PubNub

McDonald’s Save the Sundae Cone campaign had a McDonald’s Sundae Cone on the digital billboard, which was slowly melting in the heat of the city. To “save” the sundae cone, the audience needed to spin a giant fan that would ‘cool’ the sundae cone and ‘un-melt’ it. They did this by spinning a mini-fan, which was accessed through their mobile device’s web browser. At the end, participants were given a voucher on their smartphone to be redeemed at a McDonald’s across the street for a free sundae cone. The realtime network needed to be able to handle hundreds of users simultaneously, and with such a large audience, 100% uptime was vital for the campaign.

Mothership, a company modernizing the freight industry with its all-in-one shipping platform, faced a significant challenge. Their platform, which provides customers with real-time tracking of freight and offers carriers the flexibility to choose their own schedule, was experiencing usage spikes. This led to a need for a solution that could operate reliably and at scale to push out real-time data to their client-side applications. The company's focus on speed and transparency throughout the delivery process made it essential for them to deliver real-time updates to their customers. However, the existing infrastructure was not able to handle the increasing demand, especially when it came to rebuilding their mobile app.

VitusVet, a client-engagement platform for veterinary practices, was facing the challenge of building real-time notifications at scale for their Connect app. The app was designed to facilitate communication between vets and pet owners, but the development of an in-house system for real-time notifications would require substantial resources and time. The company needed a solution that would allow them to quickly and efficiently manage their day-to-day operations, improve customer communication, and ensure that pets receive the highest-quality care. The challenge was to find a way to enable reliable, real-time communication between veterinary practices and pet owners without having to build from the ground up, which would be costly and time-consuming.

Panzerdog, a gaming company, had developed a fast-paced game that involved five-member squads battling each other in a dynamic, physics-driven world. The game required tactical coordination among team members, making reliable communication crucial for an immersive and competitive gaming experience. As the game gained popularity, with over 10 million global downloads, maintaining the quality of the player experience became a significant challenge. Any degradation in the gaming experience, especially in the chat feature, which was integral to gameplay, could lead to dissatisfaction among the increasingly demanding and vocal player base. This was evident from the 160,000 comments on the Google Play Store. Panzerdog initially considered building their own chat infrastructure but realized they needed a more robust solution.

RNL QuadWrangle, an alumni engagement platform, was founded with the aim of personalizing alumni outreach. Their platform curates content based on each individual's interests, interactions, and behaviors, ensuring that alumni receive the right message at the right time, whether through text, video, or email. However, delivering custom communication flows for each individual required a lot of developer resources and maintenance time. The company needed a reliable messaging infrastructure on the backend that would allow them to continuously deliver a highly individualized alumni experience without causing undue burden on their developers.

Scratchpad, a workspace designed for salespeople to quickly access and update Salesforce, was facing challenges in providing real-time updates and collaboration features at scale. The sales teams needed to focus on customer relationships rather than constantly switching between tabs to update fields and next steps in Salesforce. The existing in-house system was not able to provide the speed and reliability required to improve efficiency and increase sales. The challenge was to find a solution that could streamline the day-to-day work of sales teams, remove the tedium of data entry, and enable real-time collaboration and updates.

Stage TEN, an interactive live e-commerce platform, was facing significant challenges with their in-house chat system while hosting large-scale events. The system was unable to handle a large number of chat users simultaneously, leading to latency issues and restrictions on concurrency. This was a major concern for Stage TEN, as their platform is designed to host live e-commerce events where real-time interaction is crucial for engaging with the audience and driving purchases. The company needed a scalable chat solution that could handle any number of users without latency issues. They also wanted to enhance their platform with engaging features like emojis and real-time chat moderation to ensure a positive user experience.

