The Fivetran Census acquisition marks a pivotal move in the enterprise data landscape, as Fivetran positions itself to provide a comprehensive end-to-end data movement platform for modern businesses.
On Thursday, Fivetran announced it has acquired Census, a leading reverse ETL provider that enables companies to sync data from cloud warehouses into operational systems like CRMs and marketing tools. The acquisition brings together two complementary approaches to data integration — traditional ETL and reverse ETL — under one unified offering.
Census Adds Reverse ETL Firepower to Fivetran’s Platform
Founded in 2018, Census had raised over $80 million in funding from major investors including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Tiger Global. The company was last valued at $630 million in 2022. While the financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed, all Census employees are expected to join Fivetran, and the Census brand will be gradually folded into the core Fivetran product suite.
Why Census? Customer Demand and Cultural Alignment
George Fraser, co-founder and CEO of Fivetran, explained that customers had long requested a reverse ETL solution, prompting the company to initially develop its own prototype. However, realizing the complexity and differences involved, the team opted to acquire an established player instead of building from scratch.
“Reverse ETL requires solving a fundamentally different problem,” Fraser said. “It made more sense to integrate with a team that had already mastered it.”
According to Fraser, Census was a natural fit due to the overlap in customer base and a shared product philosophy. Both companies prioritized simplicity and performance over bloated, legacy-style solutions.
A Decade in the Making: Founders Reunite
The deal also brings a full circle a long-standing relationship between the founding teams. Fraser and co-founder Taylor Brown first met Census CEO Boris Jabes and engineer Anton Vaynshtok during Y Combinator’s 2013 winter batch, when the latter were building Meldium — a startup eventually acquired by LogMeIn.
Discussions about the reverse ETL concept had begun years before Census officially launched, and Fraser recalls joking that an acquisition might be inevitable due to the synergy between the two visions.
“In a way, this feels like it was destined,” he added.
What This Means for the Data Stack
With the Fivetran Census acquisition, the company now offers a robust full-cycle solution for data movement — from ingesting raw data into cloud warehouses to pushing it back into tools where teams operate. The deal positions Fivetran as a one-stop shop for data pipeline automation, addressing both analytical and operational data needs.
Fivetran’s acquisition of Census strengthens its position in the competitive data infrastructure market, empowering businesses to automate both the movement of raw data and its operational application.
Get the Latest AI News on AI Content Minds Blog