Company unveils app to transform data and build workflows without code, allowing non-technical teams to act quickly on the data that matters most.
Cascade.io, the no-code data transformation and automation tool, announced the launch of its product along with a $5.3m Seed round led by First Round Capital. Redpoint Ventures, Susa Ventures and a collection of high-profile angel investors joined the round. The team will use the new funding to grow its team and expand its product.
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Cascade.io enables non-technical operations teams to data workflows in the cloud, automating the process of pulling in raw data, transforming it then sending it where it needs to go. While many companies suffer from dashboard overload, putting data to work is still difficult. For ops teams in particular, ensuring the right data gets to the right people at the right time is critical. For the first time, Cascade allows ops teams to manage those data workflows without relying on engineering.
“Every company has its own way of delivering its products, and the data they need to run that process are often very custom and specific,” said Jake Fuentes, Cofounder and CEO of Cascade. “To build each process, we need to put data workflows in the hands of the teams that know their business best, and waiting for engineering help is definitely not the right answer.”
In a drag-and-drop, browser-based canvas, teams can automate the cleaning and combination of large datasets, analyze and manipulate them, then send the results to external systems or users. Cascade’s platform is built for the modern data stack, allowing ops teams to pull data from a central warehouse and stay in sync with the rest of the business. “Automation is key,” said Jon Brelig, Cascade’s Cofounder and CTO. “These teams know the right data to be feeding into their process, but getting a pipeline built means getting in the engineering breadline. The modern stack allows easy access to data, but adding Cascade means that you can put that data to work.”
While still pre-launch, the Cascade platform has already boosted analyst productivity. Cascade’s clients include meal kit maker Fresh n Lean, produce logistics company Schmieding and scooter operator Skootel. For Ahmed Aboubaker, a data analyst at Fresh n Lean, the value was quickly analyzing shipment data for its meal prep service. “We needed to crunch a bunch of datasets from Fedex and UPS to figure out which shipments arrived late and figure out why. Before Cascade came along, we wasted so much time trying to do that in Excel over and over again.”
In the view of First Round Capital, Cascade sits at the intersection of two trends: no-code tools and the evolution of the modern data stack. “Cascade stands to be an invaluable tool both for ops teams and the organizations they’re a part of,” said Bill Trenchard, partner at First Round. “Companies have more data at their fingertips than ever before, but mere access is not enough — they need to integrate it into their operations. Cascade’s no-code approach will dramatically improve the way companies are run.”
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Ultimately, Cascade.io allows small organizations to automate their processes in ways currently restricted to enterprises with large engineering teams. Because many workflows sit behind technical barriers today, organizations find themselves operating in the dark, unable to act quickly on the right data. By breaking down those barriers, Cascade enables ops teams to focus on finding efficiencies and improving their process rather than putting out fires.
