunity to partner. Bridging the gap between a data scientist and a non-technical user is an incredibly difficult problem to solve. Hex solves this by pairing code with powerful UI-based tools to make data more accessible and impactful through a “low-floor, high ceiling” approach; it makes data more inclusive and powerful than ever with real-time collaboration, no-code charts, first-class SQL support, and a reactive, graph-based compute engine. As one customer declared, “Hex is more than just a notebook. Our data scientists have become UX engineers using Hex. They’ve turned their analysis into insights for both our internal leadership and for our customers all shared through a custom interactive Hex dashboard.” Goodbye legacy notebooks, hello new era of data that is more useful, reliable, and performant for everyone. 

Behind the thoughtful company building and magical product design at Hex is one of the most stellar teams we have ever come across, spearheaded by Barry, Caitlin, and Glen. One of their biggest superpowers is their lightning speed velocity, ever-guided by the needs of the customer. Since we’ve gotten to know this team over the past two years, they’ve continually found creative ways to push the envelope, shipping features that add incredible value – from real-time collaborative editing to Hex’s new reactive compute engine. We couldn’t be more excited to back this dream team who have the rare ability to balance meticulous product design at breakneck speed with strong commercial drive. 

We’re thrilled to share Andreessen Horowitz’s Growth Fund is leading Hex’s Series B, alongside two integral layers of the modern data stack – Databricks and Snowflake – and Hex’s existing investors, to fundamentally change the future of data workflows and usher in the next era of data. And their cross functional nature extends to hiring too – we are inviting data nerds of every type (engineers, designers, marketers, product managers, recruiters, and more) to join Hex today!

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