Meet the gridscale team
Felix Kronlage-Dammers Product & Platform
As COO Felix is the central point around our products and is responsible that our customers get not only a good but an excellent product. In this role he coordinates between the individual teams and is always at the pulse of time at gridscale.
With his background as a longterm player in the open source scene as well as founder and managing director of an open-source IT infrastructure service provider and hoster, he brings his many years of experience - both technical and commercial - to gridscale at all levels.
When Felix is not active in his gridscale mission, he gets involved as part of the board of the OSB Alliance, attends conferences or sits on a racing bike.
Fun Fact
Knows of many well-known songs only the punk rock cover version.
What do you find special about gridscale?
Work at a high professional level, full of respect and appreciation.
Origin
Oldenburg, Lower Saxony
Interests
Everything around the bike, outdoor, cooking
Strength
Reliability, the ability to admit mistakes
My quirk or oddity
I think I'm uncomplicated. Oh yeah, I also think I'm funny š
Canāt do without
Having regularly time for myself, coffee
Iād like that superpower
Time Travel
My motto in life
"Create more value than you capture "-Tim O'Reilly & "Only failure makes us experts"- Art Grabowski
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#hauptsachedraussen#liveslowridefast#oss
Thorsten BruchhƤuser Head of Sales
Thorsten is responsible for the sales area at gridscale. With more than 25 years of experience in sales at listed international companies and German medium-sized businesses, he supports the sales team in achieving their goals in the German-speaking countries and plans international expansion.
Fun Fact
Finds spelling mistakes in a document immediately - should have been a teacher.
What do you find special about gridscale?
A great mix of colleagues, extreme professionalism.
Origin
Karlsruhe
Interests
Reading, running, Greek food and spending free time with family
Strength
Listening
My quirk or oddity
I'm a total hypochondriac - that's definitely a quirk.
Canāt do without
Coffee and fun at work
Iād like that superpower
Eating without gaining weight
My motto in life
"Can't be done - doesn't exist."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#kannnichtlangeuntƤtigsein#SonneInGriechenland#machtgernegeschenke
Jens Wardenbach Marketing Director
As Marketing Director Jens takes care of press and public relations, keeps close contacts to IT analysts and cloud industry associations. He is also responsible for all product marketing activities including the conceptual design of the accompanying marketing campaigns and events. Having finished his banking apprenticeship, his economic studies as well as his MBA degree at Bradford University, he started his professional career at a technology-driven consulting company. From 2000 to 2019 Jens was responsible as CMO and divisional director for marketing, corporate communication and investor relations at two listed Cologne-based cloud companies, Pironet AG and QSC AG.
Fun Fact
Loves Holland and would rather emigrate to the province of Zeeland today than tomorrow.
What do you find special about gridscale?
Professionalism and a spirit of optimism
Origin
Cologne
Interests
Reading, cooking, sailing and spending time with family and friends
Strength
Doing, doing, doing...
My quirk or oddity
Ouchie: Dutch-speaking rock and pop. I like it a lot, my family rather less ;). Especially on the car trip to the holidays :).
Canāt do without
Meaningfulness and fun in what I do.
Iād like that superpower
To be able to simply pause the time once in a while.
My motto in life
āEt bliev nix wie et wor, et kĆ¼tt wie et kĆ¼tt, et hƤt noch immer jot jejange!ā - Kƶlsches Grundgesetz
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#verrĆ¼cktnachmeer#niederlandefanatisch#lebenundlebenlassen
Henrik Hasenkamp Strategy & Partner
Henrik is gridscaleās CEO. In this function, he is primarily responsible for the strategic development of gridscale, as well as important partnerships. Henrik has experience of 15 years in the hosting industry. In his last role, he took charge of the international realignment of the dedicated server business of one Europeās largest hosting companies.
Fun Fact
Never without his MacBook
What do you find special about gridscale?
The team and the technology. A perfect, permanently motivating symphony, which is only interrupted by short sleep phases.
Origin
Europe
Interests
Computer science, mathematics, artificial intelligence
Strength
Analytical skills, endurance
My quirk or oddity
Nooooooooo! Not me š
Canāt do without
Laptop, mobile phone and internet
Iād like that superpower
Stretching time generously to create more
My motto in life
I take it from Einstein: "You can't solve problems with the same way of thinking that created them."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#nichtohnemeinmacbook#positivverrĆ¼ckt#gridscale
Henning Baumann Head of Finance
As Head of Finance, Henningās responsibilities are strategic controlling, planning, and M&A. With his background in corporate finance, strategy and commercial due diligence as well as experience in the SaaS business, he ensures the basis of indicator-based corporate management and is the contact person for finance-related topics.
If Henning isnāt absorbed in excel-sheets, he spends his free days ski touring and mountain biking in the alps.
Fun Fact
never leaves his house without headphones
What do you find special about gridscale?
The focus on the essentials.
Origin
Saarland
Interests
Freeriding, mountain biking, stock markets, economy
Strength
Stubbornness
My quirk or oddity
Many ... This is the DNA of my personality š
Canāt do without
Music, sports, good food
Iād like that superpower
Flying
My motto in life
"What doesnāt kill you makes you stronger."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#music#mountains#markets
Frank Jƶrgens Head of Operations
As Head of Operations he is responsible for our OPS-Team. Before that he was Head of IT-Europe and as Global Director Enterprise Architecture in charge for the BoD (Board of Directors) meeting once a month.
