DataChat
UpdatedDataChat is a natural-language analytics platform that lets non-technical business users query data in plain English.
Profile
Natural-language analytics platform that converts plain English questions into SQL and Python, enabling non-technical users to analyze data without coding.
DataChat is a natural-language analytics platform that lets non-technical business users query data in plain English. Founded in 2017 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a research project, the company was commercialized in 2019 by co-founders Jignesh Patel and Rogers Jeffrey Leo John. Patel, who previously founded and sold three companies—Quickstep Technologies to Pivotal, Locomatix to Twitter, and Paradise to NCR—continues as a professor at UW-Madison while leading research direction.
The platform translates plain-English questions into SQL and Python, generating insights and predictive models without requiring users to code. This approach resonates in a market saturated with low-code tools that still demand technical skills. DataChat raised $29 million across five rounds: $4 million seed in 2020 (Celesta Capital, Nepenthe Capital) and $25 million Series A in September 2021 (led by Redline Capital and Anthos Capital). By 2024, the company had reached $5 million in annual revenue with approximately 30–36 people, primarily based in Madison.
Key product milestones: DataChat 2.0 launched in April 2024 with automated insight generation and advanced visualization. That month, the company joined Google Cloud's Partner Program. In February 2025, DataChat launched as a Snowflake Native App on the Snowflake Marketplace, deepening integration with a primary data platform. The product is also available on AWS. In February 2025, Gartner recognized DataChat as one of 15 emerging AI startups in its Techscape for Generative AI Content Discovery.
A major development occurred on October 28, 2025, when hotel tech company Mews acquired DataChat for undisclosed terms. Richard Valtr, Mews' founder, framed the acquisition as central to building 'agentic hospitality'—autonomous agents managing day-to-day operations. This acquisition removed DataChat from the broader analytics market, repositioning its technology primarily for hospitality workflows. Viken Eldemir became CEO in September 2023, bringing experience from Sisense and Oracle; founder Patel shifted to technical strategy. DataChat faces intensifying competition from larger BI vendors—Tableau, Looker, Power BI—all adding generative AI features.
Products by DataChat
Who buys this
- Business analysts and finance teams in mid-market enterprises running on Snowflake or Google Cloud
- Non-technical business users who need ad-hoc analytics without SQL knowledge
- Hospitality operators managing property operations and revenue (post-Mews acquisition focus)
- Enterprises seeking to democratize data access across departments
Publicly disclosed clients
- Isomark
Strengths and what to watch
Strengths
- Backed by UW-Madison research with deep data science expertise from founder Patel's three successful exits; recognized by Gartner as top 15 AI startup
- Reached $5M revenue by 2024 on lean 30–36 person team; established partnerships with Snowflake, Google Cloud, and AWS
- Integrated into three major cloud platforms via native apps and marketplace listings; strong product velocity (DataChat 2.0 in 2024)
Watch for
- Post-acquisition pivot: DataChat now owned by Mews; technology may narrow from horizontal analytics to hospitality-specific workflows, reducing addressable market
- Intensifying competition from established BI vendors—Tableau, Looker, Power BI—all adding generative AI query capabilities at scale
- Leadership concentration: CEO transition in 2023 (Eldemir from Sisense); founder Patel shifted to advisory role; execution risk as Mews integrates technology
Recent moves
Key Information
- Industry
- Business Intelligence
- Founded
- 2019
- Employees
- 11-50
- Headquarters
- Menlo Park, CA
Frequently Asked Questions
What is DataChat?
DataChat is a natural-language analytics platform that converts plain English questions into SQL and Python code. It enables non-technical business users to analyze data and generate predictive insights without writing code. Founded at University of Wisconsin-Madison, the company launched commercially in 2019.
How does DataChat convert English to SQL?
DataChat's platform translates plain-English business questions directly into SQL and Python code without requiring manual coding. Users input natural-language questions and the system automatically generates analytics insights, reports, and predictive models. This enables non-technical professionals to independently perform complex data analysis tasks.
Who founded DataChat?
DataChat was founded in 2017 as a research project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison by Jignesh Patel and Rogers Jeffrey Leo John. The company commercialized in 2019. Patel, a serial entrepreneur with three prior successful exits, continues as a professor at UW-Madison.
