The maps created by CartoDB are as diverse as the different types of data out there. The firm can create maps showing everything from where the hacked Ashley Madison users lived to how the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie spread across the world.

On Thursday, the company announced a fresh new round of $23 million in funding led by Accel Partners, along with Salesforce (CRM, Tech30) and Earlybird Ventures and Kibo Ventures.

Javier de la Torre and Sergio Álvarez-Leiva -- both Spanish scientists -- started the cloud-based SaaS firm with the intention of helping companies understand all the data points they are already sitting on.

"There's a ridiculous amount of data being generated," said de la Torre. "Very few organizations take advantage of that data."