What do you find special about gridscale?
The people and the atmosphere here. Everybody is highly motivated and gets involved beyond the "normal" level.
Origin
I was born in DĆ¼sseldorf
Interests
Fast cars, technology, IT
Strength
Calm, reliable, structured
My quirk or oddity
A slight tendency towards perfectionism. š
Canāt do without
Cappuccino in the morning
Iād like that superpower
Justice
My motto in life
"Stay calm..."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#Technology#Support#Music
Linn Salles Head of People Relations
Linn is responsible for our People department, i.e. everything that has to do with recruiting and internal processes for gridscale employees. As a career changer, she discovered her heart for IT in 2012 and can now look back on more than seven years of professional experience in HR consulting and HR management.
Fun Fact
Likes dogs and cats! Lip-synct inspires, if nobody looks.
What do you find special about gridscale?
The challenge, the team, the freedom, the trust. At gridscale I have the feeling that I can really move something and help to build it up.
Origin
Mettmann (NRW)
Interests
People, Networking, HR, Recruiting
Strength
Persistence and loyalty
My quirk or oddity
If I drink latte, I definitely have to stir it. Although I don't use sugar.
Canāt do without
My iPhone
Iād like that superpower
Teleport
My motto in life
āLove it, leave it or change it.ā
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#alwaysonline#helpercomplex#awineisalways
Carsten Dittmann Backend, Business Logic & Billing
Carsten is responsible for our web-backend development team and takes care of a smooth communication between all components. He joined the gridscaleās founder team in 2015 together with his brother Marc. Before his studies in computer sciences, he and Marc established the Dittmann Media GmbH in 2004. He has been able to realize his love for modern web technologies in many exciting projects.
Fun Fact
Could it be Marc?
What do you find special about gridscale?
The team and the energy with which ideas are realized.
Origin
Germany
Interests
Technology, nature
Strength
Understanding, ambitious, sensitive
My quirk or oddity
There are two of me.
Canāt do without
Britta
Iād like that superpower
Press Pause
My motto in life
"Make decisions and stand behind them."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#EtHƤtNochImmerJotJejange#IchBinDannMalWeg#cloned
Marc Dittmann Frontend, UX & GUI
With his expertise in the field of web front-end, Marc is responsible for all gridscale web applications. He joined gridscale's founding team in 2015 with his brother Carsten. In 2004 the brothers established the Dittmann Media GmbH. The know-how and the experience gained from his computer science studies and the many highly complex projects of the past years make him a leading expert in the field of web front-end.
Fun Fact
Could it be Carsten?
What do you find special about gridscale?
Bringing ideas to life with lots of power, energy and fun.
Origin
Germany
Interests
See the whole world! See it all!
Strength
Staying calm
My quirk or oddity
There are two of me.
Canāt do without
Fart cookies
Iād like that superpower
Beaming
My motto in life
"The one who stops learning has stopped being good."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#happy#relaxed#cloned
Martin Znamirowski Architecture Guru
Martin is the lead developer of gridscale and responsible for the choice of software components and the design of the intelligent system architecture. He got to know gridscale through long-term contact with the founders, with whom he has already worked successfully in the past.
Before Martin switched into the business world, he worked in the academic field for several years, working on the development of distributed systems, high-performance graph algorithms, and databases. Martin is also extremely versatile outside the field of computer science, as his studies of the secondary subjects of physics and psychology shows.
Fun Fact
Being true VR enthusiast, one should take time to get used to Martin's individual construction of his living room š
What do you find special about gridscale?
Bleeding Edge Technology, the best people in the world, the full use of my potential.
Origin
Germany
Interests
Psychology, computer science, philosophy
Strength
Greatest strength: auto-introspection and constructiveness as the highest standards for all decision making. Greatest weakness: moderation. Both in enjoyment and in the creation of something new.
My quirk or oddity
No, I have dozens. ^.^
Canāt do without
My family š
Iād like that superpower
Absolute mental control over matter.
My motto in life
"Reality is too complex for mottos and principles."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#SocialMediaMuffel#UnfassbareĆbersimplifizierung#MehrAlsNur3Hashtags
Thomas Wiebe Software Engineer
Thomas is driving the expansion of cloud platforms at gridscale. As an old stager of the hosting industry with a background in software development and DevOps, he knows both classic and modern ailments and is happy to help out with more than just blows. With his love for scalable infrastructure, he is exactly right with gridscale!
Fun Fact
Likes talking code.
What do you find special about gridscale?
A lot of know-how in a small space, innovative and very friendly.
Origin
Germany
Interests
Music, HiFi, Home Cinema, Home Automation
Strength
I am nice, like to help and am always in the mood for jokes.
My quirk or oddity
I taste my cooking water. Apparently, that's not normal.
Canāt do without
Family, friends, burgers and internet.
Iād like that superpower
Teleport!
My motto in life
"I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that wont work.
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#TaschentuchFalter#KohlensƤurerausschĆ¼tteler#DreiHashtagsKomplettierer
Benjamin Kircher Senior Software & Systems Engineer
Benjamin is Software Engineer. He builds systems, reviews and writes code, tests and analyzes software. His current work is integrating new features into the gridscale API and to improve the release engineering of our internal Linux systems. Ben also enjoys contributing to open source projects, giving talks, and writing blog posts about his work.
