The problem
Enterprises can't query or feed AI with data scattered across clouds and on-prem systems without costly migrations
What they do
Federated data access, analytics and AI platform built on open-source Trino and Iceberg
Traction $100M+ ARR (2025), ~40% YoY growth, 130% net retention, $20M AI run rate
Hiring trend
- Open roles
- 35
- Ops roles
- 2
- Headcount
- ~440-530
Flat: ~438 staff Mar 2026 vs ~425 in 2025 (+3% YoY), down from ~552 in 2023 (Revelio); postings -16% vs 2025
Hiring in
- Boston
- Warsaw
- London
Glassdoor
3.4 ★ 165 reviews ↗Funding
- Last round
- $250M
- Stage
- Series D
- Date
- Feb 2022
Led by Alkeon Capital (Series D); Andreessen Horowitz (Series C)
- Hiring+235 open roles on the live job board (30+ roles = +2)
- Funding recency0Series D · $250M, Feb 2022 (56 months ago): over 24 months = 0
- Traction+1.5Strong growth: $100M+ ARR (2025), ~40% YoY growth, 130% net retention, $20M AI run rate
- Red flags−11 significant flag in the last 24 months, −1 eachSecondary-market valuation ~$1B, about 69% below the $3.35B Series D (Oct 2026 estimate), with no priced round since Feb 2022; 2026 Glassdoor reviews describe repeated hire-then-let-go cycles (rating 3.4, 52% recommend) after 2023-24 layoffs.TrueUp: Starburst latest secondary valuation $1.0B, down 69% from last round (Oct 2026) ↗ · Glassdoor: 'Think Twice before joining' review citing frequent let-gos (Aug 2026) ↗ · Revelio Labs: Starburst headcount 552 (2023) to 438 (2026) ↗
- Total2.52 + 0 + 1.5 − 1 = 2.5 → Steady (1.5–3.49)
Distance (Half) is a separate read on how long the lead can last. It doesn't change the score.
Distance
Half · edge: hard to leave
Sticky enterprise data layer with 130% net retention, but Databricks and Snowflake loom large.
Sources: InformatiqueNews: Starburst passes $100M ARR, 130% net retention (Feb 2026) ↗ · Starburst: Crosses $100M ARR (Feb 2026) ↗
Watch-outs
Secondary-market valuation ~$1B, about 69% below the $3.35B Series D (Oct 2026 estimate), with no priced round since Feb 2022; 2026 Glassdoor reviews describe repeated hire-then-let-go cycles (rating 3.4, 52% recommend) after 2023-24 layoffs.
Sources: TrueUp: Starburst latest secondary valuation $1.0B, down 69% from last round (Oct 2026) ↗ · Glassdoor: 'Think Twice before joining' review citing frequent let-gos (Aug 2026) ↗ · Revelio Labs: Starburst headcount 552 (2023) to 438 (2026) ↗
Last checked Oct 25, 2026