Ask HN: Why are so many Python Cloud Hosts in Beta?

I'm fairly new to HN and very naive of the startup world. After doing a Google search for "Heroku for Python", I found a quora Q&A[0] that lists a large number of python cloud hosts that function like heroku...but many are in Beta and require an email invite. Is it a common pattern for multiple startups offering similar services to be in beta at the same time and not try to beat each other to the punch of releasing first?

I appreciate the insight!

[0]: http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-Heroku-equivalent-for-Django-applications