MapR

MapR was a privately held enterprise software company founded in 2009 by John Schroeder and M. C. Srivas. Headquartered in California, the company developed a data platform intended to bring several large-scale data functions together on a common cluster. Its technology supported workloads associated with Apache Hadoop and Apache Spark, while also providing a distributed file system, a multi-model database management system, and event-stream processing capabilities. The company’s central proposition was a converged data architecture. Rather than treating batch analytics, real-time analytics, operational applications, and data storage as entirely separate systems, MapR sought to run them through a unified platform that could be deployed on commodity hardware or public-cloud infrastructure. This positioning made the company part of the broader enterprise big-data market, where customers were looking for alternatives to traditional data warehouses and for ways to process growing volumes of structured and unstructured information. MapR’s software was associated with the Hadoop ecosystem but was not limited to a conventional Hadoop distribution. The platform included MapR-FS, a distributed file system designed for large-scale data storage, and MapR-DB, a distributed database supporting multiple data models. Its broader platform also incorporated analytics and event-streaming functions, allowing organizations to connect operational applications with analytical workloads. The company contributed work to Apache projects including HBase, Pig, Hive, and ZooKeeper, and entered technology relationships with other infrastructure providers. MapR raised venture financing from Lightspeed Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Redpoint Ventures, Mayfield Fund, Greenspring Associates, Google Capital, and Qualcomm Ventures. Its financing history included an initial $9 million round in 2009 and a $110 million round announced in 2014. The company also developed commercial relationships with EMC and Amazon Web Services. AWS selected MapR technology for an upgraded version of its Elastic MapReduce service, giving MapR exposure through a major public-cloud channel. MapR remained private and did not become a publicly traded company. By May 2019, it stated that it would shut down if it could not obtain additional funding. In August 2019, following financial difficulties, MapR’s technology and intellectual property were sold to Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The transaction ended MapR as an independent operating company, although elements of its technology and engineering work continued within HPE’s data and analytics activities. MapR is therefore best understood as a defunct big-data infrastructure brand rather than as an active standalone software vendor.

MapR was established in 2009 as a software company focused on large-scale data management and analytics. Its initial financing totaled $9 million from Lightspeed Venture Partners and New Enterprise Associates. The company emerged during a period when enterprises were assessing Hadoop and related open-source technologies as alternatives to conventional data-warehouse architectures. MapR’s approach was to provide a commercially supported platform that could handle multiple data workloads on a shared cluster rather than offering only a narrow Hadoop distribution. The company developed a distributed file system and related data services intended to operate across commodity servers and public-cloud environments. Its platform supported Hadoop workloads and later incorporated capabilities associated with Apache Spark, a multi-model database, and event-stream processing. This combination allowed MapR to present its software as a converged data platform for both analytical and operational use cases. The company emphasized real-time processing alongside traditional batch analytics, seeking to connect enterprise applications with high-volume data processing. MapR also participated in the wider open-source data ecosystem. It contributed to projects including Apache HBase, Pig, Hive, and ZooKeeper. In 2011, it entered a technology licensing agreement with EMC to support an EMC-specific distribution of Apache Hadoop. MapR was subsequently selected by Amazon Web Services to supply an upgraded version of the Elastic MapReduce service, extending the company’s reach through a major cloud platform. The company also reported a record result for minute-level sorting on Google’s Compute platform, reflecting its emphasis on distributed performance. During the 2010s, MapR raised successive rounds of private capital. Redpoint Ventures led a 2011 round, while Mayfield Fund led a 2013 round that also included Greenspring Associates. In June 2014, Google Capital led a $110 million financing round joined by Qualcomm Ventures and existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mayfield Fund, New Enterprise Associates, and Redpoint Ventures. These investments supported MapR’s effort to establish itself as an enterprise alternative in a competitive market that included Hadoop vendors, database companies, cloud providers, and newer data-infrastructure firms. MapR’s commercial model depended on selling enterprise software and associated support for deployments across private infrastructure and public clouds. Although the company’s platform addressed a broad set of use cases, the breadth of the product also placed it in a market characterized by rapid technological change and strong competition from open-source projects and cloud-native services. MapR remained privately held and did not have publicly traded shares. In May 2019, MapR announced that it would shut down if it could not obtain further funding. The company’s financial difficulties culminated in the sale of its technology and intellectual property to Hewlett Packard Enterprise in August 2019. The deal transferred the principal assets of the business to HPE and ended MapR’s operation as an independent software company. Public reference material identifies the transaction as an acquisition of technology and intellectual property rather than as the continuation of MapR as a standalone brand.

