2025-10-20
Dataminr — the company that knows about a crisis before CNN
In 2021, artificial intelligence was all about automation.
About bots that answered emails, algorithms that categorized images, and assistants that pretended to sound human. But I wasn’t interested in that. I was looking for something different — AI that could feel. Because in a world that moves faster every year,
the one who perceives first — wins.
About bots that answered emails, algorithms that categorized images, and assistants that pretended to sound human. But I wasn’t interested in that. I was looking for something different — AI that could feel. Because in a world that moves faster every year,
the one who perceives first — wins.
1
The idea that felt ahead of its time
Dataminr was building a system that could read the pulse of the world.
Not through traditional media or financial reports — but through the chaos of the internet.
Every tweet, photo, video, or message online — all of it carries signals.
Dataminr’s AI could detect the earliest traces of a developing event: a protest forming, a fire starting, a factory explosion, or a cyberattack spreading — often hours before any official confirmation.
When I first saw that, it didn’t look like a business.
It looked like science fiction.
And that’s exactly why I invested.
Back then, in May 2021, the company was valued at $4.1 billion.
The global conversation about AI was still shallow — assistants, automation, convenience. But Dataminr was quietly solving a much deeper problem: awareness in real time.
Not through traditional media or financial reports — but through the chaos of the internet.
Every tweet, photo, video, or message online — all of it carries signals.
Dataminr’s AI could detect the earliest traces of a developing event: a protest forming, a fire starting, a factory explosion, or a cyberattack spreading — often hours before any official confirmation.
When I first saw that, it didn’t look like a business.
It looked like science fiction.
And that’s exactly why I invested.
Back then, in May 2021, the company was valued at $4.1 billion.
The global conversation about AI was still shallow — assistants, automation, convenience. But Dataminr was quietly solving a much deeper problem: awareness in real time.
2
The idea that felt
ahead of its time
ahead of its time
Dataminr was building a system that could read the pulse of the world.
Not through traditional media or financial reports — but through the chaos of the internet.
Every tweet, photo, video, or message online — all of it carries signals.
Dataminr’s AI could detect the earliest traces of a developing event: a protest forming, a fire starting, a factory explosion, or a cyberattack spreading — often hours before any official confirmation.
When I first saw that, it didn’t look like a business.
It looked like science fiction. And that’s exactly why I invested.
Back then, in May 2021, the company was valued at $4.1 billion.
The global conversation about AI was still shallow — assistants, automation, convenience.
But Dataminr was quietly solving a much deeper problem: awareness in real time.
Not through traditional media or financial reports — but through the chaos of the internet.
Every tweet, photo, video, or message online — all of it carries signals.
Dataminr’s AI could detect the earliest traces of a developing event: a protest forming, a fire starting, a factory explosion, or a cyberattack spreading — often hours before any official confirmation.
When I first saw that, it didn’t look like a business.
It looked like science fiction. And that’s exactly why I invested.
Back then, in May 2021, the company was valued at $4.1 billion.
The global conversation about AI was still shallow — assistants, automation, convenience.
But Dataminr was quietly solving a much deeper problem: awareness in real time.
What the numbers say — and what they don’t
Fast-forward to 2025.
Dataminr’s valuation is still around $4.1B,
but its annual recurring revenue (ARR) has more than doubled — from around $90M to $200M.
That number alone tells a story of consistency and scale.
Two-thirds of the Fortune 500 now rely on Dataminr’s platform.
The company operates in 190+ countries.
And its client base has expanded far beyond media and government — into finance, logistics, energy, and cybersecurity.
The leadership also changed.
Dataminr appointed Tiffany Buchanan, former CFO of CrowdStrike — the person who led CrowdStrike’s IPO.
That’s not a coincidence. It’s a signal.
In August 2025, Dataminr raised $100 million in convertible debt from Fortress Investment Group — another move that hints at IPO readiness.
Dataminr’s valuation is still around $4.1B,
but its annual recurring revenue (ARR) has more than doubled — from around $90M to $200M.
That number alone tells a story of consistency and scale.
