George Fraser is the visionary CEO and co-founder of Fivetran, a company reshaping how businesses move and manage data. With a Ph.D. in neurobiology and a knack for problem-solving, George turned his scientific training into entrepreneurial success. Since launching Fivetran in 2012, he’s guided it from a startup to a global leader in automated data integration, enabling thousands of companies to fuel analytics, AI, and decision-making with seamless, real-time data.
George began his academic journey at The Lawrenceville School. He then pursued a dual degree in Cognitive Science and Biology at Carnegie Mellon University. His fascination with intelligence and systems motivated him to obtain a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the University of Pittsburgh. This strong scientific foundation not only honed his analytical thinking but also equipped him to address the complexities of data infrastructure well before he ventured into the tech world as an entrepreneur.
George's professional journey began in the laboratory, but his ambitions soon evolved. After working as a scientist at Emerald Therapeutics, he co-founded Fivetran in 2012. From its initial days at Y Combinator to its emergence as a leader in data integration, George has guided the company with a keen focus and strategic agility. His career showcases a unique combination of academic expertise and business acumen, driving Fivetran to the forefront of enterprise data innovation.
Fivetran is driving enterprise AI transformation through strategic interventions that modernize infrastructure, automate integration, and enable real-time analytics. From GenAI engines to cloud partnerships, these initiatives power scalable, intelligent systems that unlock innovation, efficiency, and business impact.
Automated Intelligence: Fivetran enables enterprises to modernize data infrastructure by automating integration into platforms like Databricks, unlocking real-time analytics, scaling AI/ML efforts, and enhancing customer experiences through intelligent automation and data-driven transformation.
Snowflake Synergy: By seamlessly integrating data into Snowflake, Fivetran helps global enterprises centralize analytics, scale AI and ML applications, streamline operations, and convert siloed data into actionable intelligence that drives innovation and delivers measurable outcomes.
Data Lake Optimization: Fivetran enhances data lake efficiency with dual support for Delta Lake and Apache Iceberg, streamlining architectures, accelerating analytics speed, and eliminating vendor lock-in for scalable, AI-ready, and future-proof data environments.
AI-Ready Data: Fivetran builds AI-ready ecosystems through automated data integration, unified architecture, and strong governance, supporting data literacy and collaboration to align enterprise infrastructure with long-term, scalable AI and ML goals.
Real-Time Finance: In the financial sector, Fivetran empowers banks and fintech firms to automate data pipelines, deliver real-time analytics, enable AI-powered personalization, and ensure compliance, all while accelerating reporting and enabling smarter decision-making at scale.
Fivetran GenAI Engine: Fivetran accelerates generative AI by integrating structured and unstructured data from any environment into secure, governed pipelines. Its 700+ connectors deliver enterprise-grade performance for scalable, high-impact GenAI deployment.
Intelligent Infrastructure: Fivetran embeds AI into the data integration layer, automating unification, improving data quality, and streamlining governance. This intelligent infrastructure enhances compliance, boosts analytics speed, and enables smarter, scalable enterprise decisions.
AI Horizons Initiative: Fivetran’s AI Horizons predicts how trends like open data lakes, real-time observability, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) will shape trusted, scalable AI systems and future-ready architectures for enterprise innovation and strategy.
Azure Partnership: Fivetran partners with Microsoft to unify enterprise data in OneLake via its Managed Data Lake Service, automating secure pipelines, ensuring compliance, and accelerating AI/ML adoption on Azure’s scalable cloud ecosystem.
Under George's leadership, the company achieved US$300 million annual recurring revenue by 2024, launching over 600 connectors and a Managed Data Lake Service. The snowflake and Databricks strategic partnerships have positioned Fivetran to act as an enabling layer for AI-enabling companies like OpenAI and HubSpot, allowing them to automate, scale effectively, and enable tomorrow’s innovators to leverage trusted and more responsive, sustainable foundations of data infrastructure.
George has managed to avoid significant controversy as an executive. While previous reviews of the company may have mentioned minor concerns regarding product decisions or leadership style, no serious scandals or public issues have been associated with George's professional conduct.