Turi has raised $26.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Turi's investors include Madrona Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Sapphire Ventures, Trinity Ventures.
Turi was a Seattle-based machine learning startup that built a platform enabling developers to create scalable AI applications for big data analytics.[1][2][4] It served developers and organizations tackling problems like recommendation engines, fraud detection, customer churn prediction, sentiment analysis, and segmentation, with products such as Turi Machine Learning Platform, GraphLab Create, Turi Distributed, and Turi Predictive Services.[1][3] Acquired by Apple in August 2016 for approximately $200 million, Turi represented a major exit, reflecting its rapid growth from an open-source project to a key player in AI tools.[1][3][4]
The platform stood out for automatically scaling and tuning machine learning models, making advanced AI accessible without deep expertise.[1][3] Post-acquisition, Turi's technology bolstered Apple's AI efforts, including enhancements to Siri and broader machine learning integration across products.[1][3]
Turi originated as an open-source project at Carnegie Mellon University in 2009, led by Carlos Guestrin, a prominent machine learning researcher.[1] Guestrin spun it off into a company in 2012 while joining the University of Washington as the "Amazon Professor of Machine Learning," initially naming it GraphLab (later Dato, then Turi).[1][3][4] Backed by investors like New Enterprise Associates and Madrona Venture Group, it raised over $25 million and gained early traction through its developer-friendly tools.[3]
A pivotal moment came with Apple's acquisition in 2016, described as a blockbuster for Seattle's tech scene, amid Apple's push into AI amid iPhone sales pressures.[1][3] The deal valued Turi at around $200 million, with the team staying in Seattle to expand Apple's regional engineering presence.[1][3][4]
Turi rode the early 2010s AI and machine learning surge, fueled by exploding big data and demand for pervasive computing where systems infer user needs automatically.[1][3] Its timing aligned with tech giants like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon racing for AI dominance, particularly in assistants like Siri.[1][3] Market forces favoring Turi included the shift toward scalable, user-friendly ML tools amid researcher critiques of Apple's secretive AI approach—Turi's open community helped bridge that gap.[3]
By joining Apple, Turi amplified the ecosystem's push toward integrated AI in consumer devices, influencing better image/video recognition, voice processing, and personalized services across the industry.[1][3]
Post-2016 acquisition, Turi's tech has likely evolved within Apple's secretive AI stack, powering ongoing Siri improvements, on-device ML, and features in iOS/macOS amid rising generative AI trends.[1][3] Future shape comes from Apple's M&A activity and compute investments, positioning ex-Turi talent to influence edge AI as privacy-focused, efficient models dominate. Its legacy endures in Seattle's AI hub and as a benchmark for accessible ML platforms, underscoring how startup innovations fuel Big Tech's sustained edge in the AI arms race.[1][3]
Turi has raised $26.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $19.0M Series B in January 2015.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2015 | $19.0M Series B | Madrona Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Sapphire Ventures, Trinity Ventures | |
| May 1, 2013 | $7.0M Series A | Madrona Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Sapphire Ventures, Trinity Ventures |
