Melbourne data startup WhyHive secures pre-seed funding

WhyHive is used by companies in the research sector to analyse data and develop research charts.

The startup’s user base includes organisations such as the ABC and Share the Dignity, as well as individuals. After a year in development, the product is open for free access.

Co-founders T Guthrie and Matt Cohen formed their idea for thestartup while running a social enterprise data consultancy together between 2018 and 2022. 

The funding round is led by Skalata Ventures and backed by Culture Amp’s Jon Williams, Linktree’s Alex Zaccaria and Up Bank’s Dom Pym. 

Pym said: “[We] invested in WhyHive early days because we believe in their mission. We love that they want to democratise data exploration for everyone, helping elevate the entire ecosystem.”

Guthrie and Cohen have also shared the data from their company fundraise as a sample dataset in the WhyHive app.

Cohen (pictured, left) said: “We had no idea what a successful fundraise looked like when we started, so we want to open-source our experience for other founders.”

Guthrie (pictured, right) said: “We want to see a world where anyone can explore important questions and advocate for their ideas using data.”