Servers just got awesome!

We believe infrastructure belongs to the people, and as data becomes the most important commodity of the world, we were feeling a little uncomfortable with the way the web was turning out: basically a series of massive data dumps where everybody would just throw their data on.

The web 2.0 thing is pretty cool and that new cloud stuff - it's amazing - instant access from anywhere whether it's my data or my apps? Hassle free? How could anyone not love that? But: what if it was possible to have all of that good stuff without those massive data dumps? What if you could create something that's just as easy, and just as connected?

This is what drives us. This is why we're creating the world's easiest-to-use server, or a cloud-in-a-box if you will. This is why we spent the last 3.5 years crafting, coding, refining. Going through a hundred iterations of our Boxes, each in itself a piece of great tech and social infrastructure. This is why we believe that everybody should have one.

Who's who

Ali Jelveh

Co-Founder & Chief Revolutionary Officer

Ali has been a developer since back when he dropped out of university and needed the money. He started with building minimal billing solutions and grew to build teams and create ERPs for mid-size companies. With the rise of the web, he moved from building first small webstores to designing and creating JavaScript architectures for one of the first big social networks. He joined the XING AG as a Ruby on Rails developer early on, where he had the opportunity to meet and work with truly amazing people. This is also where he finally decided to start working on an idea that was simmering in his head for quite some time. He aims to give power over infrastructure back to the people. He told Christopher about it and the rest is history. When he isn’t working on Protonet, he spends his time thinking, planning and simulating (cue manic laughter here).
Christopher Blum

Co-Founder & Head of Software Development

At the age of 16 Christopher founded his own little company, PackYourFiles.com (a one-click share hoster, similar to megaupload). After studying communication design and working as a freelancer, he got hired by the largest European social business network, XING.com. He was responsible for the JavaScript architecture and the integration of a third party app eco system. During that time he met Ali, who also worked at XING. Ali convinced Christopher from the first day on to work with him on protonet. Since then, the first prototype was developed after work and on the weekends. Apart from that, Christopher is the owner of SpellBoy.com, the world's most popular online spell checker, that had in its best days more than 100,000 unique visitors per day. When he's not hacking he enjoys playing football or having a cold beer with friends.
Thomas Reimers

Head of Customer Satisfaction

Thomas liebt technologische Innovationen. Um selbst für welche sorgen zu können, studierte er Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen, Entrepreneurship und Business Development. Sein starkes Interesse für Leichtbautechnologien führte ihn im ersten Studium vermehrt in die Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie. Als Gründer einer studentischen Unternehmensberatung und einer eCommerce-Plattform sammelte er während seines Masters wertvolle Erfahrungen im Marketing und Vertrieb und entwickelte eine große Leidenschaft für die aktuellen IKT und Web-Trends. Als Ali ihm anbot, für Protonet das Ressort Marketing und Vertrieb aufzubauen und so die ITK-Zukunft aktiv mitzuformen, war die Antwort klar.
David Burkhardt

Senior Craft Meister

David had a knack for designing early on. At 17, he won the “Landeswettbewerb Jugend Forscht” with his passively-cooled mini-computer. He then went on to design and build his own line of speciality cooling solutions for custom computer hardware. While doing that, he started his design studies at the HfbK in Hamburg. He studied under Prof. Löw, who incidentally connected him with the Protonet project. Since then, he turned the mere idea of an enclosure for our unique hardware and software combination into an actual physical thing, designed, built and assembled here in Hamburg. He spends the rest of his time either on his houseboat thinking about artsy things, or at the university crafting even more artsy things. Oh and, he’s not only good at design, he’s also a great engineer; a perfect combination, if you ask us.
Daniel Lamando

That Intern

Protonet met Daniel on github (it's like a dating platform, only with code instead of pictures), showed him the Protonet project, and asked him wether he was interested to help. He was, and has since become our first remote team member, building low-level parts and solving tough technical problems. Dan is originally from New Jersey, USA, but he regularly visits our offices in Hamburg for a month or two at a time and joins us for intense hacking sprees. Maybe one day, we'll be able to convince him to stay forever, but for now he still has college on his list. When he's not coding, he spends his time on minecraft, building virtual computers from scratch.

Why do we do it?

Who's who

Ali Jelveh

Co-Founder & Chief Revolutionary Officer

Christopher Blum

Co-Founder & Head of Software Development

Thomas Reimers

Head of Customer Satisfaction

David Burkhardt

Senior Craft Meister

Daniel Lamando

That Intern