Civis Analytics raised $22 million to increase hiring across the board and increase research and development. The funding round was led by Drive Capital, with participation from Verizon Ventures and WPP. Eric Schmidt, executive chairman at Google parent Alphabet Inc. and seed funder, also joined the round.
“We are honored to welcome Drive Capital, Verizon, and WPP as investors and grateful for Eric’s continued support,” said founder and CEO Dan Wagner in a statement. “With this round of funding, we’ll be able to innovate more quickly, expand our product offerings, and target new sectors.”
The company was founded in the wake of the 2012 election to help bring the big data analysis that helped win an election to a wider audience. Wagner had previously headed the analytics team for President Obama’s campaign, and garnered the attention of Schmidt.
“Civis has far surpassed my expectations from the 2012 campaign,” Schmidt said in the statement. “Businesses increasingly need data science to win, and Civis is providing the technology and solutions to help them do that. I joined this round of funding as I continue to believe in what the team is building.”
The $22 million funding round is only the second funding the company has taken. Since its inception, it has grown from 15 to 135 employees. That growth should continue with this funding, allowing for expanded teams across the company.
Civis is also expanding its R&D efforts, creating new tools for its SaaS platform for data scientists. Built In Chicago has previously named Civis as a 2016 Top 100 Digital Company and a Startup to Watch for 2015.
Image via Civis Analytics
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