NuoDB bags $14.2M for distributed database technology

The company welcomes new investor French 3D design software company Dassault Systemes

Distributed database technology company NuoDB announced Wednesday that it has raised $14.2 million from Dassault Systèmes, a French 3D design software company, with help from existing investors Morgenthaler Ventures, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, and Longworth Venture Partners. The new round brings NuoDB’s total raised to $26.2 million.

Launched in 2010, the Cambridge MA-based company only made its product generally available in January 2013. Since then, it has attracted 25 commercial partners and over 11,000 users worldwide.

NuoDB is a distributed database for the cloud, providing scalability, high availability, and deployment of a single database in multiple locations simultaneously. For example, Shout.tv created a live mobile app for sports fans in which users play trivia games for prizes from sponsors like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Starbucks, and so on. The app sees users from all over the world who log in for quick games, sometimes only a few seconds at a time. The quick spikes in usage (such as breaks during the Super Bowl) could essentially resemble DDoS attacks, so Shout.tv uses NuoDB to utilize multiple servers and lower infrastructure costs.

It’s easy to see how e-commerce software companies could also use a solution like this. DropShip Commerce, for example, handles millions of transactions between retailers and suppliers worldwide, so the company uses NuoDB to add capacity and scale back when demand shifts.

As a single, logical database, the ability to deploy in multiple locations simultaneously is a capability that’s unique to NuoDB—it isn’t available in any other SQL product. NuoDB allows customers to use their preferred tools, such as SQL, ACID, report writers, ETL tools, and so on.

Some of NuoDB’s customers include AutoZone, NorthPoint Solutions, DropShip Commerce, and Zombie Studios, among others.

 “This investment demonstrates our strong interest and belief in NuoDB’s strategy and technologies for next generation cloud based services,” said Dominique Florack, Senior Executive Vice President of Products-R&D at Dassault Systèmes, in a statement. “NuoDB delivers a lot of the features required to address the market needs in terms of usages in the new world of experiences.”

The company anticipates that 2014 revenues will grow by 300%.

NuoDB plans to use the new capital from this round to drill down on customer acquisition by building out its marketing and sales teams.

“With Dassault Systèmes’ participation, I look forward to working with the leader in 3D design, PLM and 3DEXPERIENCE software to imagine and deliver the solutions of the future,” said NuoDB CEO and co-founder Barry Morris, in a statement.