While the world races to build the next ChatGPT, one startup is tackling a quieter, more dangerous threat: broken data. And it’s doing so with serious momentum, an $18 million in fresh funding, marquee clients, and a mission to make AI trustworthy from the ground up.
Meet Sifflet, the AI-native platform quietly powering some of the world’s biggest enterprises, from Penguin Random House to Euronext, by solving a deceptively simple but mission-critical problem: data reliability.
The hidden threat to AI: Bad data
Behind every AI model is data. And most of that data? Incomplete, inconsistent, or just plain wrong. Industry insiders call it the “silent killer” of GenAI projects – systems trained on flawed inputs lead to flawed outputs, with real-world consequences.
Founded in 2021 and officially launched in 2023 by Salma Bakouk, a former Goldman Sachs executive director, along with Wissem Fathallah and Wajdi Fathallah, both experienced data engineers and product leaders, Sifflet combines deep technical know-how with a sharp understanding of enterprise pain points.
Further, the Paris-headquartered data observability platform with operations also in New York, claims it doesn’t just flag issues in data, it helps businesses act on them, bridging the gap between engineers and executives. “Data quality is both a technical and organisational challenge,” says Salma Bakouk, co-founder and CEO. “We’ve built a platform that treats it as both.”
Momentum fueled by vision and results
Existing backers EQT Ventures and Mangrove Capital returned for this latest round, joined by Capmont Technology, bringing total funds raised to $18M. The team has tripled its customer base and revenue in just the past year. “Backing a company once is a bet. Backing it three times is conviction,” said Yannick Oswald of Mangrove Capital. “Sifflet isn’t just building a product, it’s defining a new standard.”
Global scale, AI-native innovation
With the fresh capital, Sifflet says it is focused on expanding its North American presence and launching its biggest product milestone yet: AI-powered data observability agents, arriving this fall. Think of them as watchdogs for the data feeding your AI, intelligent enough to not just alert you to errors, but help fix them. New executive hires from Content Square and Pigment will help fuel global operations and go-to-market acceleration.
As AI becomes more embedded in everything from healthcare to finance, one thing is becoming clear: there is no GenAI without good data. And Sifflet is on a mission to make sure that data is not just accessible, but trusted.
As one of the few female founders leading a high-growth deep tech company, Salma Bakouk stands out in a male-dominated sector. The company press release notes that her leadership is driving Sifflet’s rapid ascent and growing influence in enterprise AI infrastructure. “Salma and the founding team have a clarity of vision that’s rare,” said Torsten Kreindl of Capmont. “They’re solving an enterprise-critical problem at exactly the right moment.”
