Plaid Certified as Databricks Consulting & Systems Integrator (C&SI) Partner

Plaid Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kenta Kurahashi) is pleased to announce its certification as a Consulting & Systems Integrator (C&SI) partner of Databricks, a leader in data and AI.

As the utilization of data and AI expands, companies are increasingly expected not only to integrate fragmented data but also to translate it into customer understanding, business decision-making, and measure execution to drive business results. The Databricks platform provides the foundation for companies to integrate diverse data and build/scale data and AI applications, analytics environments, and agents. Plaid, primarily through its professional service "PLAID ALPHA," will support the enhancement of customer experiences and the creation of business outcomes by connecting data on the Databricks platform to a deep understanding of each customer's context.

About the C&SI Partner Program

The Consulting & Systems Integrator (C&SI) Partner Program is a Databricks partner program for partners who provide specialized support for data and AI utilization initiatives, in addition to the implementation, development, and operation of data infrastructure utilizing the Databricks platform. It also supports partner activities in various areas from requirements definition and PoC to onboarding, covering the entire process from implementation to utilization and adoption.

End-to-end support from strategy formulation to implementation and adoption, centered on the professional service "PLAID ALPHA"

In this partner program, Plaid's professional service "PLAID ALPHA" will take the lead in supporting client companies, in collaboration with the Plaid group's product suite.

PLAID ALPHA is a professional service comprised of CX (Customer Experience) and data specialists. It has supported companies in transforming their customer understanding and customer experiences by handling the entire process, from upstream stages such as strategy formulation and requirements definition, to the design of data and AI utilization, implementation of measures, and adoption by the field.

Based on insights into the utilization of customer behavioral data, Plaid's product suite, and practical knowledge across various industries, it connects data to an understanding of customer intent and context. In its support, it prepares structured and unstructured data scattered within companies into an "AI-Ready" state that AI can easily understand and utilize as context, leading to advanced customer understanding and measure execution.

Starting with this C&SI partner certification, Plaid will provide the expertise in customer data utilization, CX design, and operational implementation cultivated by PLAID ALPHA to companies adopting or considering the Databricks platform. It will contribute to the realization of customer-centric management by providing end-to-end support, not just for data infrastructure development, but also for understanding individual customer context, executing measures, on-site adoption, and generating business outcomes.

Future Outlook

Leveraging this certification, Plaid will strengthen its support for data and AI utilization for companies using Databricks. Concurrently, Plaid will advance discussions for integration with the Plaid group's product suite, further expanding collaboration between the two companies in the areas of customer data utilization and CX transformation.

Comment from Toshifumi Sasa, President of Databricks Japan Inc.

The Databricks platform provides the foundation for companies to integrate fragmented data and transform their proprietary data into business value through analytics and AI. We are delighted to strengthen our partner ecosystem in Japan with trusted partners like Plaid. By combining Plaid's expertise in the utilization of 1st Party Customer Data, customer experience design, and implementation support with the power of the Databricks platform, we aim to boost the data and AI utilization initiatives of Japanese companies and support the creation of meaningful business outcomes.

About Plaid Inc.

Plaid's mission is to "Maximize the value of people through data," and it is a company that supports the maximization of corporate value with data as its starting point. Based on a data infrastructure that analyzes vast amounts of customer behavior in real-time and technology that structures the context of that behavior, Plaid offers a suite of data x AI products and dedicated personnel for collaborative support. By supporting companies in achieving customer-centric management, Plaid contributes to sustainable business growth and the creation of value for each individual consumer.

https://plaid.co.jp/