natural-language-analytics
(3)
Erik Kuld
Erik Kuld is the co-founder and CEO of Inventive, a San Francisco startup that embeds a conversational AI analyst directly inside enterprise software so customers can ask for custom reports and insights in plain language. A Harvard molecular biology graduate who pivoted into product marketing at Box, Google, and Looker, Kuld launched Inventive out of stealth in June 2024 with a $6.5M seed round led by Wing VC. He pitches a simple promise to product teams: ship smarter customer-facing analytics in weeks, not quarters.
Expo
Expo is an AI platform for multi-unit restaurant operators that consolidates fragmented data from POS, inventory, labor, and guest-feedback systems into a single intelligent dashboard. Non-technical managers can ask their restaurant data questions in plain English and get answers - no analysts, no SQL, no Tableau build required. Founded by chef-turned-operator Will Pacio and tech veteran Dave Lu (the team formerly behind restaurant-staffing marketplace Pared), Expo connects to systems like Toast, Restaurant365, Crunchtime, Square, and DoorDash to automate reporting and surface operational insights for chains from QSR to fine dining.
Hex
Hex is a San Francisco-based AI analytics platform founded in 2020 by former Palantir employees Barry McCardel, Caitlin Colgrove, and Glen Takahashi. The company builds an integrated workspace where data teams and business users can analyze data, build interactive apps, and share insights using SQL, Python, and natural language — all in one place. With $177M in total funding including a $70M Series C in May 2025, Hex serves over 1,500 organizations including Reddit, Figma, Anthropic, Brex, and the NBA, replacing fragmented tool stacks with a single governed platform powered by AI agents.