Fastly, a next-generation CDN, started in early 2011 and has raised $14M+ in funds. They have grown incredibly fast in such a short period of time. Of all the CDNs that are three years old or younger, this is my favorite one. Their value proposition is dead-on perfect—they want to be the fastest CDN on the planet.
Fastly reminds me of two CDN’s, Cotendo and EdgeCast. They remind me of Cotendo, because they are based in the Valley, made a big splash in the marketplace, and grew incredibly fast. I think the Valley is the best place to start a CDN. It brings immediate benefits being so close to the heart of the tech industry.
Fastly is also like EdgeCast. From Day 1, EdgeCast was extremely focused on being the fastest CDN ever. This message is ingrained into their being. And guess what, they are the fastest CDN on the planet. If Fastly continues doing what it’s doing and hires some experienced CDN staff, the sky is going to be the limit for them. If they can do what EdgeCast has done in a few short years, they might just get acquired by Akamai. That’s a good thing because being acquired by Akamai is an honor.