Oxen: Version Control for the AI Era

In today’s AI landscape, data is the new code. While engineers have mastered version control for software development, managing massive machine learning datasets remains a critical challenge. That’s why we invested in Oxen.ai, a breakthrough platform transforming how teams version and collaborate on AI data.

Training modern AI systems requires managing terabytes of unstructured data – from images and audio to video and text. Traditional version control systems like Git struggle with these massive datasets, creating bottlenecks that slow down development and increase costs. Teams need a solution purpose-built for machine learning workflows, and Oxen.ai has stepped up to meet this challenge.

Behind Oxen.ai stands a founding team with deep expertise in both AI and company building. Greg Schoeninger brings a decade of AI experience, having been an early employee at AlchemyAPI (acquired by IBM Watson) and a seasoned AI consultant and entrepreneur. Scott Howard brings complementary expertise in scaling companies, having built multiple successful ventures and run prestigious accelerator programs. This blend of technical depth and operational excellence positions Oxen.ai for rapid growth.

The company has reimagined data version control from the ground up. Their lightning-fast system can index hundreds of thousands of files in seconds while using modern network protocols to sync data at unprecedented speeds. The platform handles everything from single CSVs to repositories with millions of unstructured files, making it a versatile solution for teams of all sizes.

What truly sets Oxen.ai apart is its focus on developer experience. The interface mirrors Git commands, making it instantly familiar to engineering teams. But under the hood, Oxen.ai’s architecture is optimized specifically for machine learning datasets – enabling features like native DataFrame processing, model inference, and collaborative data exploration. This thoughtful design has already attracted researchers and engineers at leading technology companies who praise its speed and ease of use. In benchmark tests, Oxen.ai significantly outperforms existing solutions for large-scale data operations.

The team is rapidly expanding the platform’s capabilities, with upcoming features including Hugging Face compatibility, configurable storage backends, and block-level deduplication.

At Ritual Capital, we look for exceptional founding teams building transformative developer tools. Oxen.ai exemplifies this by tackling one of machine learning’s most pressing infrastructure challenges. We’re thrilled to partner with them as they empower the next generation of AI development, making data version control as natural as writing code.