Julius AI Secures $10M in a Seed Round

Julius AI, a fast-growing AI startup, has raised $10 million in a seed funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners. 

Horizon VC, 8VC, Y Combinator, and AI Grant also participated. Notably, angel investors included Aravind Srinivas (CEO, Perplexity), Guillermo Rauch (CEO, Vercel), and Jeff Lawson (co-founder, Twilio).

Julius defines itself as an AI data analyst that lets users interact with complex datasets through natural language. 

In other words, it allows people to ask questions as if speaking to a real analyst. Then, Julius responds with data-derived answers, complete with visualizations.

The Journey 

Founder Rahul Sonwalkar developed Julius after graduating from Y Combinator in 2022.

Initially, he had built a logistics startup. However, after identifying a deeper market need, he pivoted toward data analysis.

His idea was to make data tools more conversational and intuitive. Most people struggle with spreadsheets, code, or charts, but Julius eliminates that barrier. 

Instead of formulas, users ask direct questions. The tool responds by generating charts, comparisons, and predictions in seconds.

A Distinct Market

Although Julius shares some similarities with AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, its purpose is different. 

It specializes in data science, and that singular focus has helped the startup grow quickly.

Today, Julius has more than 2 million users. It has also generated over 10 million visualizations.

The tool supports use cases in business, education, and research. Its niche approach sets it apart from more general AI tools.

Harvard’s Interest 

In 2024, Julius caught the attention of Harvard Business School Professor Iavor Bojinov. 

He found the tool valuable enough to incorporate into the school’s curriculum. He then invited Sonwalkar to adapt Julius for a new required course: Data Science and AI for Leaders.

Going Viral

Some may recognize Sonwalkar from a widely shared stunt. Following Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (now X), Sonwalkar posed outside the headquarters with a cardboard box. 

He jokingly introduced himself to reporters as “Rahul Ligma,” a fake Twitter employee. The prank went viral. 

However, Sonwalkar says the attention has shifted. “I get recognized for Julius a lot more now,” he said in a previous interview. His startup, not his humor, is what now drives his public image.

Niching Down

Building Julius wasn’t easy. According to Sonwalkar, some critics doubted the idea. They believed existing tools from major AI companies already covered the same ground. 

But Sonwalkar disagreed. “Being focused on a use case is really important,” he said. Julius doesn’t try to do everything. 

In practice, a user can ask, “Can you compare product sales in Q1 and Q2 by region?” Julius interprets the request, runs the analysis, and creates a clear chart. No code. No spreadsheet. Just answers.

It does this one thing, data analysis, and it does it well. That focus helped the company grow a loyal user base.