Cazena today announced it has assembled a team of technology luminaries to take on the next challenge in big data. To execute its vision, Cazena has raised $8 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz and North Bridge Venture Partners.

Cazena was founded by former leaders from Netezza, where the team pioneered big data appliances. Netezza was acquired by IBM in 2010 for $1.7 billion. 'We are thrilled to announce Cazena and our investors,' said Prat Moghe, founder and CEO of Cazena. Moghe was previously senior vice president at Netezza, where he launched the latest generation of its market-leading appliance and brings a wealth of experience in the space. 'Today big data is too hard and too slow. It takes months to implement enterprise big data infrastructure, and millions of dollars of ongoing annual investment of resources that do not scale with growing data.'

Moghe is joined by big data veterans Jit Saxena, former founder and chairman of Netezza, and Jim Baum, former CEO of Netezza, who both serve on Cazena's board of directors. 'In the past few years, enterprises have been pushed to adapt to the widening gap between the time-intensive big data analysis process and the breakneck speed of business. To shrink this gap, we think it's time to approach the problem anew,' said Saxena. Added Baum, 'Enterprises need data at their fingertips to stay competitive, which is not an easy task given issues around infrastructure, complexity of an emerging data stack and an insatiable appetite for analytics. Just as we did in the past, we see an opportunity to disrupt the space again with Cazena.'

'What makes Cazena a compelling investment opportunity is the world-class team and the team's decision to approach big data as a business problem first,' said Peter Levine, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz. 'Executives want data on demand, but the problem is very complex. Cazena is poised to enable enterprises to address this problem. I am also thrilled that Steve Papa will be joining the Cazena board as an Andreessen Horowitz board partner.'

'Cazena's vision will make big data accessible to enterprises big and small,' said Steve Papa, who was the founder & CEO of Endeca, a leader in unstructured data and BI analytics acquired by Oracle for $1.1 billion. 'This unique opportunity is about reimagining the information management stack so that all stakeholders of big data have a simple out-of-the-box experience.'

'I have been fortunate to back entrepreneurs who created disruptive infrastructure companies like Starent, Cascade and Arrowpoint,' said Ed Anderson, general partner of North Bridge Venture Partners. 'Cazena represents a similar infrastructure opportunity, with a stellar team and deep industry expertise. We are looking forward to working with Prat and the Cazena team on this board.'

Cazena is being announced today at the Andreessen Horowitz CIO Big Data Roundtable being held in New York City.

About Cazena

Big data is too hard and too slow. Enterprises need big data on demand. Cazena was founded by former Netezza leaders with a mission to radically simplify and speed up access to big data, allowing much faster business outcomes at a fraction of the cost. Cazena is backed by Andreessen Horowitz and North Bridge Venture Partners. For more information, visit www.cazena.com.

About Andreessen Horowitz

Andreessen Horowitz backs bold entrepreneurs who move fast, think big and are committed to building the next major franchises in technology. Founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, we provide entrepreneurs with access to our deep expertise and insights in innovation, business development, market intelligence, executive and technical talent, and marketing and brand building. Find us in Menlo Park, California, and at www.a16z.com.

About North Bridge

North Bridge Venture Partners and North Bridge Growth Equity are active partners with entrepreneurs providing seed-to-growth financing for innovative companies looking to disrupt big markets. With nearly $4 billion in capital currently under management, North Bridge partners, many founders themselves, work with entrepreneurs to apply their expertise in the creation, operation and scaling of market leaders. The firm has funded more than 200 companies, creating many billions in market value. The firm has offices in Boston, MA and Palo Alto, CA. To learn more about North Bridge go to www.northbridge.com. Follow us at @North_Bridge.