He has always worked on infrastructure software both at but also before gridscale. In the past he also built data pipelines, wrote C++ code for various different applications, and built hardened Linux systems.
Fun Fact
Thick lustrous hair is very important to me.
What do you find special about gridscale?
The company culture.
Origin
I was born in Berlin
Interests
Right now: BPF, Rust, and containers.
Strength
Thatās a hard one. Maybe Iām best when working with a team. I know how to get consensus and moderate discussions, get everyone involved. I also have a hand with beginners.
My quirk or oddity
Plenty.
Canāt do without
Canāt get anything done without coffee.
Iād like that superpower
Well, thatās a silly question. Go back in time.
My motto in life
"I said it before and I say it again: Life moves pretty fast. If you donāt stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#curious#not-much-time-left#i-missed-that-again
Torsten Urbas DC, Operations & Service
Torsten is responsible for everything around the data center and operations. He is the guy who keeps our systems running, our network with low latency and takes care of our partners and customers with his awesome team.
Torsten has been working for more than 20 years with Unix and Linux server systems and gained a lot of expertise within the hosting industry. Back in 2005, he founded his first web hosting provider for shared web hosting services. In his previous role, he was responsible for the International Network and Systems Department with a competitor.
Fun Fact
I won't say anything without my Juniper consultant
What do you find special about gridscale?
The awesome team, and of course the platform that we have built together over the years.
Origin
Stuttgart
Interests
Delicious food
Strength
Empathy
My quirk or oddity
I am incredibly consequent, sometimes to my disadvantage.
Canāt do without
Family, coffee and iPhone
Iād like that superpower
Underwater breathing. There's so much hidden in the deep sea...
My motto in life
"Those who always follow the herd only follow the asses."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#konsequent#eintypzumpferdestehlen#schnellgenervt
Michael Balser Research & Development
Michael is one of the founders of gridscale and is responsible for research. He has been at home in the hosting industry for almost 15 years and is passionate about problems and solutions where others have long since given up. His focus is particularly on the topics of databases & performance.
Fun Fact
Yes, you can!
What do you find special about gridscale?
To fathom the maximum!
Origin
Near GieĆen in Hessen
Interests
Technology in general, automation in particular
Strength
The greater the stress, the greater the calm.
My quirk or oddity
pigheaded, orderliness and cleanliness fanatic, couch potato (says my girlfriend)
Canāt do without
My girlfriend, who slows me down by my work mania š
Iād like that superpower
No need to sleep anymore
My motto in life
"Can't be done, doesn't exist."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#kingofnerds#lovemyjob#mentos4life#dickkopf#darfnur3istmiregal
Tobias Schiffer Finance, Tax & Controlling
Tobias has been part of the team since the end of 2014 and is responsible for gridscaleās figures as our CFO. His love for figures and finance is the common theme of his career ā from his apprenticeship as a bank clerk to his diploma in business administration and tax consultancy. His many years of professional experience in tax consultancy and a three-year trip to the commercial audit at KPMG form the solid foundation of his business.
Fun Fact
What does it cost?
What do you find special about gridscale?
With what energy and determination the team pushes the project forward from zero hour!
Origin
Bedburg
Interests
I used to have some, but due to lack of time I don't follow them anymore š
Strength
Listening
My quirk or oddity
My dry sense of humor.
Canāt do without
Glasses and mobile phone
Iād like that superpower
I don't want a superpower, it just gives you stupid ideas.
My motto in life
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is life."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#etkĆ¼ttwieetkĆ¼tt#eteswieetes#watwellsdemaache
Kai Lange Developer
What do you find special about gridscale?
You can work from anywhere and the team is just great.
Origin
Magdeburg (grown up in Wilsen ...)
Interests
Sports, cooking, barbecue, music, (sometimes books ...)
Strength
Honesty
My quirk or oddity
Respond (often) cruelly to sarcasm.
Canāt do without
(My) children ...
Iād like that superpower
Invisibility
My motto in life
"Success is a staircase, not a door." Dotty Walters
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#blƶdsinnmachenkannnieschaden#nurmanchmakmorgenmuffel#gehtnichtgibtsnicht
Yannik Hubrich Online Marketing
Yannik is responsible for SEO and Analytics and ensures that gridscale is found quickly and easily on the net.
Yannik is currently studying Media Informatics at the University of Cologne.
In addition to studying and working, he is interested in everything related to the Internet and digital culture. Since he later wants to market his own video game, he is in good hands in our professional online marketing department.
Fun Fact
Prefers to work with friends instead of colleagues.
What do you find special about gridscale?
The familiar atmosphere and the feeling that everyone is there for each other.
Origin
It's hard to tell in my case. I was born in Hamburg and then moved to almost every major German city thanks to my parents.
Interests
Everything. From how the world works to what goes on in other people's heads. However, I limit myself to digital culture, culinary arts and the people in my immediate environment.
Strength
Communication
My quirk or oddity
When I'm nervous, I tweak my eyebrows.
