MariaDB Buys Back SkySQL In Database Flexibility Push

‘Acquiring SkySQL helps accelerate plans and adds further innovation to MariaDB Cloud,’ CEO Rohit de Souza said.

Database software developer MariaDB has bought back the SkySQL AI-powered database-as-a-service platform it spun out as a separate business nearly two years ago.

MariaDB, headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., positioned the SkySQL acquisition as creating more flexibility for customers interested in self-managed cloud offerings, fully managed databases, and other deployment options, according to a company statement Tuesday.

Financial details of the acquisition deal were not disclosed.

“Our customers have made it clear that they want flexibility, and they need powerful, reliable database solutions wherever their business takes them – on premises, in the cloud or in hybrid environments,” MariaDB CEO Rohit de Souza (pictured) said in a statement.

MariaDB Acquisition

CRN has reached out to MariaDB for additional comment.

The CEO added that “acquiring SkySQL helps accelerate plans and adds further innovation to MariaDB Cloud,” calling the purchase “a strategic investment in our customers and a decisive step to enhance our ability to provide the comprehensive, modern, world-class database platform our customers need to thrive and maintain a competitive edge.”

MariaDB said the SkySQL acquisition also brings agentic AI and serverless capabilities to the company’s technology portfolio.

MariaDB develops a relational database system and related software based on the popular open-source MySQL database. MariaDB was founded in 2012 by MySQL’s original developers after Oracle acquired MySQL through its 2010 acquisition of Sun Microsystems.

The company has a partner program that includes system integrators, consultancies and resellers, with CRN Solution Provider 500 members SHI and SoftwareOne among the partners, according to MariaDB’s website.

MariaDB has had a turbulent history over the last several years. The company struggled financially after going public in December 2022 using a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC). It was acquired and taken private in September 2024 by K1 Investment Management, a Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based private equity firm. Then-CEO Paul O’Brien stepped down and was replaced by de Souza who has been working over the last year to right the MariaDB ship.

MariaDB, ironically, developed SkySQL as its own cloud-native database-as-a-service offering, which debuted in March 2020. But amid its financial problems MariaDB spun off SkySQL as a separate business, founded by former MariaDB executives, in December 2023.

After becoming an independent company SkySQL “significantly enhanced its product offering,” according to MariaDB. That includes bringing new AI capabilities to market such as semantic agents and SkyCopilot. The agents provide users with the ability to build applications that answer questions based on operational data in SkySQL. The copilot chat assistant provides database administrators (DBAs) with optimization tips, troubleshooting advice and other insights, according to the company.

SkySQL also introduced a serverless offering for MySQL and MariaDB that is meant to deliver cost savings and speed for AI-driven workloads. SkySQL landed a $6.6 million round of seed funding in December 2024.

MariaDB, meanwhile, has been busy. In January the company launched a new version of its enterprise database platform with new open-source vector search capabilities. In May, MariaDB bought Codership Oy, the maker of high availability database product Galera Cluster.

Today’s acquisition brings SkySQL and its innovations back into the MariaDB portfolio. MariaDB Cloud will encompass the SkySQL capability and form a key part of the product portfolio, the company said.

“SkySQL’s level of sophistication, from its built-in elasticity, advanced serverless technology, to its agentic AI capabilities, is extremely impressive,” said Vikas Mathur, MariaDB chief product officer, in a statement. “By bringing SkySQL’s DBaaS into the MariaDB portfolio, we are immediately addressing our customers’ needs while also gaining a robust foundation to make MariaDB the default option for building GenAI applications.”

With the acquisition, the entire SkySQL team joins and integrates into MariaDB, further bolstering MariaDB’s product, engineering, support and go-to-market teams with additional DBaaS expertise, the companies said in the acquisition announcement.

Other K1 Investment Management portfolio companies with a presence in the channel include Cyara, ControlUp and Ironscales, according to the firm’s website.