Ahana

Ahana, founded in 2020 and acquired by IBM in 2023, was a cloud-native analytics company specializing in managed services for Presto, the open-source SQL query engine.

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Provided managed Presto services for cloud-based data analytics.

Ahana, founded in 2020 and acquired by IBM in 2023, was a cloud-native analytics company specializing in managed services for Presto, the open-source SQL query engine. The company was led by CEO Steven Mih, a repeat entrepreneur with a background in enterprise sales and prior leadership roles at Aviatrix and Couchbase. Ahana's core offering focused on simplifying the deployment and management of Presto clusters on AWS, targeting data teams that needed high-performance querying across distributed data sources.

Post-acquisition, Ahana's technology was integrated into IBM's watsonx.data platform, which now serves as IBM's hybrid data foundation for AI-ready data management. The acquisition terms were not disclosed, but it marked IBM's strategic push into open-source data analytics and hybrid cloud infrastructure. As of 2026, former Ahana customers transitioned to IBM's support ecosystem, with some reporting friction in migrating from Ahana's managed service to IBM's broader but more complex enterprise stack. The company's original team dispersed post-acquisition, with Mih co-founding Across AI in 2024.

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Who buys this

  • Data engineering teams in mid-market tech companies
  • Enterprises adopting cloud-native analytics
  • AWS-centric organizations needing SQL query acceleration

Strengths and what to watch

Strengths

  • Deep expertise in Presto optimization for cloud environments
  • Simplified deployment compared to self-managed open-source Presto
  • Early mover in commercializing Presto-as-a-service

Watch for

  • Post-acquisition customer churn reported in some mid-market accounts
  • Original engineering team largely departed after IBM integration
  • Competition from newer cloud-native query engines like StarRocks

Key Information

Founded
2020

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Ahana's main product before IBM bought them?

Ahana provided managed Presto services for cloud analytics, simplifying deployment of this open-source SQL query engine on AWS. Their platform helped data teams accelerate queries across distributed sources without infrastructure overhead. The company specialized in Presto optimization before its 2023 acquisition integrated the tech into IBM's watsonx.data.

When did IBM acquire Ahana and why?

IBM acquired Ahana in 2023 to bolster its hybrid cloud data capabilities. The move integrated Ahana's Presto expertise into IBM's watsonx.data platform, supporting AI-ready data management. Terms weren't disclosed, but it aligned with IBM's strategic push into open-source analytics and cloud infrastructure.

What happened to Ahana customers after the IBM deal?

Post-acquisition, Ahana customers transitioned to IBM's support ecosystem, though some reported friction adapting to the broader enterprise stack. The original engineering team dispersed, with CEO Steven Mih co-founding Across AI in 2024. IBM maintained Presto support but with different service tiers.

How did Ahana's Presto service differ from running it yourself?

Ahana's managed service reduced the operational complexity of self-hosted Presto, offering optimized AWS deployments, performance tuning, and scaling automation. This appealed to mid-market teams lacking dedicated Presto expertise. Post-acquisition, IBM repositioned these features within its larger watsonx.data framework.

What are alternatives to Ahana's Presto service now?

With Ahana integrated into IBM, alternatives include Starburst's Presto offerings, Amazon EMR's Presto, or newer engines like StarRocks. Choice depends on cloud provider, existing data stack, and need for managed services versus platform-native solutions.

Who was Ahana's founder and where is he now?

CEO Steven Mih, an entrepreneur with enterprise sales experience from Aviatrix and Couchbase, led Ahana until its 2023 acquisition. He co-founded Across AI in 2024, focusing on AI-powered sales automation, while IBM absorbed Ahana's technology into its analytics portfolio.

Sources

  1. www.prnewswire.com — Steven Mih's background and Ahana acquisition timeline
  2. ahana.io — Post-acquisition redirect to IBM's watsonx.data platform
  3. www.sec.gov — IBM's financial reporting context for acquisitions
  4. www.prnewswire.com — Unrelated but confirms 2024 as current timeline