Canāt do without
Joy of life
Iād like that superpower
I already have one, but I'm not going to tell you š
My motto in life
"Fake it until you make it."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#1,92mgroĆschlank#grĆ¼neAugenkurzebrauneHaare#meistensgutdrauf
Alida Wonner Software Development DevOp
Alida supports us as a software developer. She studied information science and natural language processing at Heinrich-Heine-UniversitƤt in Dusseldorf.
During her studies, she brought technological know-how to gridscale's content marketing team. Before joining gridscale, she worked as a database/report programmer for a consulting company in Dusseldorf for two years and before that she also worked for a well-known digital agency at Dusseldorf Medienhafen in the field of digital marketing for three years.
Alida feels that she is in good hands in the digital world.
Fun Fact
alida <3 coding
What do you find special about gridscale?
The work colleagues, the atmosphere and the company philosophy
Origin
I was born in Hermannstadt in Romania and have lived in Leverkusen since 1990.
Interests
Programming
Strength
My affinity for programming and solving problems/challenges on an algorithmic level.
My quirk or oddity
No. At least I'm not aware of it. But you say "Nobody is perfect!" So he who seeks, finds.
Canāt do without
My smartphone and my laptop
Iād like that superpower
Being able to make yourself invisible would be exciting.
My motto in life
"It comes as it comes."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#kreativ#programmiercrack#umweltbewusst
Marc Harriss Product Owner
Marc is our first native English speaker, he was born in South Africa and worked professionally in the U.K as manager of the IT and logistics departments for one of the fastest growing companies in the U.K. Having traveled a lot, he gained a lot of knowledge and capability to expand gridscale even further internationally.
Fun Fact
Once I start something itās hard to put it down
What do you find special about gridscale?
The team, the atmosphere and the corporate culture.
Origin
South Africa
Interests
Fitness, health, travel, music, guitar
Strength
Adaptation to new situations
My quirk or oddity
I sometimes flinch when I fall asleep.
Canāt do without
The Internet
Iād like that superpower
Talking to animals... Not the wisest choice, but I always wonder what they're thinking.
My motto in life
"Opportunities don't happen, you create them."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#keepitReal#askGoogle#whatwillhappennext
Frank Gross Director of Freshness & Sales
Frank is responsible for sales and strategic partnerships at gridscale. For more than 30 years, Frank has been at home in the telecommunications-, hosting- and cloud- industries. As a passionate expert, he has been consulting in IT infrastructure projects for years. Frank signs responsible for some of the largest IT infrastructure setups in Europe. Before gridscale, Frank has worked at europe's no. 2 managed hosting provider and has accompanied numerous projects there.
Fun Fact
Rather to wash dishes than to dry.
What do you find special about gridscale?
The culture, the cooperation, the spontaneity to do things differently, the questioning of what is really needed, the team spirit.
Origin
Hildesheim
Interests
music, records, Revox hifi systems, engl. roadster
Strength
Arguing creatively
My quirk or oddity
Eating pizza and cake from the edge to the inside, actually I have no quirks. I have personality.
Canāt do without
Friends, family and wristwatch
Iād like that superpower
Sometimes I would like to have two more wrists on my arm.
My motto in life
"If you get up in the morning wrinkled, you'll have the best day for it to develop."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#keinparkticketzieher#positivverrĆ¼ckt#lƤchelnundwinken
Marcus Criscenzo Sysadmin Managed-Hosting
Marcus supports us as a system administrator in the area of managed hosting. He is primarily responsible for the installation, configuration, and maintenance of customer systems. Incidentally, he is responsible for maintaining the monitoring system.
Fun Fact
LMGTFY š
What do you find special about gridscale?
A great team with a great product.
Origin
Bergisch Gladbach
Interests
Music, sports, computers and from time to time I enjoy nature.
Strength
Uncomplicated and optimistic
My quirk or oddity
one ? š
Canāt do without
Music
Iād like that superpower
Thought manipulation
My motto in life
"You are not defeated until you admit defeat."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#spontan#ichmussweg#neinspass
Deborah Hecht Art Director
Deborah - or Debbie for short - is the creative head at gridscale and provides us with fresh designs. Already during her bachelor's degree at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, she worked as a working student at SchĆ¼co International KG, where she designed the icons for the SchĆ¼Cal software. After graduating, she gained 5 years of professional experience as a graphic designer at brandbuero Media GmbH and is well versed in programmatic marketing.
Fun Fact
She's obsessed with guinea pigs and salty popcorn!
What do you find special about gridscale?
The cooperation, the freedom, the making possible
Origin
Erftstadt (NRW)
Interests
Design, silkscreen, gin, whiskey, films, guinea pig, my godchild Luna
Strength
I always find a solution for an existing problem and my creativity
My quirk or oddity
You have read how often the word "guinea pig" has come up, right? š Besides, I am a member everywhere where you can collect points and super difficult when it comes to food - totally picky...
Canāt do without
Guinea pigs, salty popcorn, my boyfriend
Iād like that superpower
Being able to stop time, but only for everyone else. Then I can continue in peace š
My motto in life
"For every solution a problem - oh no the other way around... ;)ā
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#simpsonszitierer#crazyguineapiglady#gehtnichtgibtsnicht
Jan Stuhlmann Frontend, UX & GUI
Jan created websites and applications while still at school. In 2007 he finally turned his hobby into a profession.
At gridscale he mainly takes care of the frontend of the different panels, but he also likes to help out in the backend and the area of the website.
