When Travis Oliphant and I started Anaconda back in 2012, we had a simple but audacious vision: to transform the world of data analysis and business computing using Python and its powerful open source ecosystem. I’m proud to say that we’ve succeeded beyond our wildest dreams, as Python is now the most popular language for data science and machine learning. Most importantly, Python is the language of AI.
To better support this transformation and the millions who depend on us, I’m excited to share that we’ve raised over $150 million in Series C funding, led by Insight Partners. But more than the milestone itself, I want to talk about what this means for our community and the future we’re building together.
A Moment of Reflection
I’m really proud of the history of open source at Anaconda. We have incubated or helped maintain so many impactful projects, and many contributors to core ecosystem projects have come through our doors. Although we’ve gone through many growing pains as a company, our dedication to the community is unwavering.
The evolution hasn’t always been perfect. We’ve learned important lessons about listening to our community and maintaining close communication that goes both ways. Your feedback has been essential in shaping our path forward, and we’re committed to turning your input into tangible improvements.
The AI Revolution is Open Source
Artificial intelligence is reshaping everything—the experiences we have, the industries we work in, the companies we build. What excites me most is that much of the day-to-day needs of AI practitioners are rooted in Python and its powerful numerical computing stack. We strongly believe that the open source community creates innovation, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the emerging area of AI.
A significant amount of AI innovation in 2025 and beyond will stem from open source development. But these open source offerings won’t work for all developers, in all environments – the ability to use these open source tools in a compatible, efficient, secure way is where Anaconda’s innovation lies. The opportunity to cost-effectively build competitive AI applications while maintaining the highest standards of performance, collaboration, and governance is simply massive.
Our Investment in the Community
This growth allows us to deepen our investment in the open source ecosystem. We continue to create and maintain essential tools that power your daily work: conda for environment management, Dask for parallel computing, Numba for high-performance Python, and our visualization ecosystem including Panel, Bokeh, and HoloViz. We’re also supporting community-driven projects like pandas, Jupyter, BeeWare, and conda-forge with both engineering resources and cloud services. Beyond the tools themselves, we’re investing in the next generation of practitioners through initiatives like EduBlocks for visual programming education and our expanded academic offering that provide free access to students, educators, and researchers worldwide.
Our work spans critical areas for the future of Python: bringing Python to mobile platforms through BeeWare, enabling Python in the browser with PyScript, optimizing performance for AI applications, and enhancing the conda ecosystem. Each of these investments strengthens the foundation that millions of developers rely on.
The Anaconda AI Platform in Action
Since launching the Anaconda AI Platform in May, we’re already seeing signs of how it’s helping our community access a unified, open source AI platform that combines trusted distribution, simplified workflows, real-time insights, and governance controls. The response has reinforced our goal of making open source AI more accessible, secure, and powerful.
One feature that’s particularly resonated with our customers is the Community Channel, which gives you access to more than 16,000 additional open-source packages while maintaining compatibility with our trusted distribution. This has addressed a challenge many of you have shared with us: getting access to the broader ecosystem while maintaining the security and reliability your organizations require.
Reimagining the Value of Open Source Distribution
Here’s something that excites me: we’re using foundational LLMs to fundamentally reshape how packages and AI artifacts are packaged and distributed, complete with lineage, governance, and security built in. This isn’t just an incremental improvement—it’s reimagining how open source distribution can work in the AI era.
Looking Forward
As we move into 2025 and beyond, we’re focused on deepening our investment in Python infrastructure that enables more accessible AI and developer tools.
The most exciting developments in AI aren’t happening in closed labs—they’re happening in open communities like ours, where people share knowledge, build on each other’s work, and push the boundaries of what’s possible. Whether you’re a student just starting your data science journey, a seasoned developer, an engineering leader, or a researcher, our AI-enabling ecosystem is here to help you innovate responsibly.
We remain dedicated to investing in and pushing innovation in the areas that matter most to you. I hope that with our continued growth and investment, you can see our impact measured not just in commits, but in the foundation we’re building for the future of open source AI.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we’re not just building tools—we’re creating the foundation for innovation in a more intelligent, connected, and open future.
