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Like many startup stories, Izenda began as a business concept drummed up in a college dorm room. The goal: to utilize agile methodologies and software to provide business intelligence to customers on a budget.
Founded in 2002 by Sanjay Bhatia, the company vision changed course a few years later when mounting frustration over the complexity of the industry’s leading reporting databases led to the pursuit of new technology. In 2006, Izenda unveiled and patented a web-based reporting solution that altered the way companies deploy and use intelligence. And the business has been gaining steam ever since. “I didn’t like how difficult the existing databases were to operate and analyze,” said Bhatia, CEO of Izenda. “The world was changing a lot faster than we were. You can’t spend 18 months working on data warehouse for a product that’s only going to be on the market for six months – so technology had to be more agile. That couldn’t be accomplished with the solutions available.”
Izenda now offers ad hoc reporting, data visualizations and real-time dashboards for nearly 1,000 applications built on the Microsoft platform. The company has also positioned itself as a leading global provider of embedded Business Intelligence (BI) solutions, an area of software that is growing rapidly as more companies move their applications to the web and cloud. Customers including Volvo, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Wellpoint, Verizon, the U.S. Navy and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation have all used Izenda’s technology to power their business intelligence.
“We feel that business intelligence should not solely be an IT function—it should be available to every employee,” said Bhatia. “What’s different about what we do is, we’re embedding our software into apps people are already using. We have about 400 customers and close to 100,000 users out there. But nearly a half billion people use software applications that are powered by a Microsoft SQL server. So we have only reached a small fraction of our potential audience.”
With numerous accolades in recent years, it appears the company’s future is bright. Izenda was selected a “High Potential ISV (Independent Software Vendor)” by Microsoft, named one of the state’s most innovative technology companies by the Technology Association of Georgia and nominated “cool technology” of the year by TechAmerica. In addition, Bhatia has won a TiE Entrepreneur of the Year award and was selected to Apex Society’s “Power 30 Under 30.” A 2010 graduate of ATDC, Bhatia praises the startup accelerator for helping to generate that success, providing Izenda with crucial connections, mentors and resources along the way. So what’s next for Izenda, which now employs 35 and enjoys a rapidly growing revenue base? For starters, they hope to tap into that larger audience base.
“There are mountains of data being created all the time, but many people are blocked from accessing that data by traditional IT processes,” said Bhatia. “Remember, 10 years ago, you had to hire a web developer to handle even the smallest amounts of content uploads. Today, we see toddlers with tablets jumping on the internet. Our goal is to be embedded in the majority of Microsoft-based applications so people can make better decisions more quickly. We’re trying to turn the industry model upside down. This is already happening in other industries and we think BI is going to go in the same direction.”
