Row Zero, the Seattle-based startup behind high-performance spreadsheet software built for massive enterprise datasets, has been acquired by data and AI giant Databricks.

Databricks plans to integrate Row Zero directly into its platform and Genie AI assistant, giving non-technical teams a familiar grid interface to analyze datasets without leaving their data environment.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed in a news release.

Founded in 2021 by former Amazon Web Services engineers Breck Fresen and Nick End, Row Zero set out to build a spreadsheet capable of processing millions of rows at cloud scale without lagging or crashing.

The startup, which raised a $10 million Series A round last year, pitched its software as a faster, more secure alternative to traditional tools like Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.

In a LinkedIn post announcing the acquisition, Fresen, Row Zero’s CEO, said the startup’s standalone product will remain available to existing users, while the team focuses on embedding its technology across Databricks.

“What is changing is the speed at which we’ll be able to put Row Zero in the hands of customers,” Fresen wrote, noting that Databricks serves more than 20,000 organizations, including 70% of the Fortune 500.

In an email to GeekWire, End said Databricks made sense as a buyer because the two companies already serve many of the same enterprise customers looking to analyze cloud data via spreadsheets. He noted that even as AI agents perform more data analysis, humans still need a familiar interface to verify the results.

“Tons of companies are thinking about how AI changes the way knowledge workers interact with data, but we think Databricks, with its data governance foundation and AI coworker tools like Genie, is one of the best-positioned companies to lead that shift,” End said.

Beyond product alignment, End pointed to Databricks’ corporate culture and leadership stability as a key factor in the decision.

“It’s rare to find a company at this scale where all (seven!) of the original founders are still involved,” he said. “That says a lot about the place, and it’s a big part of why this felt like the right fit.”

End, who previously launched a shoe-fitting startup with Fresen called Shoefitr, which was acquired by Amazon in 2015, said the majority of our Row Zero team will be working out of the Seattle Databricks office.

San Francisco-based Databricks, founded in 2013 by the creators of Apache Spark including CEO Ali Ghodsi, has grown into a data and AI juggernaut. The company employs hundreds of workers across offices in Seattle and Bellevue.

The acquisition comes as Databricks continues a period of rapid growth. The company announced in August that it crossed a $7 billion annualized revenue run-rate — up more than 80% year-over-year — and raised a $5 billion strategic funding round led by Coatue that brought its valuation to $190 billion.

“Genie is helping make every knowledge worker dramatically more productive and impactful. As more finance, operations, and go-to-market teams adopt Genie, incorporating a seamless spreadsheet experience is a must-have,” Patrick Wendell, co-founder and VP of engineering at Databricks, said in a statement.

Row Zero’s backers included IA Ventures, as well as Seattle-area venture firms Trilogy Equity Partners and Founders’ Co-op. Other investors included Ludlow Ventures, K9 Ventures, Functional Capital, and Wes McKinney, co-founder of Voltron Data.