James Leaverton of StackPath

March 27, 2020 thetechtribune

An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with James Leaverton (co-founder and the VP of Ecosystems) of StackPath, which was honored in our:

Tell us the origin story of StackPath – what problem were you trying to solve and why?

The team that founded StackPath is, for the most part, the team that founded and built cloud computing provider SoftLayer. After IBM acquired SoftLayer in 2013 and it grew exponentially, we quickly realized that to help drive public cloud costs down, we had to build data centers further and further away from end users. This was good for costs but bad for latency and some customers were doing things in way that needed more advanced functionality. StackPath was started with a distributed edge cloud where we could run workloads in fairly distributed ways.

What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?

Creating something that didn’t exist before and convincing others. Just as people didn’t really know what “cloud” was at the beginning of SoftLayer, people are just now starting to see the importance of “edge”.

What does the future hold for StackPath?

Lots of growth and adaptation as the opportunities and technologies for edge computing evolve. A lot of that will be driven by 5G cellular technologies. 5G will revolutionize the internet like nothing has in quite some time. The edge is imperative because 5G performance gains are diluted if data moves from client to cloud and then has to travel distances within the cloud before being processed. As the world’s first platform providing compute and services at the cloud’s edge, StackPath is perfectly positioned to lead this paradigm shift in how the world communicates, is entertained, and does business.

What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in Dallas?

Dallas has all the ingredients to be a major tech hub: an educated workforce, access to several nearby research universities, a low cost of living, and a pro-business government. The one thing we see as a hurdle in building a startup “community” is geography. Because of the vast size of the Metroplex, it can be a challenge for tech startup founders to feel part of a bigger whole. Studies have shown that entrepreneurs are much more fulfilled and successful when they connect with others. Isolation is not only bad for humans, it’s bad for business.

What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Do what you love. It can be stressful, maddening, and exhausting, but it should never feel like a job.
Have a solid business plan. A good idea without a business plan is a hobby.
Ask yourself the 3 Bs: Can it be built? Will it be beautiful? Will someone buy it? If you can’t answer those questions in the affirmative or have a plan to get there, you will not succeed.