// startup autopsy

RethinkDB

An open-source distributed NoSQL database built for real-time web applications with live push updates.

marketfitacquisition_distress

Founded	2009
Closed	2016
Country	USA
Sector	Saas

50%

Key Events Timeline

2009-01

FOUNDING

RethinkDB founded by Michael Glukhovsky and Slava Akhmechet with vision to build a distributed database for real-time web applications.

2012-01

PRODUCT LAUNCH

After 3 years of development, RethinkDB releases its product. However, market response is lukewarm as customers had already moved to alternatives.

2016-10

SHUTDOWN

RethinkDB shuts down due to lack of product-market fit and inability to monetize the open-source database in a competitive market.

2016-12

ACQUISITION

Linux Foundation's CNCF acquires RethinkDB, preserving the technology and allowing continued development as open-source.

Full Analysis

Analyst plan

Documented cause

RethinkDB failed due to lack of product-market fit, primarily because they entered the wrong market where users treated it as open-source software and refused to pay for it. Additionally, the company focused on...

metrics that didn't align with customer needs—they prioritized a flawless product and consistency while customers wanted rapid availability, performance, and practical JSON document storage solutions

Verified lesson

“...”

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HypeCycle · MoatType · ResearchTags

RethinkDB raised €12.2M and still failed. See the documented cause, verified lesson and all metrics.

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