ServiceNow just made another big move to power its agentic AI strategy. The enterprise automation giant has acquired Data.World, a Texas-based startup known for its smart data catalog and governance tools. This follows its March purchase of Moveworks for $2.85 billion.
Although the terms weren’t shared, Data.World has raised over $130 million since 2015. Backers include Alumni Ventures and Shasta Ventures. Its last known valuation was $350 million during a 2022 Series C round.
So why Data.World? According to Gaurav Rewari, SVP of data analytics at ServiceNow, it’s all about helping customers prepare their data for AI.
“Getting to agentic AI success means first dealing with messy, chaotic data,” Rewari said. “That’s where Data.World shines. It helps companies organize, catalog, and govern their data at scale.”
He explained that ServiceNow evaluated several startups but found Data.World’s approach to metadata and enterprise-wide cataloging to be unmatched. The goal is to help businesses unlock the full potential of AI by making data clean, searchable, and ready for automation.
Once the deal is final, Data.World’s platform will be available to ServiceNow customers. The integration is expected to roll out soon.
This acquisition fits neatly into ServiceNow’s growing AI strategy. In March, the company acquired Moveworks, a firm that builds enterprise-ready AI assistants. That deal gave ServiceNow deeper capabilities in automation and natural language understanding.
Back then, ServiceNow’s SVP of business development, Philip Kirk, said the company would combine building, buying, and partnering to lead in agentic AI.
“It’s like playing 3D chess,” Kirk said. “Our priority is finding the best long-term wins for our customers—and keeping our edge in enterprise automation.”
With Data.World in its toolkit, ServiceNow is one step closer to that goal. The company is clearly betting big on agentic AI—and building the data backbone to support it.
