After nearly 13 years in operation, Fivetran is expanding its data integration capabilities significantly by acquiring Census, a leading platform specializing in reverse ETL (extract, transform, load) technology. The acquisition, announced Thursday, provides Fivetran with the ability to offer customers a complete end-to-end data movement solution, strengthening its position within the enterprise tech landscape.
Fivetran, which currently helps enterprises efficiently transfer data from various endpoints into cloud database systems, noted that incorporating Census’s reverse ETL capabilities addresses a frequent demand among its customer base. Reverse ETL technology allows businesses to move data in the opposite direction—from data warehouses out into operational applications—enabling improved data accessibility and enhanced decision-making capabilities.
Founded in 2018, Census has secured more than $80 million in venture capital backing, with major investors including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Tiger Global. Although financial details of the acquisition have not been publicly revealed, Census was notably valued at approximately $630 million during its latest fundraising effort in 2022.
As part of the agreement, the entire Census team will join Fivetran, with plans to integrate Census’s technology fully into Fivetran’s platform over time. George Fraser, co-founder and CEO of Fivetran, emphasized that although the company explored internal development—and even constructed a preliminary prototype for reverse ETL—the complexity and specialization of Census’s existing technology made an acquisition more practical.
Fraser further explained that while the two systems superficially appear similar, their underlying technologies are distinct, requiring different technical approaches. Given their strong overlap in customer base and complementary product philosophies, Census emerged as the natural acquisition choice.
Beyond product similarities, Fivetran and Census also share historical connections. Fraser first interacted with Census founders Boris Jabes and Anton Vaynshtok in 2013 during Y Combinator’s winter accelerator batch. At the time, Jabes and Vaynshtok were building Meldium, a password and account management startup later sold to LogMeIn in 2014. The friendship and professional rapport established during that period persisted, with Fraser recalling early discussions years before Census formally launched, during which he half-seriously suggested a future acquisition might become reality.
Reflecting on the current merger, Fraser positioned the deal as somewhat predestined, emphasizing the seamless cultural fit and substantial strategic alignment of both organizations: “In some ways, this has been fated,” he said.
