10 years of esveo: from Excel lists in student dorms to modern software technology

But let's start at the beginning. 2010, T-5 years.

A good friend from college came by the dorm and needed some help with Excel lists at his new company. After briefly familiarizing myself with the domain, I had not only found technical solutions, but also numerous ideas for enhancements, reporting, and automation to simplify the tracking of the company's project acquisition and market analysis.

This led to a collaboration with an automotive supplier, who is still one of our customers today and whom I supported on a part-time basis back then. By 2015, I had created an epic Excel list in collaboration with the customer, which mapped the entire automotive market, was fed with new data from sales on a monthly basis, and covered large parts of the company's market and sales reporting.

Take Off. 2015, T=0

I became we. Excel became software. I had created an Excel monster that had a mind of its own and, with around 100 users worldwide, simply refused to function properly anymore. The idea came quickly: software instead of Excel, but it had to be Excel-like, display lots of data at the same time, and allow editing directly in the cells. But in 2015, that wasn't as easy in technical terms as it is today.

I couldn't implement the idea myself, so I got some help, and in September 2015, today's esveo was founded, consisting at that time of two partners and a working student. It was all still a side project, and we didn't necessarily intend to do it for a long time. We built a small team of students with whom we spent the next year analyzing challenges, developing concepts, and building software. Everything was done in close collaboration with our customer, who placed a great deal of trust in us.

We got started at the end of 2016. The software launch was a bit bumpy, but the prospect of what was now possible sparked excitement. We had created the data foundation to take global corporate planning for sales, unit numbers, and plant utilization to a new level. It quickly became clear that the system would need to be expanded and that we still had some work to do. In 2017, I quit my job, we rented an office, hired our first full-time employee, and achieved with our small startup and modest budget what the big players with armies of developers and significantly larger budgets do.

One of the factors for success back then was genuine agility. No long-term, planned requirement documents and associated budgets with completely arbitrary estimates, but rather a common goal, mutual trust, and complete transparency. Even today, this is still our favorite way of working with customers.

From 2015 to 2019, we built a team of developers and consultants who, in addition to their enthusiasm for modern software technology, above all enjoy taking on new challenges. This is how we grew, took on more projects, gained more customers, and always remained hungry.

By January 2019, we had already changed our company name three times, and these changes were not necessarily voluntary. Tau2logic became enavo, and then esveo. But what does esveo stand for?

Escape velocity is the minimum speed required to overcome the gravitational field of an object. In other words: gaining the momentum to leave behind what holds you back.

Escape velocity is the minimum speed required to overcome the gravitational field of an object. In other words: gaining the momentum to leave behind what holds you back.

But with that, we finally had a name that inspired us and that also expressed a part of our journey and our aspirations.

Escape velocity. 2020, T+5 years.

Corona shook us up at first, but at the same time provided exactly the right impetus for us to develop further and win new customers. We had developed such a deep understanding of technology in certain areas that we realized we were not only providing our customers with extremely goal-oriented technical support, but also at the forefront of technology. Other software companies commissioned us to train their software developers and put their software to the test.

During this time, we expanded, matured, and professionalized our processes. The balancing act between internal development and external projects was difficult at first and involved a steep learning curve. For some of us, esveo was no longer just a job, but a mission, a home. And so there were also changes in the shareholder structure, as long-time employees and friends now became equal partners on paper and we are shaping the future together.

Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. 2025, T+10 years.

A lot has happened! Lots of projects, lots of parties, lots of new friends, but yes, also a lot of stress and the question “what happens next?”. We had to deal with problems that probably no one else has to deal with. One such problem was a Munich law firm acting on behalf of Facebook Israel kindly but firmly requesting us to change our name.

We have a lot to do, lots of ideas and a lot of responsibility. The former students have all grown up, and while we used to sit in the office late into the evening or even sleep here, today our partners and children await us at home. Life shows us that there are even bigger, more emotional, and more important tasks.

Currently, the AI revolution is calling into question how digitalization will work in the future, what possibilities there are, and who actually still has which tasks. We look to the future with curiosity, because there is still much to learn and we must continue to evolve.

As exhausting and uncertain as it may be at times, it's fun, we enjoy it and we do it with passion. If someone asked us whether we would take this path again, the answer would be simple:

Again and again!