OpenMetadata
OpenMetadata is an open-source metadata management platform that emerged from the Apache Software Foundation ecosystem in 2021, founded by Suresh Srinivas and Sriharsha Chintalapani, both former engineers at companies like Uber and LinkedIn.
Profile
OpenMetadata provides an open-source platform for data discovery, governance, and collaboration, enabling organizations to catalog and manage metadata across their data infrastructure.
OpenMetadata is an open-source metadata management platform that emerged from the Apache Software Foundation ecosystem in 2021, founded by Suresh Srinivas and Sriharsha Chintalapani, both former engineers at companies like Uber and LinkedIn. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and operates as an unfunded entity, relying on community contributions and enterprise support rather than venture capital. Its core product is a unified metadata platform that enables organizations to discover, govern, and collaborate on data assets across diverse sources, including databases, data lakes, and BI tools.
The platform is built on an open standard for metadata, the OpenMetadata Schema, and integrates with over 80 connectors for ingestion, profiling, and data quality. As of June 2026, the GitHub repository has 14,100 stars and over 2,100 forks, reflecting strong community engagement. The company's financial trajectory is not publicly disclosed, but it has not raised any external funding, positioning it as a lean, community-driven project.
OpenMetadata competes with other open-source data catalog tools like Amundsen and DataHub, as well as commercial offerings from Atlan and Alation. The platform is used by data engineering and analytics teams in mid-to-large enterprises, particularly those with complex data ecosystems requiring governance and lineage tracking. Recent activity on GitHub shows active development, with commits focused on performance improvements, such as chunking IN-list batch queries for JDBC drivers.
The project's growth is notable in the context of increasing regulatory demands for data governance and the rise of AI/ML workloads that require robust metadata management. However, the lack of venture funding and a small team size may limit its ability to scale enterprise sales and support compared to well-funded competitors.
Who buys this
- Data engineering teams in mid-to-large enterprises
- Data governance and compliance officers
- Analytics and business intelligence teams
- Organizations with multi-source data ecosystems (databases, data lakes, BI tools)
Strengths and what to watch
Strengths
- Strong open-source community with 14,100 GitHub stars and active development (16,767 commits as of June 2026)
- Broad connector ecosystem with over 80 integrations for data ingestion, profiling, and quality
- Open standard for metadata (OpenMetadata Schema) enables interoperability and extensibility
Watch for
- No external funding or disclosed revenue, raising questions about long-term sustainability and enterprise support capabilities
- Competition from well-funded alternatives like Atlan, Alation, and DataHub, which have larger sales and marketing budgets
- Small team size and reliance on community contributions may slow feature development and bug fixes compared to commercial vendors
Key Information
- Industry
- Data Management
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- San Mateo, California
Frequently Asked Questions
What is OpenMetadata?
OpenMetadata is an open-source platform for data discovery, governance, and collaboration. It helps organizations catalog and manage metadata across databases, data lakes, and BI tools using an open standard called the OpenMetadata Schema.
Who created OpenMetadata and when was it founded?
OpenMetadata was founded in 2021 by Suresh Srinivas and Sriharsha Chintalapani, both former engineers at Uber and LinkedIn. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and emerged from the Apache Software Foundation ecosystem.
How many connectors does OpenMetadata support?
OpenMetadata integrates with over 80 connectors for data ingestion, profiling, and data quality. These connectors cover databases, data lakes, and BI tools, enabling organizations to unify metadata from diverse sources into a single platform.
Is OpenMetadata funded by venture capital?
No, OpenMetadata operates as an unfunded entity and has not raised any external venture capital. It relies on community contributions and enterprise support, positioning it as a lean, community-driven project without disclosed revenue.
How does OpenMetadata compare to DataHub or Amundsen?
OpenMetadata competes with open-source tools like Amundsen and DataHub, as well as commercial offerings from Atlan and Alation. It differentiates with an open metadata standard and over 80 connectors, but lacks the funding of well-capitalized rivals.
What are the main strengths of OpenMetadata?
OpenMetadata has a strong open-source community with 14,100 GitHub stars and over 2,100 forks. It offers broad connector support with 80+ integrations and an open metadata schema for interoperability, though its small team may limit enterprise support.
Sources
- github.com — GitHub repository with 14,100 stars, 2,100 forks, 16,767 commits, and active development as of June 2026
- tracxn.com — Company profile showing unfunded status, founded in 2021, HQ in San Mateo, founders Suresh Srinivas and Sriharsha Chintalapani