ClickHouse launches ClickHouse Labs and hires CMU's Andy Pavlo as VP of Database Research
- Place in VP50
- #28
- Sources
- 2
- Claims verified
- 2 of 6
What happened
ClickHouse announced on August 3, 2026 the launch of ClickHouse Labs, a new research group led by Andy Pavlo. The company said Pavlo joined as Vice President of Database Research and would build a team dedicated to advancing database systems. The announcement did not state the size of the team, its budget or the terms of Pavlo's hire. ClickHouse's own news page lists the announcement under that date.
The Business Wire release described Pavlo as an Associate Professor with Indefinite Tenure in the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University, where he has led the Carnegie Mellon Database Research Group since 2013. He previously co-founded and served as CEO of OtterTune, which applied machine learning to database optimization. ClickHouse said ClickHouse Labs would pursue foundational research across database and data architectures, query processing, systems performance and infrastructure, for both ClickHouse and PostgreSQL databases. The release quoted CTO Alexey Milovidov and Yury Izrailevsky, President of Product and Technology, welcoming the hire.
Key points
- ClickHouse launched ClickHouse Labs, a new research group, on August 3, 2026.12
- Andy Pavlo joins as Vice President of Database Research and will build the team.12
- Pavlo has led the Carnegie Mellon Database Research Group since 2013 and previously co-founded and led OtterTune as CEO.1
- The lab's research covers both ClickHouse and PostgreSQL databases.1
Why it matters
The company named a VP-level leader to run a dedicated research group, adding leadership focused on foundational database research.
ClickHouse's President of Product and Technology said that, because ClickHouse is open source, ideas from the lab can be tested and extended by teams around the world.
The announcement gave no budget, team size or compensation, so the hire adds to the company's technical depth without a stated cost.
In context
| Round | Date | Post-money valuation | Raised | Led by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series B | Oct 28, 2021 | $2.0B | $250M | Altimeter and Coatue |
| Series C | May 29, 2025 | $6.3B | $350M | Khosla Ventures |
| Series D | Jan 16, 2026 | $15B | $400M | Dragoneer Investment Group |
Updated
Fact-check
- ClickHouse announced the launch of ClickHouse Labs on August 3, 2026.Confirmed by [2] ClickHouse's news page, which lists the ClickHouse Labs announcement dated Aug 3, 2026. [1] Business Wire was blocked for this check.Verified
- Andy Pavlo joins as Vice President of Database Research and will build a team.Confirmed by [2] ClickHouse's news page: Pavlo joins as Vice President of Database Research and will build a team. [1] Business Wire was blocked for this check.Verified
- Pavlo has led the Carnegie Mellon Database Research Group since 2013.Rests on the writer's read of [1] Business Wire, which was blocked for this check; the CMU affiliation also appears in the event record.Partly verified
- Pavlo previously co-founded and served as CEO of OtterTune.Rests on the writer's read of [1] Business Wire, which was blocked for this check.Partly verified
- ClickHouse Labs will research both ClickHouse and PostgreSQL databases.Rests on the writer's read of [1] Business Wire, which was blocked for this check.Partly verified
- The release quoted CTO Alexey Milovidov and President of Product and Technology Yury Izrailevsky, who said ideas from the lab can be tested and extended by teams around the world because ClickHouse is open source.Rests on the writer's read of [1] Business Wire, which was blocked for this check.Partly verified
Sources
- [1]Business Wire (opens in a new tab)ClickHouse Launches ClickHouse Labs With Andy Pavlo as VP of Database Researcha new research group led by Andy Pavlo, one of the database industry's most prominent researchers
- [2]ClickHouse (opens in a new tab)Press releases
