In a significant move to bolster enterprise AI adoption, data cybersecurity giant Rubrik has announced its acquisition of Predibase, a venture-backed startup specializing in customizing open-source AI models to meet specific business needs. This acquisition marks Rubrik's strategic foray into the AI space, joining a growing trend of companies enhancing their technology stacks for AI agent creation.

Established in 2021, Predibase has already made substantial strides in the AI sector, raising over $28 million in venture capital from prestigious investors like Felicis, Greylock, and Sancus Ventures. The startup's founders, Devvret Rishi (CEO), Piero Molino (Chief Science Officer), and Travis Addair (CTO), have been instrumental in driving Predibase's growth and innovation.

With the integration of Predibase, Rubrik aims to empower its users to expedite the development of AI agents through platforms like Amazon Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, and Google Agentspace. This move aligns with Rubrik's mission to simplify access to secured, governed data for AI applications, as highlighted by Bipul Sinha, Rubrik's co-founder and CEO, in a recent blog post. Sinha emphasized the transformative potential of combining Predibase's capabilities with Rubrik's secure data platforms, ensuring that trusted data powers responsible and impactful AI.

The acquisition of Predibase is expected to address performance and cost challenges associated with deploying large language models for agentic and other AI applications. This strategic move positions Rubrik as a key player in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Rubrik's acquisition of Predibase follows a series of similar moves by other tech giants. In May, Salesforce acquired data management firm Informatica for a staggering $8 billion. Snowflake bolstered its AI agent offerings by acquiring Crunchy Data in early June, while Collibra acquired Raito for similar reasons shortly after.

Founded in 2014, Rubrik has raised over $1.6 billion in venture capital from renowned firms such as Khosla Ventures, IVP, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The company went public in April 2024, further solidifying its position as a leader in the data cybersecurity and AI sectors.