Tablet Command, a provider of incident management and response software for fire departments across North America, was facing challenges in delivering real-time updates to firefighters during emergencies. The company's in-house solution for updates was not only time-consuming and resource-intensive but also lacked the real-time functionality that was crucial for their operations. The solution operated by checking in with devices every six seconds, which was not sufficient for the fast-paced, high-stakes environment of firefighting. The company needed a solution that could provide continuous, reliable, and real-time updates to firefighters, helping them respond faster and improve the outcomes of emergencies.

Tenna, a construction technology platform based in Edison, NJ, specializes in equipment fleet operations. Their innovative app bridges the gap between on-site projects, equipment facilities, and office operations by providing construction companies with a solution to manage and track assets and fleets in the field using real-time data. However, Tenna faced a significant challenge in providing real-time geolocation tracking, a crucial feature of their platform. Initially, they attempted to build an in-house system, but soon realized they needed a more reliable solution that could provide real-time geolocation data to their customers. They also needed a solution that could easily integrate into their existing tech stack and scale with their growth plans.

United Colors of Dissent (UCoD) is a data-driven performance designed for live public interaction in urban environments. The performance captures the linguistic and socio-cultural profile of different communities by creating dynamic visualizations and infographics. The audience in a public space can join the performance through a simple URL on their browser and answer questions every 30 seconds using a simple slider. Their answers are collected in a pool, and based on those answers, the results are visualized on a media facade. The challenge was to visualize the data as it gets collected and shared immediately with the audience to give them feedback throughout the performance. The creators, Orkan Telhan and Mahir Yavuz, needed real-time technology to broadcast the results of their questions onto the media facade and let everyone see each other’s answers at the same time. They also needed a solution that could handle large fluctuations in users, from small amounts to thousands of users simultaneously, and provide real-time latency no matter what city the performance was taking place in.

Vampr, a mobile network for musicians, aimed to differentiate itself from traditional social networking platforms like Facebook by focusing on professional networking. The platform presents potential creative collaborators to users based on their search criteria, with a thumb swipe as the primary mechanism to sift through options. This approach was unique when Vampr launched, setting it apart from market leaders in the music-social space such as ReverbNation and MySpace, which relied on a scroll/form-based approach to networking. However, the challenge was to ensure real-time, seamless connectivity and communication between users of the app. For any geosocial network, real-time interaction is critical as conversations and first encounters with strangers are happening in the moment. If the real-time experience is not robust, the platform risks losing its pulse altogether.

Yellow, a technology company that builds web and mobile applications, was tasked with creating Famlicious, a secure family messaging, photo, and timeline sharing app for iOS and Android. The goal was to connect families worldwide through a safe and stable communication platform. The challenge was to deliver a sophisticated app with real-time chat functionality and a fast, synchronized experience for content sharing features like the family timeline. The app also had to be secure, protecting the private and sensitive content shared between family members. All these features had to perform seamlessly as the Famlicious user base continues to grow, increasing the concurrent user engagement worldwide. The challenge was to ship a production-grade real-time application on schedule, without being limited by insufficiently scalable infrastructure.

ZOLL, a leader in developing medical devices and software solutions, aimed to transform emergency medical services (EMS) communication by streamlining the entire process from emergency call to ER/hospital. This modernization was intended to improve patient response and care. To build their iOS/Android app, Respond, ZOLL needed a real-time messaging infrastructure that was fast, reliable, and secure. These three criteria were mission-critical. Speed was crucial as seconds can be the difference between life and death in emergency response. Reliability was key as every message matters and needs to be delivered in real time, even in unreliable network environments. Security was paramount due to the sensitive nature of patient data and the need for HIPAA-compliant real-time infrastructure.

Beamable, a live game server platform, was initially a game developer that turned popular entertainment brands into successful games. They understood the challenges of game development, which include creating an engaging story, coding the software, and building the infrastructure for many individual components. Game servers require complex features, tooling, and performance characteristics. Ensuring that the tools are intuitive, the technology is easy to implement, and it performs at scale is challenging. In 2015, Beamable's platform was growing faster than their previous pub/sub solution could handle. They needed a Unity-compatible pub/sub system to push information from server to client. They also required a robust Unity SDK, infrastructure they could afford to forget about, and flexible pricing that supported their growth without worrying about financial penalties.