Two-thirds of the Fortune 500 now rely on Dataminr’s platform.
The company operates in 190+ countries.
And its client base has expanded far beyond media and government — into finance, logistics, energy, and cybersecurity.
The leadership also changed.
Dataminr appointed Tiffany Buchanan, former CFO of CrowdStrike — the person who led CrowdStrike’s IPO.
That’s not a coincidence. It’s a signal.
In August 2025, Dataminr raised $100 million in convertible debt from Fortress Investment Group — another move that hints at IPO readiness.
3
The competitive landscape
To understand where Dataminr stands, you have to look at its peers.
And then there’s Dataminr — the nervous system of the world.
It doesn’t wait for data to be processed or summarized.
It reacts — faster than anyone else.
That’s what sets it apart.
Where Palantir analyzes, Dataminr senses.
- Palantir, valued at $70B, built its empire on defense contracts and government analytics.
- It’s the “brain” of data-driven decision-making — vast, powerful, but bureaucratic.
- Brandwatch, at around $1.5B, focuses on social analytics and CRM integration — good at listening, but limited in scope.
- Zignal Labs, valued under $500M, has strong crisis monitoring expertise, but hasn’t raised new capital in years.
And then there’s Dataminr — the nervous system of the world.
It doesn’t wait for data to be processed or summarized.
It reacts — faster than anyone else.
That’s what sets it apart.
Where Palantir analyzes, Dataminr senses.
4
What changed since 2021
When I first looked at Dataminr, it was known mostly for its First Alert product — a tool used by government agencies to detect potential threats and emergencies.
Today, the company’s portfolio includes:
Together, these tools form a powerful ecosystem that connects digital noise with physical events. In other words — Dataminr doesn’t just monitor the world. It makes sense of it.
Today, the company’s portfolio includes:
- Dataminr Pulse, a real-time intelligence platform for enterprises
- a Cyber Risk suite for threat detection
- Esri integration for geospatial analysis
Together, these tools form a powerful ecosystem that connects digital noise with physical events. In other words — Dataminr doesn’t just monitor the world. It makes sense of it.
5
What I see in it now
Dataminr is one of those rare cases where the fundamentals have outgrown the valuation.
It’s not flashy, not overhyped, not part of the AI buzz that fills headlines.
It’s infrastructure — quiet, resilient, and deeply embedded in how global organizations operate. The market hasn’t caught up yet. But it will.
If the timing aligns, Dataminr could become the “Palantir-lite” of commercial intelligence — faster, leaner, and with fewer layers of bureaucracy. And when that happens, it won’t be a surprise.
It’ll just be the market finally noticing what’s been obvious for years.
It’s not flashy, not overhyped, not part of the AI buzz that fills headlines.
It’s infrastructure — quiet, resilient, and deeply embedded in how global organizations operate. The market hasn’t caught up yet. But it will.
If the timing aligns, Dataminr could become the “Palantir-lite” of commercial intelligence — faster, leaner, and with fewer layers of bureaucracy. And when that happens, it won’t be a surprise.
It’ll just be the market finally noticing what’s been obvious for years.
Why I share these stories
From time to time, I like to revisit the companies I invested in — not just to see how they performed, but to understand why they mattered.
Because investing isn’t just about multiplying numbers.
It’s about curiosity, conviction, and sometimes — patience.
Some companies deliver immediate returns. Others, like Dataminr, move slowly, quietly, until one day they’re everywhere.
In 2021, it felt like a bet on science fiction.
In 2025, it feels like a bet on reality.
And that, to me, is what good investing is:
believing in something before the world learns how to measure it.
Because investing isn’t just about multiplying numbers.
It’s about curiosity, conviction, and sometimes — patience.
Some companies deliver immediate returns. Others, like Dataminr, move slowly, quietly, until one day they’re everywhere.
In 2021, it felt like a bet on science fiction.
In 2025, it feels like a bet on reality.
And that, to me, is what good investing is:
believing in something before the world learns how to measure it.
To keeping the pulse of the innovation going
Tom
Venture Capitalist