Meta has bought Sundial, an AI-powered data analytics platform founded by two former Meta executives. The startup will be absorbed into Meta's new data analytics organization rather than run as a standalone product.
Meta has bought Sundial, an AI-powered data analytics platform, and a company spokesperson confirmed the deal to Axios. The twist: Sundial's founders used to work at Meta, left to build a company, and now return with it.
Sundial was co-founded in 2021 by Chandra Narayanan and Julie Zhuo, both former Meta executives. The startup builds self-service analytics tools for businesses, combining AI, contextual data and what it calls expert playbooks. The goal is to help enterprises make decisions faster without routing every question through a data team.
The startup raised $23 million in total funding. Its largest round was a $16 million Series A in July 2025, led by DJ Patil of GPV. Sequoia Capital also backed the company, and its client list includes OpenAI.
However, Sundial will not operate as a standalone product line. According to a LinkedIn post by Alex Schultz, who leads the unit, Sundial will be absorbed into Meta's new data analytics organization. Axios, which reported the deal on October 23, 2026, framed it as part of a broader push: Meta is putting more resources into its data and analytics team as AI drives demand for insights.
The OpenAI relationship raises an open question. Sundial counted one of Meta's AI competitors as a client, and the reporting does not make clear what happens to existing customer relationships now that the startup sits inside Meta.
Source: Crypto Briefing
Trading involves risk.
Risk Disclaimer
