We live in a world where developers are not only increasing in numbers but also in importance. It’s cliché to say, and certainly a bit hyperbolic, but all successful companies become software companies themselves.
As a result, products enabling developers to build applications quickly, collaboratively, and in a data-driven way are becoming even more important. Across industries and organization sizes, these products improve developer experience and velocity — and lead to better business outcomes. Companies with higher developer velocity see up to 5x revenue growth when compared to their lower velocity counterparts.
And yet, for all the investment in developer productivity, developer environments have been overlooked by automation. Historically, they’re brittle, tied to local machines, and require setup and maintenance that distract developers from being productive. In other words, they’re an unneeded source of friction. Over time, we believe that developer environments will move to the cloud, leaving more time for developers to focus on the work that matters.
The benefits are obvious: a fully-compiled, tested, and automated development environment enables faster developer velocity. Developers don’t waste time on manual or error-prone tasks and can work from any device. And the shift to the cloud removes the restrictions of any individual device. Companies benefit from reduced capex (no need to purchase highly powered machines) and reduced security exposure (cloud-based environments protect against source-code threats and malicious attacks from executing arbitrary code).
Gitpod, one of our portfolio companies, enables ephemeral, cloud-based developer environments, letting developers focus on what matters — and remove what doesn’t. And today, they’re announcing Gitpod for Startups, which enables eligible startups to use Gitpod free for up to two years. Startups founded less than three years ago, who have raised under $10M, and who haven’t previously used Gitpod can fill out the application form or check out their Notion page and website for more details. We’re excited about unleashing the power of cloud-native developer environments in the hands of more companies!
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/developer-velocity-how-software-excellence-fuels-business-performance
