If Clustrix and its brethren can allow MySQL values to grow unencumbered via NewSQL then it will be of interest to more than start-ups.

Progress Software developed this new class of drivers after recognizing the limitations in Type 4 JDBC driver architecture, which renders them impractical for use in modern Java applications.

Hibernate 5 has updated dialects for various databases, and MySQL 8 has a special one of its own. Here's an example hibernate.cfg.xml for MySQL 8 for Hibernate 5 apps or newer.

JPA 3 and Hibernate persistence.xml file As developers migrate their old Java Persistence API applications to JPA 3, their progress is often halted when an incorrectly configured JPA 3 persistence.xml ...