Jan became aware of gridscale through an earlier collaboration with Marc Dittmann and got to know the product as an "Earlybird" tester in 2015. The wish to contribute a part to gridscale himself he put into action in May 2018 - since then he has been part of our team.
Fun Fact
Most people surf on their cell phones faster than Jan at home
What do you find special about gridscale?
The successful approach to make highly developed technology look so simple.
Origin
Much/ NRW
Interests
Old and new technology, old houses, quiet and deserted places.
Strength
Keep cool
My quirk or oddity
I only order spaghetti ice cream because of the frozen cream underneath.
Canāt do without
Wife and daughter
Iād like that superpower
Time Travel
My motto in life
"What you got, you got."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#papa#passtschon#earlybird
Aldemuro Haris Software Developer
Aldemuro is from Indonesia. In 2015, he came to Germany for studying information engineering and computer science before joining gridscale. Since April 2018 he supports the gridscale team as a software developer. Currently, he is responsible for extending test cases for our system and maintaining our API client.
Fun Fact
First gridscaler from Asia!
What do you find special about gridscale?
The working environment, the amount of knowledge, the team.
Origin
Indonesia
Interests
Technology, data, football, music
Strength
Curiosity
My quirk or oddity
Sometimes I make unfunny jokes
Canāt do without
Laptop, Internet and Chinese food
Iād like that superpower
Suck the knowledge out of people
My motto in life
"You can never get enough knowledge"
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#findit#whatif#more
Kristina Linke Team Assistent
Kristina supports us in various areas, especially in general organization, such as travel and order, but also in Feelgood Management. But there is hardly a topic with which one cannot go to her. She has worked in various corporate cultures, brings a lot of experience with her and keeps track of things.
Fun Fact
She says she knows Aldi's selection backwards.
What do you find special about gridscale?
The relaxed and honest manner
Origin
Near Nuremberg
Interests
Travel, dancing, DIY, nature
Strength
Keep the overview
My quirk or oddity
I peel mushrooms, this is apparently not normal š
Canāt do without
Laughter
Iād like that superpower
Beaming
My motto in life
"Be you be awesome."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#lockenkopf#kleinertollpatsch#oklasseinfachmalmachen
Lisa Schiffer Senior Account Manager
As Senior Account Manager at gridscale, Lisa is responsible for both new and existing customers. 10 years in the hosting & cloud industry and 9 years in sales of a well-known managed hosting provider - Lisa has a lot of experience and fits perfectly into the dynamic and motivated gridscale team.
Fun Fact
Without sports little socially compatible.
What do you find special about gridscale?
The culture, the cooperation, the spontaneity to do things differently, the questioning of what is really needed, the team spirit
Origin
Bergheim (NRW)
Interests
Networking, meeting new people, social media, digital world
Strength
Efficiency and effectiveness
My quirk or oddity
Surely! But I'm not going to tell š
Canāt do without
Sports
Iād like that superpower
Reading thoughts even better would be to influence them š Photographic memory if you let that pass as a superpower
My motto in life
"Those who always follow the herd only follow the asses" as well as "Sweat is fat that cries" and "Success is not luck"
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#sportskanone#planungsjunkie#carchiller
Nicolas Tuschen Online Marketing Manager
Nico is an online marketing manager with a focus on SEO and is responsible for (organic) online marketing at gridscale. At the same time, he is a good example of the fact, that you can not only become a taxi driver by studying literature. He discovered his passion for SEO by chance but has consistently expanded it since then: from startups, agencies to publishing houses, from B2B to B2C, from offpage to onpage.
Fun Fact
Less than a litre of coffee a day is not worth it.
What do you find special about gridscale?
Origin
Marsberg in the Sauerland
Interests
Literature, food, eating, cooking
Strength
In any case not the physical strength š
My quirk or oddity
Where do I start...
Canāt do without
Books
Iād like that superpower
Anything Inspector Gadget can do.
My motto in life
"Try a little coziness"
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#needforcoffee#willstdudasnochessen#no#
Marius BĆ¼scher Senior PHP-Developer
Originally Marius studied media technology, but a few years ago he started programming with PHP as a career changer. Since March 2019 he is part of the gridscale team, after working for one of our customers for many years.
Fun Fact
Dances while working while sitting and standing.
His code is better than his texts.
What do you find special about gridscale?
Transparency. Both in the team and vis-Ć -vis customers.
Origin
Born in Bonn, at home in Cologne!
Interests
Music (Bass), my garden
Strength
My perceptive faculty - I understand complex relationships very quickly.
My quirk or oddity
I swear at my computer - without interruption.
Canāt do without
Coffee
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#bassdriver#cooking#pragmatism
Yuliya Korovkevych Marketing Executive Assistant
As a working student, Yuliya supports the marketing team in the areas of event management, PR and social media.
She is studying European Culture and Economy for her Master's degree. Apart from her studies and work, Yuliya is also interested in hand lettering, sports and cinema.
Fun Fact
Itās never too cold for ice cream!
What do you find special about gridscale?
Behind gidscale, there is an incredibly helpful, humorous and highly motivated team.
