WhipTail is a flash storage company whose technology is designed to pass data through a server with high volume, speed, and efficiency. The company’s approach to server-side flash can enable customers to do with one flash server what might otherwise require three or four traditional hard-disk servers. WhipTail’s technology positions it as a potential disruptor in storage efficiency and performance, with strategic interest from larger enterprise players. The company recently raised financing that included both equity and debt components. SanDisk participated via its SanDisk Ventures arm, marking the first deal for SanDisk’s new $75 million innovation fund. The article frames WhipTail as relevant to converging storage and networking markets and as a target for strategic investments from incumbents. WhipTail commercialized an all-flash enterprise storage array designed to address performance bottlenecks in data centers by delivering extreme IOPS, bandwidth and low latency. Its solid-state arrays are used in mission-critical database, virtualization and online environments to dramatically reduce delays and accelerate server processing. The company reports more than 100 customers, including AMD, The Pension’s Trust, Ohio.gov, Weichert and inVentiv Health. Over a third of WhipTail’s revenue comes from repeat business, indicating strong customer demand for additional arrays and deployments. WhipTail plans to use new financing to expand sales and marketing and to support additional product development. Sales efforts are being ramped up in the U.S., Europe and Asia through hiring, partnerships, reseller programs and channel marketing support. WhipTail manufactures pure solid-state storage arrays designed to improve scalability and performance for applications such as virtualization, databases, financial trading and email. The company plans to use proceeds from its Series A to accelerate expansion of sales and marketing and to develop new products. Specific growth actions include hiring sales teams in the U.S. and Europe, developing key strategic partnerships, and enhancing reseller channels. The amount raised in the Series A was not disclosed. Leadership changes accompanied the financing: SMC managing directors Raymond Wong, Avi Faliks and Jamie Weston joined the company’s board. WhipTail was founded in 2007, is based in Whippany, New Jersey, and is led by CEO Dan Crain.

Total raised

$31M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series C

Latest activity

Dec 2012