1. 2019Company announces shutdown risk

   MapR stated that it would shut down if it could not secure additional funding.

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2. 2019HPE acquires MapR technology and intellectual property

   Hewlett Packard Enterprise acquired MapR’s technology and intellectual property in August, ending the company’s independent operations.

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3. 2014MapR closes a $110 million financing round

   Google Capital led a $110 million financing round joined by Qualcomm Ventures and MapR’s existing investors.

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4. 2013Mayfield Fund leads another funding round

   Mayfield Fund led a round that also included Greenspring Associates.

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5. 2011EMC technology licensing agreement

   MapR entered a licensing relationship with EMC to support an EMC-specific distribution of Apache Hadoop.

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6. 2011Redpoint Ventures leads a financing round

   MapR completed an additional financing round led by Redpoint Ventures.

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7. 2009MapR is founded and receives initial venture financing

   MapR was founded by John Schroeder and M. C. Srivas and received $9 million in initial funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners and New Enterprise Associates.

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Enterprise data infrastructure designed to combine high-scale storage, batch and real-time analytics, operational applications, databases, and event streaming in a unified platform deployable on commodity hardware or public clouds.

• MapR Converged Data PlatformEnterprise big-data platform

  MapR’s principal platform combined distributed storage, Hadoop and Spark workloads, database services, and event-stream processing. It was designed to support both analytical and operational applications on a common cluster, with deployments available on commodity hardware and public-cloud infrastructure.

• MapR-FSDistributed file system

  MapR-FS was the platform’s distributed file-system layer, providing large-scale data storage across clustered infrastructure. It formed part of MapR’s effort to offer an enterprise data architecture that could support Hadoop-related processing as well as broader application workloads.

• MapR-DBDistributed database

  MapR-DB was a distributed, multi-model database component intended to support operational applications alongside analytics. Its inclusion in the wider platform reflected MapR’s strategy of combining database, storage, and processing functions rather than treating them as separate systems.

• 2019Announce potential shutdown because of funding difficultiesStrategy

  MapR faced financial difficulties and required additional capital to continue operating.

  What changed. In May 2019, the company announced that it would shut down if it could not obtain additional funding.

  Aftermath. The warning was followed by the August 2019 sale of MapR’s technology and intellectual property to Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

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• 2019Sell technology and intellectual property to Hewlett Packard EnterpriseM&A

  MapR’s financial difficulties threatened the continuation of the company as an independent software vendor.

  What changed. In August 2019, MapR sold its technology and intellectual property to Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

  Aftermath. MapR ceased to operate as an independent company, while its acquired assets became part of HPE’s broader data and analytics activities.

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• 2011License technology to EMCStrategy

  MapR was seeking distribution and ecosystem relationships for its Hadoop-related technology while enterprise infrastructure vendors were developing commercial Hadoop offerings.

  What changed. The company entered a technology licensing agreement with EMC to support an EMC-specific Apache Hadoop distribution.

  Aftermath. The agreement connected MapR’s technology with EMC’s enterprise infrastructure business, although the available reference material does not provide further commercial results.

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• 2019MapR warns that it may shut down without additional funding

  The company said it would shut down if it could not secure additional financing, highlighting the financial pressure facing the privately held data-platform vendor.

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• 2019Hewlett Packard Enterprise acquires MapR technology and intellectual property

  Following MapR’s financial difficulties, Hewlett Packard Enterprise acquired the company’s technology and intellectual property in August 2019. The transaction brought MapR’s assets into HPE and ended the company’s life as an independent business.

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• 2014MapR raises $110 million in financing led by Google Capital

  MapR announced a $110 million financing round led by Google Capital, with participation from Qualcomm Ventures and existing investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mayfield Fund, New Enterprise Associates, and Redpoint Ventures.

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1. MapR