Shutdown
Feb 2017Protonet Betriebs GmbH filed for insolvency after failing to secure the next financing round.
SourceCompany research
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Overview
Protonet is a Hamburg-founded private-cloud collaboration company built around SOUL, a product that combines team communication, file sharing, task management, calendars, and browser/mobile access with a strong data-sovereignty message.
Primary product
Protonet SOUL
Founded
2012
Headquarters
Hamburg, Germany
Team size
1-10 employees
Industry
IT Services and IT Consulting
Sub-industry
private cloud collaboration software
Offices
Hamburg, Germany
San Francisco, California, USA
Business model
Funding
Stage
seed / venture
Total raised
$7.7M
Latest round
Venture Round · Jun 2016
Latest amount
$1.6M
People & investors
Leadership
President / CEO
Founders
Co-founder
Investors
Work & culture
Mission-driven around data sovereignty and a decentralized DNA; the careers page describes the workplace as fast-paced, challenging, and focused on results rather than perks.
Product & market
Pricing
Subscription SaaS plus hardware/software bundles; trial and demo-led sales are offered for the cloud product.
Differentiators
- —private-cloud and on-premises data sovereignty
- —all-in-one chat, video, files, tasks, and calendar
- —simple setup with no IT expertise required
- —browser plus mobile app access
- —quiet, energy-efficient hardware
- —behind-the-firewall deployment
- —cloud-style collaboration without public-cloud dependency
- —hardware and software bundled
- —free trial and demo-led sales
- —extensible app ecosystem and VM support
Technology
browser-based web app
Scale & contact
Estimated revenue
approx. $6.7M–$10M ARR (public estimates)
Estimated monthly visits
466
Traffic estimate as of Jun 2026
Signals & risks
Layoff
Apr 2017The insolvency process led to major layoffs, with 10 of 16 employees leaving the company.
SourceOther
Latest news
Business Insider Deutschland · Mar 2020
Details Protonet's comeback, ongoing legal disputes, customer growth to about 500, and the possibility of an eventual sale or exit.
Handelsblatt · May 2018
Shows Jelveh relaunching Protonet around SOUL, with the company trying to rebuild after the insolvency and prior restructuring.
HORIZONT · Apr 2017
Describes the post-insolvency restructuring and layoffs, including the reduction from 16 staff to 6.
t3n · Feb 2017
Reports the insolvency filing after the company failed to close the follow-on financing round; notes the domains and customer notifications around the shutdown process.
Open Positions
0 jobs at Protonet
No open positions
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