Who acquired DataChat?
Hotel technology company Mews acquired DataChat in October 2025 for undisclosed terms. The acquisition repositions DataChat from a horizontal analytics platform toward hospitality-specific workflows and operations. Mews founder Richard Valtr framed the strategic move as building 'agentic hospitality' with autonomous agents managing daily operations and revenue.
How much funding did DataChat raise?
DataChat raised $29 million total across five funding rounds. This includes a $4 million seed round in 2020 backed by Celesta Capital and Nepenthe Capital, plus a $25 million Series A round in September 2021 led by Redline Capital and Anthos Capital.
Is DataChat still available as a standalone product?
DataChat's technology is now owned by Mews following the October 2025 acquisition. While previously available on Snowflake and AWS platforms, the platform is being repositioned primarily for hospitality operators and workflows. Non-hospitality customers should verify current availability and future integration roadmaps with Mews.
How DataChat compares
Direct head-to-head against 3 competitors. Picked by 7wData.
DataChat
- Positioning
- Natural-language analytics platform that converts plain English questions into SQL and Python, enabling non-technical users to analyze data without coding.
- Customer segments
- Business analysts and finance teams in mid-market enterprises running on Snowflake or Google Cloud
- Strengths
- Backed by UW-Madison research with deep data science expertise from founder Patel's three successful exits; recognized by Gartner as top 15 AI startup
- Watch for
- Post-acquisition pivot: DataChat now owned by Mews; technology may narrow from horizontal analytics to hospitality-specific workflows, reducing addressable market
- Recent moves
- Mews acquires DataChat to build agentic hospitality systems with autonomous agents for operations and revenue management
ThoughtSpot
- Positioning
- Agentic analytics platform for enterprise teams querying live cloud data warehouses via natural language, without SQL expertise.
- Customer segments
- Mid-to-large enterprise data leaders and business analysts in finance, retail, and tech with cloud data warehouses.
- Strengths
- Natural language querying directly against Snowflake, BigQuery, and Databricks without requiring SQL skills from business users.
- Watch for
- Annual contract costs of $100K to $500K+, with customers citing difficulty quantifying ROI to justify renewal.
- Recent moves
- July 2025: launched Spotter, an agentic MCP-based assistant extending natural language querying to unstructured data.
Sigma Computing
- Positioning
- Spreadsheet-like interface over live cloud warehouse data, targeting analysts who want SQL-free direct access without extract pipelines.
- Customer segments
- Data analysts and business users at mid-to-large enterprises in tech, finance, and retail running Snowflake, BigQuery, or Databricks.
- Strengths
- Live SQL workbooks with spreadsheet UX directly over Snowflake, named Snowflake BI Partner of the Year three consecutive years through 2025.
- Watch for
- Compute costs scale automatically with no native spend controls, making warehouse bills unpredictable at enterprise query volumes.
- Recent moves
- March 2025 product launch added no-code application development and MCP extensibility for agentic workflow integration.
Domo
- Positioning
- Cloud BI platform for mid-market and enterprise business users needing dashboards and data pipelines without dedicated IT teams.
- Customer segments
- Mid-market and enterprise operations, finance, and sales teams. Buyer is a non-technical business leader, not a data engineer.
- Strengths
- Over 1,000 prebuilt data connectors enabling business users to build dashboards without writing code or involving IT.
- Watch for
- Pricing unpredictability: one enterprise customer reported a renewal increase exceeding 1,000 percent in a single year.
- Recent moves
- March 2025: Domo launched Agent Catalyst, agentic tooling for workflow automation using proprietary enterprise data.
Sources
- www.prnewswire.com — Series A funding ($25M in September 2021) and investor names (Redline Capital, Anthos Capital, Celesta Capital, Nepenthe Capital)
- www.mews.com — Mews acquisition date (October 28, 2025) and strategic rationale for agentic hospitality
- biztimes.com — DataChat headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin and acquisition by Mews in October 2025
- getlatka.com — $5M revenue with 36-person team in 2024
- www.businesswire.com — Snowflake Native App launch in February 2025
- tracxn.com — Total funding of $29M across 5 rounds and company overview
- wedc.org — Founders Jignesh Patel and Rogers Jeffrey Leo John, UW-Madison research origin, Madison headquarters