AskEdith
SeedRaised Since FeaturedSiri, but for your data
AI-powered natural language data analyst that lets anyone query company databases without SQL.
About
AskEdith (now Athenic AI) is an LLM-enabled self-serve analytics platform that lets business users ask data questions in plain English and receive instant results — tables, graphs, and insights — without writing SQL or waiting for analyst support. Founded by Jared Zhao out of UC Berkeley, the platform started as an English-to-SQL translator and evolved into an enterprise 'central nervous system' for data, integrating with ERP systems, CRM platforms, and data warehouses. Athenic AI trains its models on each company's specific context and tribal knowledge to deliver customized, accurate analytics. The platform has been adopted by major media companies including Penske Media Corporation (parent of Variety, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and the Golden Globes). In January 2025, the company raised a $4.3M seed round led by BMW i Ventures, bringing total funding to approximately $9.1M. The team of 9 operates from Santa Clara, CA.
DailyDropout Take
AskEdith caught our eye as an early mover in the natural language-to-SQL space, built by a UC Berkeley ML researcher who saw the potential of LLMs for democratizing data access before ChatGPT made it mainstream. The rebrand to Athenic AI and subsequent $4.3M seed from BMW i Ventures validated the vision — and landing Penske Media Corporation (Variety, Rolling Stone, Billboard) as a customer proved enterprise demand for AI-native analytics.
Discovery signal: UC Berkeley ML founder, early LLM-powered data analytics play, natural language-to-SQL innovation predating ChatGPT hype, pivot timing aligned with generative AI wave
What Makes Them Unique
Unlike traditional BI tools that require SQL expertise or rigid dashboards, Athenic AI trains on each company's specific context and tribal knowledge, delivering individualized insights that go beyond generic analytics. The platform converts natural language questions into accurate queries within seconds, reducing analyst dependency from weeks to minutes.
~$9.1M
Total Raised
9
Team Size
Weeks to minutes
Workflow Reduction
Target Markets
Founders
Jared Zhao
Founder & CEO
UC Berkeley-trained data and ML researcher. Previously founded Polyture (2021), a data analytics startup, before pivoting to AskEdith when generative AI breakthroughs enabled natural language data querying at scale.
Key People
Funding History
Lead: Unknown
Lead: BMW i Ventures