Data refinery fintech Datalinx AI has been selected as one of five participants in the inaugural cohort for data intelligence platform Databricks Ventures’ Databricks AI Accelerator Program.  

The invitation-only program, announced Sept. 18, was designed to help scale early-stage AI startups, according to a Databricks Ventures release. 

Datalinx AI “helps data-rich companies turn fragmented customer data into actionable insights,” co-founder and Chief Executive Joe Luchs told Bank Automation News. 

The cohort also includes: 

• Cybersecurity solution Alpha Level; 

• Root cause diagnosis tool Deductive AI; 

• AI-powered universal translator Fleak; and 

• Enterprise data automation and intelligence platform Ziggiz. 

The program offers additional product development through mentorship, architecture support and executive sponsorship, Luchs said.  

The startups also will receive direct financial investment of up to $250,000 and access to Databricks’ vast VC network, Luchs said.  

The VC network includes: 

• Andreessen Horowitz; 

• Battery Ventures; 

• General Catalyst; 

• Insight Partners;  

• Laude Ventures;  

• and more. 

“These VC firms identify promising startups and provide strategic growth support,” Luchs said. 

Datalinx AI and financial services

Datalinx AI, based in New York and founded in April, has a leadership team made up of financial services and tech industry veterans from Amazon, Intuit, Oracle and Unity. The company is in its early stages but has identified applications for its technology in the following areas: 

• Marketing; 

• Advertising; 

• Customer experiences; and 

• Business intelligence models and applications. 

“Financial organizations, in particular, have extremely complex data foundations and extensive governance rules,” Luchs said.  

Data readiness and unstructured data are often what hold back organizations, according to the company. In fact, 85% of AI projects fail due to data readiness issues. With the right data foundation in place, organizations, including FIs, can deploy AI with speed and accuracy. 

The tech provider has passed “critical financial services security audits” and is installing software for alpha customers, Luchs said, noting, “Datalinx is evaluating and preparing to implement five beta customers in Q1 [2026].” 

Check out our exclusive new bank industry data here.