Enterprise data intelligence firm Alation has acquired Numbers Station, a move designed to supercharge its AI capabilities and make structured enterprise data more accessible through large language models (LLMs). Though financial details were not disclosed, the acquisition brings together two companies with fundamentally complementary architectures, enabling a swift integration—expected by the end of this quarter.
Numbers Station, a Series A-stage startup, had raised over $17 million from investors like Norwest Venture Partners, Madrona, and Factory. The startup focuses on building AI-native applications, particularly AI agents that operate on structured data—a capability Alation sees as crucial to its next phase of growth.
Alation CEO Satyen Sangani emphasized that while enterprises are eager to embrace LLMs for data access and insights, concerns around hallucination and data accuracy have slowed adoption. He explained that the missing link has been a “translation layer” between the LLMs and core enterprise databases—something Numbers Station is already well-equipped to provide.
The connection between the two companies goes beyond technology. Venky Ganti, a co-founder at Alation, worked at Numbers Station for several years, deepening the strategic fit.
Sangani said the acquisition allows Alation to move faster in launching AI-driven workflow automations. While Alation had already begun building its own AI agents—such as tools for data quality and documentation—adding Numbers Station’s talent and tech enables the company to scale those efforts more rapidly.
“What they bring is cutting-edge LLM capabilities that actually operate on enterprise data,” Sangani noted. “We bring the metadata, the connectors, and deep enterprise knowledge. Together, it’s the formula for making AI truly useful in the enterprise.”
Founded in 2012, Alation currently serves over 600 enterprise customers, including giants like Nasdaq, Hertz, and Samsung. Backed by investors such as General Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz, and Sapphire Ventures, the company has raised more than $300 million and was last valued at $1.7 billion in 2022.
