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Fastly Closes $50 Million for Edge Cloud Services

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Plain TextRich TextHTMLCopyCompany experiences exponential growth as it helps the world’s most popular online destinations deliver secure and scalable web, mobile, and IoT experiencesSAN FRANCISCO, May 23, 2017 — Fastly, the edge cloud platform, has announced $50 million in funding led by Sorenson Capital. Following the introduction of Fastly’s edge cloud platform, the company has continued to advance at a rapid pace, achieving over 100% annualized revenue growth in the last two quarters. Fastly is quickly approaching breakeven and has already reached an annualized run rate of $100 million in just five years to position itself in the top echelon of rapid-growth Silicon Valley companies.The worldwide cloud services market is projected{:target="\blank"} to grow to $236 billion by 2020. Fastly will use the new funds to meet growing demand for cloud services at the edge and to ensure long-term independence. Fastly’s edge cloud platform helps online brands build scalable applications, innovate rapidly and defend against complex security threats at the edge. As a result, brands can meet customer demand for zero downtime, high speed, and personalized online experiences. Fastly customers include popular online destinations like The New York Times, Airbnb, Spotify, Pinterest, and Ticketmaster."The consumer’s online experience is shaped primarily by the companies that create it,” said Rob Rueckert, managing director at Sorenson Capital. "These companies rely on edge cloud capabilities to create, deliver, and update dynamic content instantaneously and securely. Fastly has consistently demonstrated strong growth and is exceptionally well-positioned to address increasing market demand for cloud services at the edge of the network.”Fastly’s edge cloud platform provides a suite of application delivery, video & streaming, and cloud security solutions, including the company’s recently-announced Image Optimizer, Load Balancer, and Web Application Firewall (WAF). Over the past two years, Fastly has maintained a 99.99% customer satisfaction rating and doubled their overall customer base, adding leading brands like Gannett, Reddit, Alaska Airlines, TED (the producer of TED Talks), and Audi of America.“Enterprise brands rely increasingly on edge cloud services to support overwhelming consumer demand for dynamic, secure experiences across web, mobile and IoT,” said Artur Bergman, CEO and founder, Fastly. “This additional funding will help accelerate Fastly’s exponential growth trajectory, and allow us to continue adding value for our existing customer base.”The $50 million round was led by Sorenson Capital, with participation from additional new investor Sapphire Ventures. Existing investors Iconiq Capital, Amplify Partners, August Capital, O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures OATV, and IDG Ventures also participated in the round. With this round, Fastly has raised a total of $180 million to date.To learn more about Fastly, visit: https://www.fastly.com.Sponsored Start Learning Now

Understanding Markdown

What is Markdown?

Markdown is a lightweight markup language designed to be easy to read and write while allowing text formatting with simple syntax. Created by John Gruber in 2004, Markdown has gained widespread popularity due to its simplicity and versatility. The language allows users to format text using plain characters, making it easier to convert into HTML and other formats without the need for complex styling tools.

The Origins of Markdown

The origins of Markdown date back to the early 2000s when John Gruber, in collaboration with Aaron Swartz, sought to create a format that was both human-readable in plain text and easily convertible into valid HTML. The primary motivation behind Markdown was to provide an alternative to overly complex markup languages like HTML and LaTeX.Read the original Markdown introduction

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Markdown's basic syntax is intentionally simple, but different flavors introduce additional features like tables, checklists, and footnotes. These extensions make it even more powerful for documentation and technical writing.

Why Markdown is Popular for AI and LLMs

Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT often output responses in Markdown. This choice is not arbitrary but based on several practical advantages:

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Even though Markdown is simple, users often make mistakes when writing and formatting documents.

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Improper Code Block Formatting

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Additional Use Cases for Markdown

Markdown's flexibility and ease of use have made it a popular format in various industries and applications beyond documentation and blogging.

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Knowledge Bases and Documentation

Markdown is widely used in platforms such as GitBook, ReadTheDocs, and Docusaurus for creating and maintaining structured documentation.

Developer Workflows

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Scientific and Academic Writing

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Learn More About Markdown


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