Databricks Acquires Row Zero to Bring Secure Spreadsheets to Enterprise Data
Thursday, 24 September 2026, 21:03
Analysts may soon work with massive corporate datasets without exporting them to vulnerable files, as Databricks connects a familiar tool with its data platform.
Databricks has acquired Row Zero, a startup that builds cloud-based spreadsheets, and plans to pursue more acquisitions. Databricks’ finance team used Row Zero to work with more than a million rows of data and connect them to Genie, the company’s AI agent, which answers complex questions about data in plain language.
Integrating Row Zero with Databricks’ tools should let analysts and AI agents work with enterprise data in familiar spreadsheets without copying it into less secure files. Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi explained why the company wants to bring together business intelligence, agents, and spreadsheets:
Spreadsheets are the interface every business analyst loves. So it makes perfect sense to bring together business intelligence, agents, and spreadsheets.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Row Zero was founded by former Amazon Web Services and Tableau engineers. In May 2025, the startup raised $10 million at a valuation of about $40 million
Databricks continues to acquire startups
Databricks is considering further acquisitions. Ghodsi said the company intends to pursue more deals like this. In 2026, Databricks acquired several companies:
They include Quotient AI, which develops tools for evaluating AI agents and training them with reinforcement learning; SiftD.ai, which creates interactive environments for working with data; Panther, which develops security tools for security operations centers; and Electric, a company associated with PGlite, a lightweight PostgreSQL database.
In August, Databricks raised another $5 billion in funding, and its annualized revenue run rate reached $7 billion. The company expects the acquisition of Row Zero to make it easier for people and AI agents to work securely with enterprise data.
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