Anton Baranchuk: Empowering Businesses with Cutting-Edge Data Visualization Through AnyChart

What inspired you to start AnyChart?

Back in the early 2000s, businesses struggled with rigid, static data visualization tools that couldn’t scale with their needs. We wanted to create a flexible, developer-friendly, universal solution—a kind of "Swiss Army knife" for data visualization—that could transform data of any type and origin into meaningful, interactive graphics. Our first approach combined XML and Adobe Flash to build a lightweight charting tool that worked across platforms.

That foundation eventually grew into AnyChart as it is today—a versatile JavaScript charting library used by Fortune 1000 companies and numerous other organizations worldwide.

What strategies have been most effective in attracting top enterprise clients?

Our technology has been on the market for many years, and one of our most reliable and effective channels for reaching large enterprises is the organic spread that happens when engineers move between companies. They often bring along the best tools and practices they’ve used, so many professionals first encounter AnyChart at one organization and then introduce it as a trusted solution at the next. We also participate in industry events like Qlik Connect and DeveloperWeek, which allow us to engage directly with corporate decision-makers and technical teams. Combined with the strong reputation we've built over the years, these strategies have been instrumental in driving our growth in the enterprise space.

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What was your approach to pricing and monetization when you launched AnyChart, and how has it evolved over time?

From the beginning, our philosophy has been to share success with our customers. We designed our pricing model so that smaller companies and startups can access our products at minimal cost during their early stages. As they grow and achieve higher sales, our licensing and fees scale accordingly. This approach ties our success to theirs, ensuring we remain invested in their growth and fostering long-term partnerships built on trust.

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How has AnyChart evolved since its early days? Have you faced any major pivots?

One of the biggest turning points for us was the decline of Flash. It was practically everywhere when we started, so we gained traction quickly and became profitable early on. But as HTML5 and JavaScript became web standards, we had to rebuild our core technology from scratch. This was a daunting process but essential to preserve our universal flexibility and stay ahead of the curve.

The result was a robust JavaScript charting library, with SVG rendering powered by our own graphics engine now open-sourced as GraphicsJS. Today, AnyChart supports over a hundred chart types and offers extensive customization options, enabling developers to create virtually any visualization while ensuring seamless performance across modern browsers, devices, and tech stacks. This transition to JS not only retained our existing customers but also attracted new audiences, solidifying our leadership in the data visualization space.

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How does AnyChart address current challenges in data visualization?

We’re currently exploring the intersection of BI and AI to make visual analytics in enterprise settings more effective. For example, we’ve partnered with Qlik to provide advanced visuals like Gantt charts and Decomposition Trees as extensions for their flagship product, Qlik Sense. We also see AI as a key to speeding up the development of custom visualization tools across various BI ecosystems and other specialized environments, making data analysis more powerful, intuitive, and accessible.

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What principles guide your leadership and team-building?

A shared mission is key—our team is united by the goal of making data visualization universally accessible and impactful. Beyond technical expertise, we value self-motivation, accountability, and open communication. Mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn and grow. This mindset has helped us maintain a strong, collaborative culture that continues to drive innovation and growth.

What’s your long-term vision for AnyChart?

Our goal is to reinforce AnyChart as the go-to solution for custom data visualization across platforms and industries. Whether it’s a Fortune 1000 company, a startup, or a small nonprofit, we aim to empower every organization to unlock the full potential of its data for actionable insights.

Our tools are already widely adopted—chances are you’ve seen charts or maps powered by AnyChart in software you use daily, often without realizing it. Yet we remain committed to continuous innovation: expanding our offerings, enhancing BI platform integrations, and exploring new AI-driven opportunities to keep AnyChart at the forefront. Industry accolades, such as the recent 2024 DEVIES Award for Best Tech in Data Analytics and Visualization, validate our progress.

For me, the most rewarding part is seeing how our technology truly makes a difference—helping optimize operations, tell insightful stories, and make informed decisions. That’s what drives us to keep pushing the boundaries of data visualization.

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What advice would you give to aspiring founders, especially in the tech space?

Start small but think big. Focus on solving a real problem and gather as much customer feedback as possible. For example, when Oracle integrated our component into Oracle APEX, we received an influx of feedback from developers worldwide, which helped us refine our solutions far more effectively than any internal roadmap could and propelled us to scale faster than we’d anticipated. Listening to your customers often reveals opportunities you might not have considered otherwise.