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
subscription software
hardware + software sales
support/services
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
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
iOS app
Android app
Windows support
macOS support
Linux support
2048-bit SSL
WPA2
RAID 1
RAID 5
AFP
SMB
WebDAV
virtual machines
GitLab
PostgreSQL
ecoDMS
Customers
small businesses
SOHOs
SMBs
NGOs
creative agencies
video agencies
advertising agencies
banks and savings banks
law firms
münz GmbH
ErsterSinn
Kreissparkasse Göppingen
Gebr. Becker GmbH
Competitors
Notion
Smartsheet
Anaplan
Trello
Asana
Dropbox
Slack
Microsoft Teams
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
Apr 2016Crowdinvestors publicly challenged the Y Combinator restructuring over valuation, fund use, and the split of the operating business away from the crowd investors.
SourceOther
Mar 2020Business Insider reported Ali Jelveh's comeback while noting unresolved court disputes and delayed acquisition talks.
SourceLatest 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.
t3n · Apr 2016
Covers the Y Combinator deal, investor backlash, valuation concerns, and the restructuring that split the operating company from the crowd-investor vehicle.
Jobs and careers at Protonet
0 jobs at Protonet
No open positions
Check back later for new openings