Citi invests in Starburst to advance secure AI data solutions

Starburst has received a strategic investment from Citi to support the delivery of secure and scalable data applications for enterprises.

Starburst provides a data platform that allows organisations to unify access to distributed data across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments without requiring data duplication or complex migrations.

The company aims to deliver AI and analytics solutions built on an open and hybrid data lakehouse foundation. This approach is designed to support global enterprises in creating intelligent data applications while maintaining security and scalability.

According to Starburst, its platform brings artificial intelligence closer to data storage, referred to as "lakeside", which is intended to reduce the friction traditionally experienced between data, governance, and AI processes. The company reports that its technology is currently utilised by 10 of the top 15 banks worldwide.

The investment from Citi was made through the Markets Innovation & Investments division. Lee Smallwood, Global Head of Markets Innovation and Investments at Citi, said, "We're excited to collaborate with Starburst to help shape the future of enterprise data and AI. Our strategic investment reflects Citi's commitment to advancing a modern, AI-ready data infrastructure, prioritising governance, performance, and flexibility to power mission-critical financial services in a global, regulated environment."

Justin Borgman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Starburst, commented on the partnership by stating, "Our mission is to meet the data challenges faced by complex, global institutions. We're proud to provide our clients with a secure, high-performance platform that enables access to data wherever it lives. Citi's investment reinforces our mission to remove barriers between data and insight, especially in industries where speed, trust, and governance are non-negotiable."

Starburst has indicated it is continuing to expand its presence in regulated industries that are increasingly adopting AI as a core part of transformational strategies. The company says its platform is built upon an open data stack, incorporating Trino and Apache Iceberg to provide federated access and governed collaboration, supporting compliance and data lineage for enterprises.

Starburst states its platform is trusted by enterprises in over 60 countries, including four of the top five global banks. The company highlights strategic partnerships with providers such as AWS and Dell Technologies to support interoperability for clients across multiple environments.

Starburst reports that, by focusing on performance, governance, and control, it aims to enable organisations handling intensive and sensitive data workloads to unlock more value from their information and support the adoption of compliant AI solutions.