About
Violin Memory is the leader in scalable flash memory, in our opinion. Its product improves the performance of memory on computers by reducing the power and space requirement in a data center while closing the gap between I/O and CPU performance. Violin was founded in 2005 by Jon Bennett and Donpaul Stephens who developed and patented the switch memory technology on which Violin’s products are based.
Thesis
We believe Violin has created the best product for companies to accelerate their most critical applications and to virtualize their data center storage with a scalable flash array. Customers are choosing to use Violin due to its superior product on the market.
People
CEO Donald Basil was CEO of Violin’s prime competitor Fusion-io until 2009. He then decided to move to Violin and to develop a superior technology in the flash memory space. Prior to Fusion-io, Don was the Vice President at United Health Group.
Key Board Members:
- Mark Rosenblatt (Rationalwave Capital Partners)
- David Walrod (Bridgescale Partners)
- Larry Lang (QuorumLabs)
Management Team
- Jon Bennett, Co-Founder & CTO
- Previously Chief Engineer at RiverDelta Networks
- Jonathan Goldick, CTO, Software
- Former CTO at OnStor, and previously at IBM & Microsoft
- Cory Sindelar, CFO
- Former CFO at Kilopass and Ikanos Technologies
Product
Violin uses Solid State FLASH memory (uses silicon), which is emerging compared to traditional disk storage. Violin’s Rack in a Box gets 32 Terabyte flash memory vs. traditional Tier 1 storage devices that get approximately 24 TB and are much larger in size. Violin processes nearly twice as many GB/second as compared with traditional devices.
Potential
Violin is in a fast growing market driven by increasing data traffic and storage volumes. The enterprise storage market is a $40 billion market, consisting of a $5 billion IO-intensive core market and a $15 billion Tier 1 & 2 Performance Optimization market.
Megatrends
- Internet
- Consolidation
- Outsourcing
- Convergence
- Network Effects
How Big Can This Be?
Violin has the potential to be the indisputable leader in enterprise and storage and to capture a significant part of the $15 billion (and growing) Performance Optimization market.
Predictability
Violin has a strong pipeline and opportunity to grow its revenue significantly over the next several years. Large financial firms are switching to Violin as they are realizing Violin’s product superiority over its competitors.
Risks
Violin’s product has premium pricing compared to alternatives and could be a risk factor in a tough economy. Also, larger and more established companies may consider to enter Violin’s market niche and could become strong competitors.