Bluebell, a company founded by three fathers with healthcare backgrounds, aimed to simplify parenting by creating an innovative baby monitor. The team wanted to capture more data from a variety of sensors across interconnected devices, while also incorporating creative tracking and control features. The goal was to reduce the stress of parenting and improve the well-being of babies. However, they faced the challenge of developing an application from scratch that could capture all this data, enable controls and alerts, and provide data-driven guidance to foster a better connection between parent and child. The team was aware that developing such an application would be time-consuming and costly.

Cabify, a ride-sharing service operating in over 90 cities across 11 countries, was facing a significant challenge in maintaining the high-quality experience they promised their riders. The company prides itself on its professional drivers, clean and modern cars, and giving riders more control over their journey preferences. However, the company was struggling with its in-house alert system, which was crucial for connecting riders with nearby and available drivers. When a rider requested a ride, Cabify had to quickly alert only those drivers who fit the need, a process that could require up to 80 alerts sent simultaneously. As Cabify expanded its operations, the in-house alert system was unable to cope with the increasing demand, threatening the company's commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.

Climate LLC, the digital farming division of Bayer Crop Science, was faced with the challenge of providing real-time updates to farmers to improve their productivity. The company needed a reliable way to share real-time data across their digital farming platform, which would help farmers monitor their operations in real time from their app. The challenge was to deliver these updates and device status changes at scale, without latency issues, no matter how high usage spikes. Network reliability was a significant concern, especially during the harvest season when usage spikes. The company needed a solution that could operate continuously and reliably to deliver real-time updates of farm equipment usage.

Event.Gives was born out of a frustration with the inefficient and paper-heavy process of traditional fundraising events. The company's co-founder, Sam Staley, was particularly frustrated with the cumbersome bidding process during an elementary school fundraising event. The process was not only inefficient but also failed to maximize the potential for donations. The challenge was to create a solution that would streamline the bidding process, increase engagement, and ultimately raise more funds. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic further complicated matters, as many live events and fundraisers were cancelled. Event.Gives needed to pivot and find ways to support virtual events and get people back to work.

Gett, a Tel-Aviv based transportation company, was facing challenges in providing real-time updates to its riders and drivers. The company's mission was to provide the best mobility platform for enterprises, offering an end-to-end solution for business travel. However, the periodic updates from their backend server were causing delays of 5-10 seconds before riders received updates on their driver's status or payment completion. This delay was negatively impacting both riders and drivers, leading to cancellations and rebooking, which translated into lost money. Gett needed a solution that could provide instantaneous updates without any delays, loss of information, or security lapses.

i6 Group aimed to transform the largely paper-driven airline and airport fueling industry with a software application. The challenge was to create a reliable, comprehensive, end-to-end solution that airports could trust to provide accurate, time-sensitive notifications and status updates about fueling, catering, and other under-the-wing operations. The goal was to minimize turnaround time and ensure flights depart on time, every time, worldwide. The task was not just to digitize the process but to revolutionize it, making it more efficient and reliable.

JUNO, a digital events and engagement platform, faced a significant challenge in 2020 when the demand for virtual events surged due to the global pandemic. The platform, which hosts large, multi-day and multi-session audience events, experienced exponential growth as industries were forced to move their in-person events online. JUNO quickly tripled in size and began hosting and connecting millions of users. However, this rapid growth presented a problem. Their events regularly maxed out in attendance, often exceeding thousands of participants, and JUNO needed a more reliable, scalable solution for their in-app chat. They were already using Vonage for their OpenTok, video, and audio conferencing features, but they needed a solution that could handle unlimited concurrent users and continue to grow with them.