Origin
Tschernowzy, Ukraine
Interests
Travel, architecture, painting
Strength
Empathy
My quirk or oddity
Every object has a fixed place in my household - I probably pay too much attention to that š
Canāt do without
Music in the morning
Iād like that superpower
Beaming
My motto in life
"Think positive š "
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#dekofreak#icecreamlover#hakunamatata
Julia Heineking Marketing Manager
Julia is responsible for campaign management at gridscale and is therefore mainly responsible for the planning, development, execution, and analysis of marketing campaigns. In addition to her successfully completed studies in economics at the University of Cologne, she brings more than 7 years of know-how from the hosting industry with her.
Fun Fact
Talking for hours about food and good wine. Becomes unbearable when she is hungry
What do you find special about gridscale?
Behind gridscale is a team of great people who enjoy what they do.
Origin
SchevenhĆ¼tte
Interests
Sports, good wine, my husband
Strength
You'll have to ask the others ... I can't answer every question with food. š
Canāt do without
My husband, my son, my friends and food š
Iād like that superpower
Stopping time when it's nice.
My motto in life
"Every Jeck is different and every Jeck is differently Jeck."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#ethƤttnochimmerjotjejange#ichmaghashtagsnicht#frĆ¼herwarmehrlametta
BegoƱa Asensio Software Developer
BegoƱa - or just Bego is our new Spanish internal developer. Originally from Bilbao, she was living in Cloudy Barcelona before she moved to Sunny Cologne. Before she joined gridscale she was working with several innovative sustainability projects and now returned to the development nation.
Fun Fact
Sorry guys I cannot teach you how to cook paella.
What do you find special about gridscale?
Origin
Bilbao, Spain
Interests
Climbing, reading, science, nature, history and mythology
Strength
I think that I am able to break a problem down into small pieces so that it becomes easier to solve it.
My quirk or oddity
I'd rather read than watch Netflix.
Canāt do without
Coffee
Iād like that superpower
Time Travel
My motto in life
āNon gogoa, han zangoa.ā
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#WhyNot#Sustainable#Ocean
Tobias Brandenberg Frontend, UX & GUI
Already since the 7th grade, it was clear for Tobi that he wanted to do something with computer science. His career as a web developer started with the first HTML pages while he was at school. During his computer science studies he somehow got stuck in the web area.
At gridscale, he supports Jan & Marc at Frontend, UX & GUI. He knows both of them - like some others from the team - from earlier cooperation. So you always see each other twice in your life.
Since March 2019 he has been part of the team, after having been a customer of gridscale himself before.
Fun Fact
Coffee in the morning dispels sorrow and worries
What do you find special about gridscale?
The wonderful international team, the spirit, the real flat hierarchies & the really every buck has the vision to make it happen.
Origin
Siegen
Interests
Explore the world with my boys, listen to and make music, when it rains I also like movies and series.
Strength
You'll have to ask the others
Canāt do without
Sun
Iād like that superpower
Time Travel
My motto in life
āWar mutt dat mutt.ā
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#employeeswiththemostchildren#Whatdoesnottfitismadetofit#GrillTimesChillTimes
Martin SchmĆ¼cker Online Marketing
Martin is our working student in online marketing and supports Nico and his team in SEO matters. He is currently studying information science at the TH Cologne. Besides his work and his studies, he is interested in all topics around digitalization and how to harmonize the environment and economy. In his spare time, he likes to run, cycle or climb somewhere.
Fun Fact
Is cotton swab-dependent
What do you find special about gridscale?
A great team working together on a great product
Origin
Bergisch Gladbach
Interests
Environment, travel and fitness
Strength
My positive attitude
My quirk or oddity
Endlessly buying video games and not finish playing.
Canāt do without
Sports
Iād like that superpower
Teleport to travel around the world.
My motto in life
"Paths are made by walking them."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#nichtohnemeinbike#haribo#dokus
Ibrahim Takouna Research & Development Engineer
Ibrahim holds a Ph.D. degree in IT system engineering from the University of Potsdam in Germany. His research focused on green computing and resource management in Cloud Computing. He is the author and co-author of different scientific papers in the field of Cloud Computing.
He has several years of experience in software development and DevOps in Cloud platforms, He is passionate about designing scalable, resilient, and cost-effective solutions.
Fun Fact
Is vegetarian while traveling
What do you find special about gridscale?
Colleagues you can trust completely
Origin
Palestine
Interests
Politics, astronomy, and technology
Strength
Curiosity for how things work
My quirk or oddity
Traveled the world without a recognized nationality.
Canāt do without
Internet
Iād like that superpower
The power to turn this tearful world into a cheerful one.
My motto in life
"Learning never ends."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#hartnƤckig#fĆ¼rsorglich#ergebnisorientiert
Manuel Karner Support Engineer
Manuel primarily provides technical support to our customers. But he also supports the Ops&DC team in managed hosting or spontaneously where his skills are needed.
Fun Fact
Is known in the team as a prose text writer
What do you find special about gridscale?
The unique Team
Origin
Cologne
Interests
Fitness, history, politics, computer
Strength
Helpfulness
My quirk or oddity
Not just one
Canāt do without
Computer š
Iād like that superpower
Clairvoyance
My motto in life
"There is strength in silence."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#sozial#ruhig#zurĆ¼ckhaltend
Nino Strobl Inside Sales Manager
Nino works at gridscale as Inside Sales Manager, acquires new customers and supports existing customers. As a trained banker he already has a lot of experience in the area of sales and was able to deepen his know-how through his business studies. In his free time he does a lot of sports, spends time with his dog and devotes himself to photography.
