Data science Startups

12 Labs, co-founded by Ashu Dubey, is a data science-powered weight loss application called Applays that has achieved over 500,000 downloads with approximately 75,000 monthly active users as of early 2016. The company raised approximately $1 million in a priced round led by Salesforce founder Mark Benioff in 2014, focusing on solving the engagement problem that plagues most health apps. While the free app generates no direct revenue, 12 Labs monetizes through an engagement platform for wearables that powers Applays and has shown a 7x improvement in user retention.

APSEN is an AI-powered SaaS platform that automates expense audits and back office finance functions for mid-to-large enterprises (500+ employees). Founded in 2013 by Anant Kail and co-founder Kunal Verma, the company achieved nearly $1M in ARR by 2015 with 22 enterprise customers at $50K average contract value, having raised $3M in venture capital. Their enterprise-focused cold sales approach yielded an $18K CAC with zero churn and strong product stickiness.

Skyhive is a machine learning-powered competency discovery tool founded by Sean Hinton that helps enterprises understand workforce capabilities, identify skill gaps, and create upskilling pathways. Launched in April 2017, the company scaled from zero to 17 enterprise customers generating ~$85k/month in revenue through inbound leads and the Singularity University network. The company raised $1.5M CAD in seed funding and expects to reach profitability in Q3 2019.

Ansaro was a HR-focused SaaS that aimed to use AI and data science to improve hiring and interviewing processes. Despite raising $3M and growing to 6 team members, they failed to achieve product-market fit after 2 years and multiple pivots, earning only $100K total revenue against $70K monthly expenses before shutting down.