QueryStory aims to enhance enterprise data analysis with ai-driven storytelling

Shapor Naghibzadeh, a former Google sysops engineer, gained insight into the importance of verified knowledge during a 2009 cyberattack investigation as part of Operation Aurora. This experience led him to develop tools for cybersecurity data analysis, eventually co-founding Chronicle in 2016. In 2025, Naghibzadeh launched QueryStory, a startup focused on integrating AI into enterprise data analysis, with the goal of bridging the trust gap between AI and business decision-makers. The company, which emerged from stealth, raised $6 million in seed funding from Brightmind Ventures and New York Life Ventures, achieving a $60 million valuation. QueryStory's platform is designed for large enterprises managing proprietary databases, offering a narrative-driven approach to data analysis by combining queries with a structured story. Naghibzadeh emphasized the importance of transparency and reliability in AI-driven insights, noting that QueryStory's model-agnostic approach allows it to work with various AI models, though it currently relies on frontier labs' latest models. The startup's unique value proposition lies in its ability to provide trusted, actionable insights, enabling enterprises to understand costs and make informed decisions. Tim Del Bello, a partner at New York Life Ventures, highlighted the platform's potential to replace manual data analysis tasks, producing real-time dashboards and quarterly business reviews. Naghibzadeh also pointed out the challenges of managing AI-generated content within organizations, where multiple users might derive different truths from the same data, leading to fragmented insights. He argued that QueryStory's focus on context and accuracy makes it more efficient than general-purpose AI agents. Tayler Sipperly, a partner at Brightmind Partners, warned that AI can be brittle in large-scale business applications, underscoring the need for reliable tools like QueryStory. The startup's approach includes features such as automatically surfacing SQL queries and allowing users to flag analyses for human review, enhancing transparency and control. Naghibzadeh concluded that QueryStory's core offering is the trust in its answers, aiming to provide CFOs with a clear understanding of costs and value added to the business.