Storage might not be the sexiest piece in the computing puzzle, but thanks to the launch of a new platform that addresses the booming challenge of unstructured data, a partnership with NVIDIA focused on AI capabilities, key deals with hyperscale players, and a couple of floundering competitors, Pure Storage is well positioned to ride the wave of the evolving tech landscape.

Under the name OS76, the company was founded in 2009 by John Colegrove and John Hayes, but just a year later, it changed its name to the somewhat eponymous Pure Storage. In 2015, the company listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, but has no majority shareholders, with venture capital firms The Vanguard Group (9%) and T. Rowe Price (6%) currently holding the largest stakes.