NoSQL database specialist Couchbase has raised $60 million in a Series E investment round, bringing the company's total funding to $115 million. With the influx of cash, the company plans to invest aggressively in tech development as well as expand its sales and support staff and add developers.
While NoSQL has been a popular tool among the developer community for managing big sets of data, it wasn't until around 2012 when Couchbase first started noticing that the datastore was taking off among larger organizations, said Couchbase CEO Bob Wiederhold. Organizations like Walmart, Orbitz and eBay are now trusting NoSQL for their mission-critical applications.
"I think there is a growing notion that the database industry is being disrupted in a very significant way," said Wiederhold. "It's a combination of big data and a move to cloud computing that is providing the backdrop to that change."
Couchbase picture detailing how well Couchbase can scale
Couchbase, which maintains the Couchbase Server and the recently launched Couchbase Mobile, is planning on making its system less challenging for developers to use by further developing upon its Couchbase Query Language, known as the N1QL language, which is in the developer-preview stage. Similar to SQL except for some tweaks that allow it to work with document-oriented databases, the language supposedly helps users more easily locate data in the Couchbase Server.
Regarding mobile, the company is working with mobile app development company Xamarin on a .Net version of Couchbase Mobile and is making enhancements to its syncing framework, said Wiederhold. Additionally, Couchbase wants to integrate its mobile technology with more mobile app development platforms like Xamarin's.
Couchbase is currently challenging legacy database giants like Oracle and upstarts like MongoDB and DataStax.
The Mountain View-based company has roughly 200 employees and counts Cisco, McGraw Hill Education and LinkedIn as customers, among others.
WestSummit and Accel Growth Fund were the two new investors who led the financing round along with previous investors including Adams Street Partners, Mayfield Fund, North Bridge Venture Partners and Ignition Partners. WestSummit's co-founder and managing partner Raymond Yang will become a member of Couchbase's board of directors.
Post and thumbnail images courtesy of Shutterstock user ramcreations.
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