Observable Inc., the developer of a cloud-based platform for visualizing and analyzing data, today announced that it has raised a $35.6 million funding round led by Menlo Ventures.

The investment also included the participation of Sequoia Capital and Acrew Capital. San Francisco-based Observable has raised a total of $46.1 million in funding to date. 

Observable provides a data collaboration platform of the same name that enables users to turn information into graphs and run analyses. To start a new analytics project in the startup’s platform, users create a document dubbed a canvas. The canvas contains the code and data visualizations used in the project, which multiple team members can edit at the same time thanks to built-in collaborative authoring features. 

Observable provides the ability to import records for analysis from cloud data platforms such as Snowflake, as well as Excel spreadsheets and other sources. Users can draw on a set of pre-packaged code components supplied by the startup to process data. The platform also makes it possible to access code and templates created by other Observable users.

Some of the pre-packaged components available in the startup’s platform focus on turning datasets into a form that is easier to analyze. The components can be used for tasks such as extracting specific items from a dataset and changing the order in which they’re arranged to simplify processing. In complex analytics projects, it’s also possible to merge data from multiple sources. 

Once a dataset is ready for processing, users can visualize their information with the help of graphs from a built-in template library. A business analyst at a retailer, for example, could use Observable’s platform to turn weekly sales data into a map that highlights how much revenue was generated by each store in the past seven days. It’s also possible to create other types of graphs, such as time-series visualizations that track how a trend changes over time.

Developers can use the popular JavaScript programming language to customize each graph as needed. A developer could, for example, add a button that allows business analysts to toggle between visualizing sales data from the past quarter or the past year. 

“Data is the world’s most powerful asset,” said Observable co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Melody Meckfessel, who was previously vice president of engineering at Google LLC. “We are building an environment where anyone can see and manipulate data to more fully understand and communicate the story it tells.”

According to Observable,  its platform can provide a more effective alternative to traditional data analytics tools for not only data scientists but also other professionals such as financial analysts and developers. The startup says that its platform is useful for companies’ executive teams as well. 

According to market research carried out by Observable, many data practitioners use three or more software tools to perform their day-to-day work. This means that they have to regularly switch between different applications to run analyses. Observable says its platform, which provides data collection, visualization and analysis features in a single interface that doesn’t require switching between different tools, can streamline data practitioners’ workflow. 

Observable provides the core features of its platform for free and offers two paid editions with additional capabilities. The startup will use its new $35.6 million funding round to develop yet more features for its platform, as well as support growth initiatives.

Image: Observable