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§ Private Profile · Chicago, IL, USA
Narrative Science is a technology company.
Narrative Science develops artificial intelligence software that transforms complex data into plain language narratives. Utilizing natural language generation (NLG) technology, its platform automatically analyzes datasets and produces written stories, reports, and insights, making data more understandable and actionable for various business users. The core capability lies in its ability to emulate human analysis and communication, converting numbers into coherent and contextualized prose.
The company was founded in 2010 by Northwestern University professors Kris Hammond and Larry Birnbaum, alongside student John Margaritondo. Their insight stemmed from pioneering research at the university's artificial intelligence lab, where they explored automated journalism and the potential for machines to generate human-like text from structured information. This academic foundation provided the initial technological breakthrough for the venture.
Narrative Science's product serves a range of enterprises seeking to enhance data literacy and decision-making across their organizations. Its solutions help clients communicate performance, identify trends, and automate report generation, thereby empowering more users to derive value from their data assets. The company envisions a future where data-driven insights are universally accessible and understandable, fostering a more informed and efficient business environment.
Narrative Science has raised $43.0M across 4 funding rounds.
Narrative Science has raised $43.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Narrative Science was a Chicago-based technology company specializing in natural language generation (NLG) software that automatically transforms structured data into human-readable narratives.[1][2][5] Its core product, the Quill platform, analyzed data to generate customized stories for business users, solving the problem of time-intensive data analysis and reporting for non-data-fluent audiences in industries like media, finance, and enterprise analytics.[1][2][3] Later products like Lexio provided personalized data digests to empower faster decision-making.[3] The company served enterprises seeking automated insights, achieving recognition such as a 2013 Red Herring Top 100 listing and 2018 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer status, before its acquisition by Salesforce in December 2021, integrating into Tableau for enhanced data storytelling.[1][3]
Narrative Science originated in 2010 from a Northwestern University student project in the Intelligent Information Lab, led by professors Kris Hammond and Larry Birnbaum alongside students Nick Allen and John Templon.[1][2] The initial prototype, StatsMonkey, automated baseball game recaps from data like scores and player stats, born from a collaboration between Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Medill School of Journalism.[1][2] The company licensed this IP from the university, launched commercial operations in Chicago (initially Evanston, Illinois), and pivoted from journalism to enterprise applications, developing Quill to apply NLG in business contexts.[1][2] Key early leader Stuart Frankel served as co-founder and CEO, guiding its evolution amid funding rounds totaling nearly $43 million from investors like Jump Capital, Sapphire Ventures, and Battery Ventures.[3][4]
Narrative Science rode the AI-driven automation wave in data analytics, capitalizing on the explosion of structured data amid big data trends in the 2010s.[2][4] Its timing aligned with rising demand for interpretable AI, as enterprises grappled with data overload—NLG bridged the gap between raw analytics (e.g., Tableau) and actionable stories, influencing tools like Salesforce's ecosystem post-2019 Tableau acquisition and 2021 Narrative integration.[1][3] Market forces favoring it included the shift from static dashboards to dynamic insights, enabling non-experts to derive value; it shaped the ecosystem by pioneering "data storytelling," inspiring competitors like Automated Insights and advancing NLG from niche (sports) to enterprise-scale adoption.[2][4]
Post-acquisition, Narrative Science's tech powers Salesforce Tableau's narrative capabilities, positioning it to scale with AI advancements like generative models for even more sophisticated, real-time storytelling.[1][3] Trends such as multimodal AI and democratized analytics will amplify its role, potentially evolving into embedded agents that proactively narrate insights across CRM and BI platforms. Its influence grows through Salesforce's vast reach, transforming data from static to narrative-driven, much like how Quill turned baseball stats into stories—now supercharged for global enterprise impact.
Narrative Science has raised $43.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Narrative Science's investors include Jump Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Ankona Capital, Baseline Ventures, Colle Capital, Matt Ocko, Energy Capital Ventures, Moonshots Capital, Point Judith Capital, Uncorrelated Ventures, Jared Kopf, Jason Stomel.
Narrative Science has raised $43.0M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $11.0M Series D in April 2017.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2017 | $11M Series D | Jump Capital, Sapphire Ventures | Ankona Capital, Baseline Ventures, Colle Capital, Matt Ocko, Energy Capital Ventures, Moonshots Capital, Point Judith Capital, Uncorrelated Ventures, Jared Kopf, Jason Stomel, Jonathan Siegel, Lance White, USAA | Announced |
| Nov 28, 2014 | $10M Venture Round | USAA | Battery Ventures, Jump Capital, JAI DAS | Announced |
| Nov 1, 2014 | $10M Series U | USAA | Ankona Capital, Baseline Ventures, Colle Capital, Matt Ocko, Energy Capital Ventures, Jump Capital, Moonshots Capital, Point Judith Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Uncorrelated Ventures, Jared Kopf, Jason Stomel, Jonathan Siegel, Lance White, Battery Ventures | Announced |
| Sep 1, 2013 | $12M Series C | — | Baseline Ventures, Matt Ocko, Jump Capital, Point Judith Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Uncorrelated Ventures, Jared Kopf, Jonathan Siegel, Lance White, Battery Ventures, Northwestern University | Announced |