ScyllaDB

ScyllaDB, founded in 2012 by Avi Kivity (creator of KVM) and Dor Laor, is a NoSQL database company headquartered in the United States.

Updated 6 Jun 2026 Reviewed by 7wData

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ScyllaDB provides a high-performance NoSQL database that is compatible with Apache Cassandra and Amazon DynamoDB, designed for low-latency, high-throughput workloads.

ScyllaDB, founded in 2012 by Avi Kivity (creator of KVM) and Dor Laor, is a NoSQL database company headquartered in the United States. The company builds a high-performance, low-latency database compatible with Apache Cassandra and Amazon DynamoDB, written in C++ rather than Java. Its product portfolio includes the open-source ScyllaDB core, ScyllaDB Cloud (a managed DBaaS), ScyllaDB Enterprise, and ScyllaDB Alternator (a DynamoDB-compatible API).

The company has raised at least $103 million in disclosed venture funding, including a $43 million Series C round in October 2023 led by Eight Roads Ventures, with participation from existing investors such as Bessemer Venture Partners and Qualcomm Ventures. ScyllaDB does not publicly disclose revenue or headcount, but its customer list includes Discord, Comcast, Zillow, Starbucks, Hulu, Experian, Fanatics, Grab, Medium, OpenSea, Optimizely, Santander, Tubi, Zee5, Ticketmaster, and others. In 2025, the company was not listed among major tech layoffs tracked by TechCrunch, suggesting relative stability.

ScyllaDB is currently positioning itself for AI workloads, marketing its database for real-time AI feature stores and billion-scale vector search. The database market remains intensely competitive, with MongoDB reporting $2.46 billion in revenue for fiscal 2026 and Oracle's cloud database revenue growing 35% in Q3 2026. ScyllaDB's differentiation rests on raw performance and Cassandra compatibility, but it faces pressure from hyperscaler-native services and the broader shift to managed cloud databases.

Products by ScyllaDB

Who buys this

Large-scale consumer internet platforms (e.g., messaging, streaming, e-commerce) needing sub-millisecond latency at high throughput
Ad-tech and personalization platforms running real-time machine learning feature stores
Financial services and payments companies requiring predictable performance and multi-region replication
IoT and real-time analytics applications with high write volumes
Enterprises migrating from Apache Cassandra to reduce operational costs and improve performance

Publicly disclosed clients

Discord
Comcast
Zillow
Starbucks
Hulu
Experian
Fanatics
Grab
Medium
OpenSea
Optimizely
Santander
Tubi
Zee5
Ticketmaster

Strengths and what to watch

Strengths

C++ implementation delivers 10x lower latency and higher throughput than Java-based Cassandra, reducing hardware costs per query
Full wire-protocol compatibility with Apache Cassandra and Amazon DynamoDB allows zero-code migrations from existing deployments
Strong customer roster includes multiple high-scale consumer platforms (Discord, Comcast, Hulu) that have publicly validated production performance

Watch for

ScyllaDB does not disclose revenue, ARR, or headcount, making it difficult to assess financial health relative to public competitors like MongoDB ($2.46B FY2026 revenue)
The managed database market is consolidating around hyperscalers (AWS, Azure, GCP) and MongoDB Atlas, squeezing the addressable market for independent DBaaS providers
The company's AI positioning (vector search, feature stores) enters a crowded field where established players (MongoDB, Elastic, Pinecone) have deeper integrations and larger developer ecosystems

Key Information

Industry: NoSQL Databases
Founded: 2012

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ScyllaDB and what does it do?

ScyllaDB is a high-performance NoSQL database compatible with Apache Cassandra and Amazon DynamoDB. Written in C++, it delivers low latency and high throughput for demanding workloads. The company offers open-source, cloud, enterprise, and DynamoDB-compatible versions.

How does ScyllaDB compare to Apache Cassandra in terms of performance?

ScyllaDB's C++ implementation provides up to 10x lower latency and higher throughput than Java-based Cassandra, reducing hardware costs per query. It maintains full wire-protocol compatibility, enabling zero-code migrations from existing Cassandra deployments for improved performance.

What managed database services does ScyllaDB offer?

ScyllaDB provides ScyllaDB Cloud, a fully managed DBaaS, along with ScyllaDB Enterprise for self-managed deployments. It also offers ScyllaDB Alternator, a DynamoDB-compatible API, allowing users to migrate from Amazon DynamoDB with minimal changes.

Who are some notable companies using ScyllaDB?

Notable ScyllaDB customers include Discord, Comcast, Zillow, Starbucks, Hulu, Experian, Fanatics, Grab, Medium, OpenSea, Optimizely, Santander, Tubi, Zee5, and Ticketmaster. These large-scale platforms use ScyllaDB for sub-millisecond latency and high-throughput workloads.

How much funding has ScyllaDB raised and from whom?

ScyllaDB has raised at least $103 million in disclosed venture funding. Its most recent round was a $43 million Series C in October 2023 led by Eight Roads Ventures, with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners and Qualcomm Ventures.

Is ScyllaDB suitable for AI workloads like vector search?

Yes, ScyllaDB is positioning itself for AI workloads, marketing its database for real-time AI feature stores and billion-scale vector search. However, it faces competition from established players like MongoDB, Elastic, and Pinecone in this growing market.

Sources

www.scylladb.com — Company homepage showing product positioning for AI workloads, customer logos, and feature store/vector search messaging
techcrunch.com — October 2023 $43M Series C funding round led by Eight Roads Ventures; total disclosed funding and investor names
techcrunch.com — ScyllaDB not listed among 2025 tech layoffs tracked by TechCrunch, indicating relative workforce stability
www.prnewswire.com — MongoDB FY2026 revenue of $2.46 billion, used as competitive benchmark for ScyllaDB's market position