Startups > Aiven

Aiven

Aiven manages open source data infrastructure so developers focus on applications, not ops.

Series C $421M total Founded 2016 Finland

Aiven is a fully managed, open source data platform that handles the operational complexity of streaming, storing, and serving data across AWS, Azure, GCP, and other cloud providers. The platform eliminates the need for companies to hire expensive DevOps specialists by managing infrastructure, scaling, upgrades, and migrations automatically. Built on open source services like Apache Kafka, PostgreSQL, and OpenSearch, Aiven prevents vendor lock-in while delivering enterprise-grade reliability. It serves businesses from startups to Fortune 500 companies across 60+ countries seeking simplified multi-cloud data infrastructure.

Problem solved

Engineering teams waste significant resources maintaining databases, handling upgrades, managing scaling, and dealing with cloud-specific complexity instead of building business logic.

Target customer

Mid-market to enterprise companies needing managed, multi-cloud data infrastructure; development teams tired of operational complexity; companies with data residency or VPC peering requirements across multiple clouds.

Website LinkedIn Crunchbase

Founders

Oskari Saarenmaa

CEO & Co-Founder

Previously worked at F-Secure, a cybersecurity firm, before founding Aiven in 2016.

Heikki Nousiainen

CTO & Co-Founder

Childhood friend of Saarenmaa; co-founder of Aiven in 2016.

Hannu Valtonen

VP of Product & Co-Founder

Previously worked at F-Secure before co-founding Aiven in 2016.

Mika Eloranta

Co-Founder

Previously worked at F-Secure before co-founding Aiven in 2016.

Funding history

Seed $1M August 2017 Led by Unknown · Unknown

Series A Unknown Unknown Led by Unknown · Unknown

Series B Unknown Unknown Led by Unknown · Unknown

Series C $100M March 2021 Led by Unknown · Unknown

Series C Extension $60M October 2021 Led by Unknown · Unknown

Series D $210M May 2022 Led by Eurazeo · BlackRock, Crew Capital, Illusian Founder Office, Atomico

Total raised: $421M

Industries

Cloud Data Services Cloud Infrastructure Database Software

Pricing

Usage-based, tiered model (Free, Developer, Hobbyist, Startup, Business, Premium). Free tier available for PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Valkey. Paid services start at $5/month (Developer tier PostgreSQL) to $1,900/month (Apache Kafka Premium). 30-day free trial with $300 USD credits. All-inclusive, transparent pricing with no surprise variable costs.

Notable customers

Wolt, Comcast (Xfinity Home), GoTo Financial, Mirakl, Swift Solutions

Integrations

AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, Apache Kafka, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Valkey, OpenSearch, Grafana, Ververica

Website

aiven.io/

Competitors

MongoDB

MongoDB offers a document database platform with managed services, but lacks Aiven's multi-product, multi-cloud open source approach and creates potential vendor lock-in.

Couchbase

Couchbase is primarily a NoSQL database vendor; Aiven's differentiation is its portfolio of managed open source services across streaming, databases, search, and analytics in a multi-cloud model.

DataStax

DataStax focuses on Apache Cassandra; Aiven offers a broader portfolio of open source services with greater cloud flexibility and no single-product limitation.

Why this matters: Aiven achieved unicorn status in 5 years (2016-2021) and surpassed $100M ARR in October 2025, validating the market demand for open source, managed data infrastructure without vendor lock-in. Its multi-cloud strategy and broad service portfolio position it uniquely against single-product competitors as enterprises increasingly adopt multi-cloud strategies.

Best for: Enterprise and mid-market organizations needing reliable, multi-cloud managed data infrastructure without vendor lock-in or the overhead of maintaining internal DevOps teams.

Use cases

Real-time Transaction Processing at Scale

E-commerce and logistics companies like Wolt use Aiven for Apache Kafka and OpenSearch to process transactions and provide real-time logistics updates. Aiven handles the scaling and operational complexity, allowing the company to focus on customer experience rather than infrastructure management.

Multi-cloud Data Residency Compliance

Companies with strict data residency requirements deploy Aiven services directly into their own cloud accounts with VPC peering. This enables compliance with regulations while maintaining a single management console across all clouds and services.

Reducing Infrastructure Operating Costs

Mirakl reduced operating expenses by 70% after switching to Aiven for Apache Kafka. The platform's automated scaling, maintenance, and multi-cloud optimization eliminate the need for expensive DevOps teams and manual infrastructure management.

Alternatives

Confluent Cloud Confluent Cloud specializes in Apache Kafka as a managed service; Aiven offers a broader portfolio of open source services (databases, search, analytics) with truly vendor-agnostic multi-cloud deployment.

AWS Managed Services (RDS, MSK, OpenSearch Service) AWS services are cloud-native but create lock-in to AWS; Aiven provides unified management across AWS, GCP, Azure, and on-premises with no vendor lock-in.

Self-managed Open Source Self-managed avoids vendor lock-in but requires significant DevOps expertise and operational overhead; Aiven combines open source flexibility with enterprise-grade managed operations.

FAQ

What does Aiven do? +

Aiven is a managed platform for open source data services including Apache Kafka, PostgreSQL, MySQL, OpenSearch, and Grafana. It handles all operational complexity—scaling, upgrades, backups, security—across multiple cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure) from a single console. This frees engineering teams to focus on application development instead of infrastructure management.

How much does Aiven cost? +

Aiven uses a usage-based, tiered pricing model with plans from Free to Premium. Free tiers are available for PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Valkey. Paid services start at $5/month and range up to $1,900/month depending on the service and tier. A 30-day free trial includes $300 USD in credits. Pricing is all-inclusive with no hidden variable costs.

What are alternatives to Aiven? +

Confluent Cloud (Kafka-focused), AWS Managed Services (RDS, MSK, OpenSearch Service, but with AWS lock-in), MongoDB Atlas (single database platform), Couchbase (NoSQL focus), and self-managed open source deployments (requiring internal DevOps resources).

Who uses Aiven? +

Aiven serves businesses of all sizes from startups to Fortune 500 companies across 60+ countries. Notable customers include Wolt (e-commerce/logistics), Comcast (streaming services), GoTo Financial (fintech), and Mirakl (marketplace platform). Target users are engineering teams seeking managed, multi-cloud data infrastructure without operational burden.

How does Aiven compare to MongoDB? +

MongoDB is a single database product with a managed service offering; Aiven provides a portfolio of multiple open source services (Kafka, PostgreSQL, OpenSearch, etc.) across multiple clouds. MongoDB creates vendor lock-in, while Aiven's open source approach and multi-cloud deployment prevent lock-in. Aiven is better for organizations needing diverse data tools across clouds; MongoDB is better for teams committed to a document database approach.