Six months after exiting stealth mode, enterprise search engine startup Glean Technologies Inc. today announced that it has secured a $100 million funding round at a $1 billion valuation. 

Sequoia Capital led the investment. Glean has raised a total of $155 million from investors to date.

In large organizations, business information is often scattered across upwards of dozens of databases and applications, which can make it difficult for workers to find files. Glean has developed a search platform that uses artificial intelligence to organize the files in a company’s systems and make them available through a centralized interface. The platform enables users to find records using natural-language queries.

Glean’s team includes engineers who previously worked at Google LLC’s search division. Glean founder and Chief Executive Officer Arvind Jain earlier co-founded Rubrik Inc., a major provider of data protection software that reportedly received a $4 billion valuation last year.

Glean’s platform includes dozens of connectors that allow it to integrate with the systems where an organization stores its data. From there, the platform uses AI to map out business records. Glean customizes search results for every user based on factors such which documents are accessed most frequently by other employees.  

The company’s platform enables companies to embed answers to common employee questions in search results. Documents related to the same topic, such as product guides, can be organized in a single page. Glean also enables executives to distribute company announcements to employees through its interface.

The startup says its platform supports a wide range of use cases. Salespeople can use the platform to quickly find marketing materials and other product documents. A developer tackling a complex software error, meanwhile, could search for similar technical issues that emerged in the past and find information on how they were fixed.

“For the first time, knowledge workers not only have the ability to search for exactly what they need, but also discover knowledge and people who can help them move faster,” stated Jain. “Glean’s ability to connect with all of a company’s applications in under two hours (as opposed to months of implementation that was previously the industry standard) is also driving rapid customer adoption.”

Regulatory compliance is another focus for Glean. According to the startup, its platform highlights business records that are not managed in accordance with data protection requirements. Automating the discovery of potential data protection issues can save time for compliance teams and reduce the risk of human error.

Glean says its platform has been adopted by more than 70 organizations. The startup’s customer base includes Confluent Inc., $38 billion data analytics startup Databricks Inc. and other enterprise technology companies. 

Image: Glean