Databricks doubles down on India with $250M AI investment and 100+ new hires

Databricks is placing a big bet on India. The San Francisco-based data analytics startup announced on Thursday it plans to invest over $250 million in the country, signaling strong confidence in India’s growing AI talent pool and the region’s importance to its global strategy.

As part of the expansion, Databricks will grow its workforce in India by more than 50%, pushing its headcount past 750 employees by the end of the fiscal year. The company said the new investment will fuel hiring, research and development, and customer outreach.

“We’re increasing our R&D presence in India, particularly in Bengaluru, because we believe in the incredible technical talent here,” said Vinod Marur, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Databricks. He added that the company will bring on more than 100 R&D engineers at its new research center in Bengaluru.

Databricks is also rolling out a new initiative called the Data + AI Academy, aimed at training half a million partners and customers in India over the next three years.

“The company has launched a Data + AI Academy in India, aiming to train 500,000 partners and customers over the next three years,” Reuters reported.

The announcement comes on the heels of Databricks’ massive $10 billion Series J round, which pushed the company’s valuation to $62 billion. That round was led by Thrive Capital, with participation from heavyweights like Andreessen Horowitz, DST Global, GIC, Insight Partners, and WCM Investment Management.

Founded in 2013 by a group of academics and engineers including CEO Ali Ghodsi and co-founders from UC Berkeley, Databricks offers a unified platform for data analytics, engineering, and machine learning. More than 5,000 companies use the platform—including Comcast, Condé Nast, Nationwide, and H&M—with over 40% of Fortune 500 companies among its customers.

Databricks has been growing fast, reporting over 60% year-over-year growth as more businesses invest in AI infrastructure. The company plans to use its latest funding round to build out its AI product line, expand globally, and offer liquidity to employees—covering taxes in the process. It also expects to turn positive free cash flow for the first time this quarter.