Polkadot uses a sharded multichain network. This means that it has the ability to process transactions on several parallel chains called “parachains”. This sharding ability improves scalability.
Custom built blockchains developed through the Substrate framework can be connected to Polkadot’s network within just minutes relatively easily. Polkadot can be automatically upgraded without the need for a fork (Split in the block chain) to implement new features/remove bugs.
The founders of Polkadot are Dr. Gavin Wood, Robert Habermeier and Peter Czaban.