In a year filled with layoffs and challenges for startups, the importance of building companies with limited resources has been put front and center. Whether its front-end or back-end development, building virtual graphics, or literally manufacturing precision parts for rockets -- the trend right now is to do more with less.
We shared the story of how Webflow was built through adversity. Early on, Webflow was on the brink of bankruptcy and had a few months of runway left. Those early challenges helped them become one of the leading low-code / no-code web platforms today; not to mention the company has been profitable since 2014. We unpacked the full story in this thread. The business also reminds us of other efficient businesses like Linear, or now-public companies like Docebo who successfully went public after only raising $14M in funding.
Whether through no-code tools, or easy-to-use developer platforms, the simultaneous explosion of applications and belt-tightening around engineering teams has driven the rise of serverless platforms where developers don’t need to manage and patch their own servers. One of the fiercest rivalries in the world of web deployment and Jamstack is happening between Netlify and Vercel. This week we unpacked some of the key differences between these platforms in this thread.
Another aspect of the never-ending drive to add more efficiency and automation to creating applications is the utilization of those principles in the world of gaming. As we continue to see the remarkable power of computer-generated graphics, companies like the Epic Games and their Unreal Engine product are at the heart of capturing the most value from these trends. What used to take teams of designers and artists can now be accomplished more easily through Epic's game engine. We unpacked some of the key components of Epic Games in this thread.
Outside of the world of software, we dug into the world of atoms. As the resurgence of US manufacturing continues to become pivotal for mission-critical sectors, emerging startups like Hadrian are becoming integral to the supply chain. Hadrian is a factory manufacturer for aerospace and defense companies. Check out our thread for a few insights into other defense and aerospace companies in our ecosystem.
