On May 20, 2025, Alation Inc., a leader in enterprise data intelligence solutions, announced its acquisition of Numbers Station, a startup specializing in AI-native data applications. This strategic move aims to integrate advanced AI agents into Alation’s platform, enabling customers to leverage AI-driven insights from their structured data.
Founded in 2012, Alation has been at the forefront of data intelligence, offering solutions that help organizations catalog, search, and manage their data assets. The company’s data catalog, launched in 2015, utilizes natural language processing to facilitate data discovery and governance. Over the years, Alation has expanded its offerings and customer base, serving over 600 enterprises, including notable names like Nasdaq, Hertz, and Samsung.
Numbers Station, established in 2021, has made significant strides in automating data workflows through AI. The company developed an intelligent data stack automation platform built on proprietary foundation model technology, enabling data practitioners to rapidly automate workflows using natural language. In March 2023, Numbers Station secured a $12.5 million Series A funding round led by Madrona, with participation from Norwest Venture Partners and Factory, bringing its total capital raised to $17.5 million. The startup’s innovative approach has attracted customers across various departments, including marketing, sales, and customer success, who utilize the platform to accelerate and automate analytics workflows.
The acquisition of Numbers Station aligns with Alation’s vision to enhance its AI capabilities and provide more robust solutions to its clients. By integrating Numbers Station’s AI agents, Alation aims to offer workflow automations that operate with enterprise-grade governance and context. This integration is expected to be completed by the end of the current quarter, reflecting the complementary architectures of both companies.
Satyen Sangani, co-founder and CEO of Alation, emphasized the importance of this acquisition in addressing the challenges enterprises face when adopting AI data tools. He noted that while large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used for data and knowledge consumption, their tendency to produce inaccuracies has hindered meaningful adoption in enterprise settings. By incorporating Numbers Station’s AI agents, Alation aims to bridge this gap, providing a translation layer that enables LLMs to interact effectively with enterprise data.
This acquisition is not Alation’s first foray into enhancing its AI capabilities through strategic partnerships. In October 2021, the company acquired Lyngo Analytics, a data insights firm specializing in natural language interfaces. This move was aimed at lowering the barrier to entry for business users, allowing them to acquire and develop data-driven insights without requiring SQL expertise. The integration of Lyngo’s AI and machine learning technology into Alation’s platform has been instrumental in driving data culture and innovation within organizations.
The addition of Numbers Station’s technology is expected to further accelerate Alation’s growth and global expansion. In November 2022, Alation raised $123 million in a Series E financing round led by Thoma Bravo, Sanabil Investments, and Costanoa Ventures, with participation from new investor Databricks Ventures. This funding elevated the company’s valuation to over $1.7 billion, underscoring the increasing demand for data intelligence platforms.
By integrating Numbers Station’s AI agents, Alation is poised to offer a new class of AI-native analytics applications featuring agentic workflows. These applications are designed to operate with enterprise-grade governance and context, enabling data and engineering teams to build and deploy AI-driven solutions more efficiently. This strategic move reflects Alation’s commitment to staying at the forefront of the data intelligence industry and providing its customers with cutting-edge tools to harness the power of AI in their data workflows.