Fun Fact
Always says the word for carnival that is used in Mainz: "Fassenacht"
What do you find special about gridscale?
The company culture
Origin
Mainz
Interests
Cooking, fitness and videography
Strength
Curiosity, reflection
My quirk or oddity
I like to watch Trash TV once in a while to completely switch off
Canāt do without
I can't cook without eating half of it already.
Iād like that superpower
Definitely flying
My motto in life
"Everybody said: You can't do that! Then someone came along who didn't know that and did it" and "Anybody can feel good when they have their health, the bills are paid, they have happy relationships. Anybody can be positive then, Anybody can have a large vision then, Anybody can have a lot of faith under those kind of circumstances. The real challenge of growth, mentally, emotionally and spiritually comes when you get knocked down."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#meenzerbub#mindful#saunalover
Tom Van Nguyen Software Engineer
Tom is from Vietnam but he already lived in the UK for 5 years and finished his bachelor's degree in Software Engineering there two years ago. He went back to Vietnam to found his own company, based on the development of a facebook crawler. In 2018 he decided to come to Germany for higher education and currently he studies Computer Science in Bonn. Tom has experience with Golang and actively supports our team with this knowledge. He is working on our Go-Client SDK as well as on our Terraform provider.
Fun Fact
Sometimes he buys books because he likes their smell and loves to collect them.
What do you find special about gridscale?
The freedom in the daily work, as well as in the choice of seats
Origin
Vietnam
Interests
Technology, music and games
Strength
Team player, adaptability
My quirk or oddity
Bad memory
Canāt do without
Teammates
Iād like that superpower
Wisdom
My motto in life
"If you don't try, you'll never know."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#gopher#coffeeAddict#dota2vn
Torsten Ennenbach Cloud Architect
Torsten has been in the IT industry for more than two decades. During this time he worked as a freelancer and for companies like i22, Really Bytes / TWT or T-Mobile. Most recently he worked as DevOps Engineer at Toom. As a Cloud Architect, he now shares his experience within our team.
Fun Fact
Is the guy with the coffee cup in his hand that nobody knows exactly what he's doing until he doesn't do it anymore
What do you find special about gridscale?
The open culture, the appreciation, the trust and the way of working. This is where technology and the desire for it are lived. Looking forward to my job every morning is not a matter of course for me and this is exactly what I found here.
Origin
Sol system, third planet. Central Europe
Interests
People, technology and friends
Strength
Being able to laugh about myself
My quirk or oddity
I am level flexible and situation elastic.
Canāt do without
Coffee, cigarettes and music
Iād like that superpower
Superintelligent and rich - Zack, Iron Man
My motto in life
"Enlightenment is man's exit from his self-inflicted immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's intellect without the guidance of another. This immaturity is self-inflicted when the cause of it is not the lack of understanding but the resolution and courage to make use of it without the guidance of another. Sapere aude! Have the courage to use your own reason! is therefore the motto of the Enlightenment." - Immanuel Kant, answering the question: What is Enlightenment? 1784
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#mahraoke#maennertittendonnerstag#MontagslƤcheln#Teamprofilneurose#KannNichtZƤhlen
Arash Safavi Software Developer
As a working student, Arash supports the software development team in the area of backend development and concentrates on algorithms, artificial intelligence and machine learning. He is currently doing his Master's in Computer Science at the University of Bonn.
Fun Fact
He almost always sleeps with a blanket, even in hot weather!
What do you find special about gridscale?
The openness, the friendly atmosphere, the great team and the coffee!
Origin
Isfahan, Iran
Interests
Board games, football, music, piano, astronomy, culture
Strength
I think my problem-solving
My quirk or oddity
Hardly sleep without a blanket, even in hot weather!
Canāt do without
Internet, Laptop
Iād like that superpower
Time travel
My motto in life
"Enjoy your life, and help people enjoy their lives."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#GoogleEverything#LoveProgramming#LoveIceCream
Hardy Sattler Assistant People Relations
Hardy supports us in recruiting people and the Candidate Journey, from the first contact with candidates to the onboarding of new employees. He is also responsible for several tasks in office management that ensure satisfied employees and a pleasant working environment. Hardy joined us as a career changer after working in the outdoor sector for a long time and making a detour to technical customer support.
Fun Fact
is "reference Hardy" for new employee photos
What do you find special about gridscale?
The open and cordial working environment in which you are motivated to develop and implement your own ideas.
Origin
Cologne
Interests
Fantasy stories, D&D, gaming and climbing
Strength
Empathy and attention
My quirk or oddity
I pluck my beard while thinking š
Canāt do without
Open window when sleeping
Iād like that superpower
Mind-reading
My motto in life
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#nature#gaming#rockclimbing
Jan-Frederik Wigger PHP Developer
Jan Frederik was also a PHP developer even before he came to gridscale. And before that, and before that. Besides, he is an alternative practitioner for psychotherapy and wanted to open his own business. Luckily, he didn't do that, so he can now support our team with his many years of knowledge as a PHP developer.
Fun Fact
He is easy to scare - even when the doorbell rings and there is in fact someone waiting at the door when he opens it.