Kiswe, a company that creates live-streams for entertainers to deliver personalized content to their fans in real time, was facing a significant challenge. They needed to scale their chat infrastructure to handle global events of any size. Before partnering with PubNub, Kiswe’s VP of Engineering, Scott Miller, and his team were seeking a solution that would ensure their platform operates reliably and in real time to handle a large influx of traffic for their virtual concerts. They needed a partner that could scale without concurrency limits or latency issues. The reliability of the platform was crucial for Kiswe, as it would allow them to focus on delivering interactive live events to global audiences without worrying about delays.

LiveLike, a New York-based technology company, was facing a significant challenge in their quest to create a platform that could capture the joy and community of live events virtually. The company's goal was to make virtual events as engaging and energetic as in-person ones, allowing viewers to feel as if they were sitting front row at a concert or game. However, they encountered a major hurdle while developing for Turner Sports, a large sports broadcaster. The task was to develop a feature that allowed viewers to create and share their basketball brackets in real time, through chat, while watching games. Turner Sports wanted to keep viewers engaged and in-app so that audiences wouldn’t use third-party messaging services. However, LiveLike’s previous chat API provider had a hard concurrency limit of just a few thousand users, which was insufficient for handling the fluctuating audience sizes of live events.

MaNaDr, a healthcare provider, was faced with the challenge of meeting the growing demand for modern, real-time access to healthcare services. The company aimed to provide a platform where patients and doctors could interact for virtual diagnosis, screenings, consultations, and scheduling. However, the criticality of information, privacy concerns, and regulatory requirements posed significant hurdles. The solution needed to be secure, compliant, and reliable, enabling real-time two-way communication. The challenge was to find a solution that could meet all these requirements without compromising on any aspect.

Mayhem, a platform that allows gaming communities to build customized leagues, faced a significant challenge in providing a reliable and engaging chat experience for its users. The platform recognized the importance of chat in event setup and fostering relationships that would keep players engaged and returning. However, providing a reliable chat, real-time leaderboards, and push notifications for tens of thousands of simultaneous players was a daunting task. They were using Twilio, but its 1,000 user limit disrupted the player experience. Additionally, a homegrown solution would be difficult to scale. Mayhem needed a solution that could scale to support their expected growth while meeting the engagement expectations of their various communities.

Moment House, a platform for artists and creators to host live-stream events and connect with fans globally, faced a significant challenge. The platform needed to handle traffic for events of any size, from anywhere in the world, and provide a seamless experience for an unlimited number of concurrent users. This was crucial as audience traffic fluctuated for each event. The company also wanted to enhance the interactivity between creators and their fanbase during these live-stream events. Prior to PubNub, Moment House considered building in-house and evaluated multiple platforms to handle any amount of message and usage traffic for large-scale events. They needed a solution that offered high stability for concurrency and minimal downtime.

monad.social, a membership-based live streaming community, was founded to provide a platform for creators to own, monetize their content, and connect authentically with their fans. The platform allows artists to deliver exclusive content to their community, host live performances, engage directly with fans, and generate revenue. However, the platform was primarily handled through a WordPress plugin, which was not sufficient to support the evolving needs of the platform. The company needed a reliable, flexible, and scalable chat solution that could facilitate real-time, engaging, and intimate experiences between artists and their fans. The solution needed to be customizable to allow the addition of new features as the platform grows.

Next Tech, an online tech education platform, was facing significant challenges with its collaboration infrastructure. The platform was built on Firebase and was critical for instructor-led learning. However, it was struggling with uptime and speed, leading to a poor experience for both students and instructors. The company's goal was to make online tech education as powerful as in-person learning by enabling reliable, real-time collaboration. However, the existing infrastructure was not able to meet these requirements. Next Tech tried several alternatives, including Cloud Firestore, Action Cable, Pushpin, and Nchan, but none of these solutions were able to meet the company's needs for a reliable and fast collaboration platform.