Scalability issues for dummies « Always New Mistakes. Every once in a while I get people asking me what’s taking me so long to open my startup Inkzee to the public.
They also ask me what exactly have I been doing as the web seems exactly the same. I normally answer that things aren’t easy, that it takes time, specially if you are alone, like I am. After a while I end up explaining my problems with scalability and that’s the point where people just can’t follow you. I’m going to explain here what are scalability problems and how deep the repercussions are for a small company. Most web applications, like Inkzee, Facebook, Twitter, … are made of 2 parts. 10 lessons from a failed startup.
A year and a half ago, my co-founder Dev Nag and I started an internet TV network for games called PlayCafe.
Our ambitious plan was to run highly interactive game shows in which everyone was a contestant. Players could watch our hosts, answer questions, win prizes, form teams, call our studio, live chat, and run their own games. It was a huge undertaking, but despite great engagement — users watched for 87 minutes per session and 40 percent returned within a week — we didn’t reach enough users.
We may revive it in the future, but for now, we’ve placed the site in hibernation and returned remaining funds to our investors. 15 Roles Every Startup Needs Filled.