Boston Machine Learning Firm DataRobot Gets $100M To Automate Data Science

Boston startup DataRobot wrapped up a new $100 million funding round, injecting more cash into what was already one of the region's biggest bets on machine learning and artificial intelligence. Palo Alto, CA-based venture firms Meritech and Sapphire Ventures led the Series D investment, with DFJ Growth, New Enterprise Associates, and IA Ventures also participating in the deal, DataRobot said in an e-mail to Xconomy. DataRobot said the additional backing puts the company's total venture funding at $225 million. Started in 2012, the company aims to automate much of the work of data scientists and make building predictive models easier for business users. Applications range from the expected--banks running risk algorithms to determine whether to issue a loan or a hospital determining risk for diabetes or heart disease--to the surprising, like helping the New York Mets choose draft picks.