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§ Private Profile · Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Enterprise storage solutions provider offering NAS optimization for hybrid cloud deployments and high-performance computing workloads.
Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Avere Systems develops high-performance network-attached storage optimization and hybrid cloud solutions that enable large enterprises to run compute-intensive workloads across on-premises data centers and public clouds. Prior to its acquisition, the enterprise storage hardware and software provider raised approximately $97 million in venture funding and grew its workforce to 110 employees. The company successfully shipped nearly 1,000 of its FXT Series Edge filers to support demanding data environments across multiple industries. Avere Systems secured financial backing from prominent investors including Menlo Ventures and Google Ventures, while serving major institutional customers such as Sony and NASA. In March 2018, Microsoft acquired the business to integrate its low-latency storage technology directly into the Azure cloud infrastructure platform. The technology company was founded in 2008 by Ron Bianchini, Michael Kazar, and Dan Nydick.
Avere Systems has raised $86.0M across 5 funding rounds.
Avere Systems has raised $86.0M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Avere Systems was a Pittsburgh-based technology company founded in 2008 that developed high-performance, demand-driven storage solutions, including hybrid cloud NAS (Network Attached Storage) systems combining on-premises hardware with cloud storage.[1][2][4] Its core products, such as the FXT Series edge filers and virtual FXT (vFXT), enabled organizations to store files anywhere—cloud or on-premises—without sacrificing performance, availability, or security, solving latency and scalability issues for data-intensive workloads.[1][2][3] Avere served media and entertainment firms (e.g., Sony Pictures Imageworks, Turner Broadcasting), government agencies (e.g., CDC, Library of Congress), life sciences, oil and gas, and education, raising $86M before Microsoft acquired it in January 2018 to enhance Azure's high-performance computing capabilities.[1][2][5]
Avere Systems was founded in 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by Ronald Bianchini Jr. (Ph.D., president and CEO), Michael L. Kazar (Ph.D.), and Dan Nydick, leveraging proximity to Carnegie Mellon University's data storage research expertise.[1][4] Initially known as Arriad, the idea emerged from advanced file system innovations to reduce latency in high-density disk arrays, starting with on-premises solutions.[2][4] Early traction came quickly: In December 2008, it secured $15M from Menlo Ventures and Norwest Venture Partners; by November 2009, it released the first FXT Series appliances using automated storage tiering.[1][4] Pivotal moments included launching cloud-enabled vFXT filers, the high-capacity FXT 5000 series in 2016, and the hybrid C2N System, building momentum toward its 2018 Microsoft acquisition.[1]
Avere rode the hybrid cloud wave in the early 2010s, addressing explosive data growth from big data, AI, IoT, and media rendering amid rising on-premises storage costs.[2][4][5] Its timing was ideal: As cloud adoption surged but latency fears persisted, Avere's edge filers bridged legacy NAS to object storage, influencing hybrid strategies and accelerating migrations without rework.[1][6] Market forces like increasing analytics needs, SSD innovations, and remote work favored its scalable, secure NAS, helping pioneer high-performance computing (HPC) in Azure post-acquisition.[2][3][5] Avere shaped the ecosystem by validating cloud economics for HPC users in media, life sciences, and government, paving the way for integrated cloud-native storage.[4][5]
Post-2018 acquisition, Avere's tech lives on within Microsoft Azure, powering HPC for media, simulations, and AI workloads as Azure scales globally.[3][5] Next steps likely involve deeper AI/ML integration and expanded hybrid edge solutions amid surging data demands from generative AI and edge computing. Trends like multi-cloud interoperability and zero-trust security will amplify its legacy, evolving Microsoft's storage influence while underscoring Avere's foundational role in taming hybrid data chaos for performance-hungry enterprises.[2][5]
Avere Systems has raised $86.0M across 5 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $14.0M Series E in March 2017.
Avere Systems has raised $86.0M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Avere Systems's investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Battery Ventures, Decibel Partners, FJ Labs, Insight Partners, Menlo Ventures, Forest Baskett, Ron Bernal, Scott Sandell, Norwest Venture Partners, Plug & Play Ventures, Practical Venture Capital.