A letter from the founders.

Remember the long nights fueled by instant coffee and the faint glow of laptop screens, the shared couches that doubled as impromptu meeting rooms, and the collective dream that buzzed in the air? That’s where the Gentlent brand began, back in May 2019. It was a humble landing page then, a hobby project born from passion and the shared vision of bringing a fresh breeze into the web technology space. Those early days were an endless sea of code, line by painstaking line, but every stroke was a step towards something bigger.

The journey truly began to solidify in June 2021 with our very first blog post, "Announcing the Gentlent anycast network." It was a small step, a public declaration of our ambitions. Two years later, a researcher's security vulnerability report, rather than being a setback, felt like a rite of passage - a testament to our growing presence.

June 24, 2023, was a pivotal day. We embarked on the "Road to v2," migrating to newer technologies like React and Next.js, knowing these changes would make us more efficient in the long run. On that very same day, we set up a small home office space, a physical manifestation of our commitment to collaboration. Suddenly, the informal co-working sessions had a dedicated hub.

The momentum continued to build. July 8, 2023, saw us connecting to the DE-CIX Düsseldorf internet exchange, a significant stride in our network infrastructure. Just ten days later, we became a RIPE NCC member, gaining our own address space - a true mark of a growing, independent entity in the internet world. Our first digital sponsoring of a local soccer club in September 2023 was a proud moment, demonstrating our desire to give back to the community that had supported our dream.

As December 2023 rolled around, conversations with our first potential customers began. These weren’t just sales calls; they were the first signs that our hobby project was evolving into a viable business, laying the groundwork for the financial requirements of formalizing our company.

And then, on January 31, 2024, it happened. Gentlent UG (haftungsbeschränkt) was officially founded, signing the articles of association at a notary public's office. It was a monumental step, bringing legal structure to years of dedication. A few months later, on April 2, 2024, we moved into our very own office. No more couches or borrowed spaces; this was our home, a place where ideas could truly flourish. We started building a slowly but surely growing customer base from across Europe, rented our own rack space in a Tier III data center, set up our own servers, and managed our own cabling. We secured our own IPv4 & IPv6 spaces along with ASNs, and even registered hundreds of domains.

Among all these milestones, one individual consistently stood out: Florian Elke. He began as an intern and quickly became an indispensable part of our journey, eventually stepping up to become co-CEO of Gentlent UG. His dedication and vision were instrumental in reaching this point.

And now, June 11, 2025, marks another incredible chapter: Germany’s commercial register has published the change, and Gentlent UG is officially Gentlent GmbH. This isn't just a change in legal structure; it’s a recognition of our growth, our resilience, and the incredible journey we've undertaken. With a big release just around the corner, we're not just looking back nostalgically; we're looking forward with immense excitement to what the future holds for Gentlent GmbH.

Beyond the technical achievements and business milestones, these years have been a tapestry woven with personal moments and shared experiences. New friendships blossomed, forged in the crucible of late-night coding sessions and early morning brainstorms. We celebrated personal victories, like marriages, and now, with the anticipated arrival of my first child, the journey takes on an even deeper meaning. These walls, whether in our early co-working spaces or our current office, have witnessed long summer nights filled with laughter and the clinking of beer bottles on balconies, and snowy winter drives to the data center, each a small adventure in itself.

It hasn't always been smooth sailing. There have been ups and downs, moments of doubt, and periods of intense challenge. Yet, through it all, our collective ambition and unwavering vision kept us pushing forward. This journey has been more than just building a company; it's been about building a community, a family. It’s been about turning abstract ideas into tangible realities, driven by a shared passion.

This transformation into Gentlent GmbH, while a significant achievement, is by no means the end. It's merely the end of the beginning. With our innovative cloud platform release just around the corner in the coming months, we are filled with immense excitement for the future. The spirit of those early days — the dedication, the camaraderie, and the relentless pursuit of a fresh wind in web technology — continues to drive us as we embark on this next thrilling chapter.

We extend our gratitude to everyone who has followed our journey.

Thank you.

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