Significant milestone

It’s an emotional year for cronn, especially for me as the founder and CEO: We’re celebrating our tenth anniversary, our cronniversary! It feels like watching your own child growing up and finding their way in life. A lot has changed, especially over the last few years – we’ve welcomed many new colleagues, moved locations, and have implemented numerous projects for our clients. What’s connected all of us cronners since the very beginning? Whatever we do, we do it together, and we do it with pleasure. Our cronniversary celebrations are no exception, as all cronners have gathered here at our Bonn headquarters to celebrate this significant milestone, and at no better venue than the Kameha, just a short walk from our office.

On days like these, I can’t help but get nostalgic and reflect on cronn’s history.

Impression of the anniversary celebration, Jobst Eßmeyer is shown giving a speech to the audience

It started with a mailbox

Everything began in 2013 in Bonn – we didn’t even have an office; I started the company from home. Before we could kick off, we needed a name. I quickly drafted a list of suggestions and sent it out to friends and acquaintances for their feedback. That’s how cronn won – a blend of “change request” and “Bonn”. The association with “cron job”, familiar to most software developers, was another compelling reason. An added bonus: the name lends itself well to so many combinations – from cronniversary to cronnference; the possibilities are endless.

Back then, the only hint of the future company was a mailbox with the label “cronn GmbH” beside my name. Our journey in Białystok began similarly to Bonn, in a simple apartment, with our first proper office in Hamburg, in the Schanzenviertel. Back then, the team was much smaller. We started with six cronners, to whom I owe so much: Jörg, without whom there certainly wouldn’t be a Hamburg location; Maciej, without whom Białystok wouldn’t exist; and Michał, Andrei, and Julia, without whom cronn might not even exist. What’s special is that all these individuals still work at cronn, striving daily to make it better!

We are cronn

Over time new internal departments were set up, and with them came new cronners. First came Sandra, who, as my assistant, streamlined all administrative processes. Then Stefan brought a lot more professionalism to all HR processes. Later, Paula showed us that our social media presence should be more than just photos of after-work beers.

Fast-forward to 2023 and several pallets of monitors and office chairs later, we’re at almost 150 cronners across three locations. So many people make cronn what it is today. A team that’s almost too big for a group photo. And even though a lot has changed over these ten years, much remains the same. We still cherish moments together and dance at our legendary parties, because “cronn is a dancing company!”

Impressions of the anniversary celebration in a collage

The next ten years

What’s in store for the next ten years? Of course, I hope cronn continues to grow, but that shouldn’t be our only drive for the future. That’s why I’ve jotted down some wishes for 2033:

  • I hope we’re still coding ourselves – with AI merely assisting us!

  • I hope the rest of the world loves testing as much as we do!

  • I hope we’ve had hundreds of parties on our roof terrace!

  • I hope I’m still around for the after-work beers and that our fridge is always stocked with cold Jever!

I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude: A big thank you to all cronners, business partners, clients, family, friends, and acquaintances for this thrilling journey! And last but not least: Congratulations, cronn! Here’s to many more years to come!