IBM has acquired Seek AI, a startup based in NYC that allows businesses to examine complex enterprise datasets using natural language. The deal is part of IBM’s intensified push into artificial intelligence solutions tailored for enterprises and big corporations. While financial terms were not disclosed, Seek AI’s integration is set to become a core component of the newly launched Watsonx AI Labs, a Manhattan-based accelerator designed to support AI developers, startups, and corporate clients.
Founded in 2021 by Sarah Nagy, Seek AI built a platform that uses a chatbots to translate natural language queries into SQL commands, enabling data teams to extract insights without coding, just asking! The platform is already used by enterprise clients for advanced data analysis and summarization. Seek AI has alewady raised around US$10 million in venture capital from firms such as Battery Ventures and NJP Ventures.
The founder confirmed the news in a LinkedIn post, stating that Seek will scale its platform, build tools for IBM clients, and expand its team. The startup will relocate to IBM’s One Madison offices in Manhattan, which will also serve as the headquarters for the new lab. “As one of the first-ever AI-native startups, we quickly realized that this was a technology that pretty much every enterprise would need”, she wrote on the post.
The Watsonx AI Labs initiative is supposed to go beyond startup acceleration. According to IBM, it will be a collaborative hub for IBM researchers, engineers, and external partners to build real-world solutions. The labs will also seek partnerships with academic institutions in NYC. The move aligns with IBM’s broader AI-for-enterprise strategy, which contributed to its Q1 earnings beat, driven by robust software growth and AI demand.
In a statement, IBM’s GM of Data and AI, Ritika Gunnar, emphasized that the Labs will anchor innovation in a city known for tech talent and diversity. Startups that succeed within the Labs may also receive investment from IBM Ventures and its $500 million enterprise AI fund. The acquisition of Seek AI marks yet another step in IBM’s aggressive expansion in the AI ecosystem, reinforcing its ambition to be a key infrastructure provider for the next generation of enterprise intelligence.
