ClearSky Data, Stealthy Start-Up Just Discovered

On the web site, you can only read: “We’re an early-stage company currently in stealth mode building a breakthrough solution in enterprise infrastructure. We’re led by experienced entrepreneurs with proven track records in cloud computing, storage, virtualization and data management.”

Behind ClearSky Data, Inc., a Boston, MA-based start-up founded in 2013, there are several executives of EqualLogic, another start-up, in iSCSI SAN, that got $52 million in financial funding and was sold to Dell for $1.4 billion in early 2008. CTO Lazarus Vekiarides was a member of its core leadership team. One ClearSky’s board’s member is Paula Long, founder of EqualLogic who recently started current start-up DataGravity where she is CEO. Advisor Don Bulens was president and CEO of EqualLogic.

The new company is supported by two investors, General Catalyst Partners and Highland Capital Partners, who put $12 million into the new venture late last year according to Boston.com.

Main two executives of ClearSky:

•  Ellen Rubin, CEO and co-founder, most recently co-founded CloudSwitch, a cloud enablement software company acquired by Verizon in 2011 where she ran the cloud products group and was responsible for the strategy and roadmap for all cloud offerings. Prior to that, she was VP marketing at data warehouse firm Netezza after creating Manna, an Israeli and Boston-based developer of real-time personalization software.
•  Lazarus Vekiarides, CTO and co-founder, most recently served as executive director of software engineering for Dell‘s EqualLogic storage engineering group. Prior to EqualLogic, he held senior engineering and management positions at several companies including 3COM and Banyan Systems.

What is preparing ClearSky? Difficult to know. Maybe it is in storage security, data virtualization and networking for enterprise infrastructure around SSDs and hybrid Internet with fast connectivity, if you read the 2015 predictions on the industry that we just received from Vekiarides:

“The value that flash storage brings to enterprises will always be clear, but the technology is no longer positioned to be a game changer – it’s become enough of a commodity that it can no longer serve as an industry disruptor. The decreasing price and higher density of SSD devices will quickly make them a ubiquitous alternative to high-speed rotating media. Hence, in 2015, IT pros with the mentality of paying a premium for storage performance will recognize that they’re missing the data management capabilities some of the industry’s best new offerings. As a result, pure-play flash storage providers will shift their product and service offerings to attract new business and better serve their existing customers, or we’ll see them seek profitable exits.

“Hybrid Internet will see its time to shine. Enterprises are investing in new ways to build hybrid networks that leverage the benefits of public and private infrastructure, and this trend will give hybrid Internet the opportunity it needs to take off. These networks combine private dark fiber and lit services like metro Ethernet, improving upon the privacy, costs and performance of Internet connectivity. This trend also positions multi-tenant service and co-location providers with a unique value proposition, as they can offer advanced connectivity options resulting from strategic partnerships, scale capacity and locations near customers.”