Although virtualized Kubernetes clusters may seem paradoxical, they offer efficiency benefits similar to traditional virtual machines.
Loft Labs recognized the need for improved resource utilization in Kubernetes clusters and developed a virtualization tool to address this issue, resulting in a $24 million Series A funding announcement for the startup.
Common applications like Istio, Rancher, and Vault are essential in every Kubernetes environment, but managing them across multiple containers can be costly and challenging. Loft Labs’ solution enables users to share these applications across virtual clusters, creating a more efficient and cost-effective system.
CEO Lukas Gentele explained, “We’re essentially turning many clusters into one cluster, and then have virtual clusters on top of the common applications.” This consolidation leads to significant cost savings and enhanced consistency in managing shared platform stack resources.
Loft Labs’ product, vCluster, has gained popularity with 40 million downloads and a million virtual clusters created since its open source release in 2021. The company also introduced vCluster Pro to monetize the concept by offering additional features for managing high volume Kubernetes cluster environments.
The company initially pursued a Platform as a Service model, then pivoted to address the challenge of sharing Kubernetes clusters effectively and found success with vCluster. Today, Loft Labs has secured a total funding of $28.6 million, led by Khosla Ventures and other investors.
