So much of this is familiar. I was at two database startups. The first one, an object-oriented database company (last 80s, early 90s) suffered from an extreme

So much of this is familiar. I was at two database startups. The first one, an object-oriented database company (last 80s, early 90s) suffered from an extreme case of misperceived markets, due to the occasionally intentional blurring of the lines between a "database system" (which means SQL to nearly everyone, and we didn't to SQL), and a persistent storage class added to C/C++ (and later Smalltalk and Java). The second one (mid 2000s) was a neat physical storage trick, which should have been a feature of a database system, not an excuse for building a new one. My bad for missing this, but I really, really liked the physical storage ideas, so I joined. Building and selling new database technology is extremely difficult. There are successful, huge, entrenched companies. There is, therefore, no good reason for anyone to gamble on your new technology. Your only chance is to convince the architecture astronauts at some prospect that they just have to have your product, but the odds of such a decision sticking all the way through the delivery of their product is extremely low, no matter how good your technology is.