Redpanda Streaming Data Platform

Redpanda Data, founded in 2019 and headquartered in San Francisco with Alexander Gallego as founder and CEO, builds a data streaming platform compatible with the Apache Kafka API. It addresses the cost and operational complexity of running Kafka for real-time data, and now positions the platform as an Agentic Data Plane for governing AI agents.

The platform combines the Redpanda streaming engine, Redpanda Connect with hundreds of source and sink connectors, and Redpanda SQL for real-time and historical queries, strengthened by the acquisition of the Oxla SQL engine. It is offered as multi-tenant Serverless on AWS and GCP, Bring Your Own Cloud in the customer's VPC on AWS, GCP or Azure, and a self-managed Enterprise Edition. Agent controls add per-agent identity, permissions, guardrails and an auditable record of tool calls. Customers include Cisco, Moody's, NYSE, Vodafone and Texas Instruments.

• Kafka-compatible streaming: Drop-in engine for the Apache Kafka API.
• Redpanda Connect: Hundreds of sources and sinks including Postgres and change data capture.
• Redpanda SQL: Real-time and historical querying of streaming data.
• Agent governance: Per-agent identity, task permissions, spend and token limits and a kill switch.
• Audit trail: Immutable, replayable record of agent inputs, outputs and tool calls.
• Deployment options: Serverless, BYOC on AWS, GCP or Azure, or self-managed Enterprise Edition.

A Vietnamese bank or securities firm can replace self-managed Kafka for transaction and market data streams while keeping data in its own cloud account. A telecom operator can stream network events into analytics systems. An enterprise piloting AI agents can enforce permissions and audit trails on agent actions.

Existing Kafka applications run without rewrites thanks to Kafka API compatibility. BYOC supports up to 2 GB/s write throughput with a 99.99% SLA while keeping data in the customer's own VPC for sovereignty. More than 300 connectors move data in and out, and built-in agent governance adds identity, spend limits and audit trails for AI workloads.

Real-time data streaming has become core infrastructure for payments, telecom and e-commerce, and many teams look for simpler, cheaper alternatives to self-managed Kafka. Enterprises deploying AI agents also need governance and audit over what agents read and do, which links streaming data with AI controls.

Founded in 2019, headquartered at 220 Montgomery Street, San Francisco. Raised a $100M Series D led by GV with Lightspeed in April 2025 at a $1 billion valuation, bringing total funding to $265M. Acquired the Oxla SQL engine. Named a Leader in G2 Fall 2026 reports.