What do you find special about gridscale?
To enable people to organize themselves in their work and to develop and unfold themselves.
That's super smart: if people like to work somewhere, they like to contribute themselves and their talents instead of working on a schedule. That must inevitably result in success.
Origin
LĆ¼beck, Germany
Interests
SciFi, fantasy, life science, British history, mythology
Strength
I am (I think) reasonably patient. Strangely enough, this disappears into thin air when I visit my parents.
My quirk or oddity
A few... For example, if something is lying somewhere in my pad for more than 24 hours, it's as if it had always been there for me. When I left the apartment I already climbed over garbage bags in acrobatic actions, which I actually put in front of the door to carry it down.
Canāt do without
Actually, I find myself quite ascetic. But I think it'll be hard without a bathtub.
Iād like that superpower
Time Travel
My motto in life
"A no you have, a yes you can get."
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#gutgelaunt#ruhig#lƶsungsfetischist
Michael Schneiberg Communications Manager
He writes, reads, thinks - everything else derives from it. Michael has 20 years of experience in external and internal corporate communications: text, video, animation, podcast, keynote speeches, workshops, creative concepts. His passion is good and effective language. He divides his life into many equally important halves: freelance consultant, author, copywriter, nerd, editor. Supports gridscale in communication and everything that is written.
Fun Fact
His mood depends on the day of the match. #echteLiebe
Moustafa Elashry Senior Python Developer
Moustafa comes from Egypt and works as senior software engineer at gridscale. He brings 15 years of experience in the software industry and is familiar with many software languages such as Python, Java, C# and JS. He hold PMP , PMI-ACP and MCSD.
Fun Fact
He uses almost everyday āIch spreche kein Deutschā.
What do you find special about gridscale?
Friendly environment
Origin
Egypt
Interests
Reading, Travel and playing games
Strength
Finding a easy and good solution for complex problems
Canāt do without
Freedom
Iād like that superpower
Superman power
My motto in life
Ā»Health first.Ā«
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#Rocket#Family#do_what_you_like_to_do
Florian Hansen PHP Developer
Florian started developing professionally in PHP after his studies of computer science in 2007. After a few excursions into the Ruby and JS world, he is now looking forward to working in a real Remote-First Company, which also appreciates clean code in a brilliant way.
Fun Fact
Since he knows that large amounts of good coffee are not as bad as small amounts of bad coffee, he likes to drink large amounts of good coffee.
What do you find special about gridscale?
I felt welcomed from the very beginning. And it's not only labelled as remote, it's really remote in it!
Origin
Born in Bremen, studied in Gƶttingen, worked and lived in Cologne & Leverkusen
Interests
Music, TED talks, photography, cycling, reading
Strength
I let my interlocutors finish.
My quirk or oddity
Here's not enough space for that...
Canāt do without
A piece of paper and a pen. I'll take scrap paper...
Iād like that superpower
Teleportation
My motto in life
Ā»Tit for tat.Ā«
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#SimpleNotEasy#ZuendeDenken#YouAreNotAlone
Boris Behrens Systems Engineer
Boris lives for automation and contributes over a decade of experience to our OPS team. Additionally he brings know-how for our managed customers in the area of web applications.
Fun Fact
Can eat a whole cheesecake.
What do you find special about gridscale?
After one week: gridscale is the way Europe should be. You pull together to create a better tomorrow for everyone. A wonderfully efficient and multicultural way of life shines through.
Origin
Bonn, Germany, Europe, Planet Earth, Sol System, Milky Way
Interests
Technology, StarTrek, MTBs, environment, natural sciences
Strength
I like to finish things and try new things.
My quirk or oddity
When I'm in my head, I get a "resting bitch face".
Canāt do without
Books and Internet
Iād like that superpower
Eating what I want without gaining weight
My motto in life
Ā»If you only have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Get more tools.Ā«
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#fff#nomnomnom#dnd5e
VinĆcius Zavam Systems Engineer
VinĆcius supports gridscale as a Systems Engineer in the areas of networking, BSD Unix and Linux-based OS administration. Before VinĆcius jumped into the business world, he worked parallel to his bachelor studies for many years in the academic area and dealt extensively with the development of embedded systems. He's also someone that's passionate about contributing to open source projects. VinĆcius is a FreeBSD ports committer and part of the Tor Project Core Team. He has not only distributed code, tutorials, and good humor around the world, but has also held talks and workshops.
When he needs a break, he sits on his fixie and enjoys meeting friends outside.
Fun Fact
First time abroad: Belgium/Germany, February 2012. He arrived without any jacket at all because he just thought "it can't be that cold". -8 Ā°C !
What do you find special about gridscale?
High standards beyond ājust the necessaryā.
Origin
Fortaleza, Brazil
Interests
Languages, cycling, nature
Strength
Sharing
My quirk or oddity
Running FreeBSD on all my machines.
Canāt do without
Music
Iād like that superpower
(Really) good cooking
My motto in life
Ā»The impossible we do immediately, miracles take a little longerĀ«
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#respect#brazil#coffee
Jonathan Lutterbeck Inside Sales Manager
Jonathan graduated from school in 2018 and after a couple of small jobs he moved to Portugal, where he stayed for a year. There he had his first experience with telesales and learned how to deal with customers. That year he gained a lot of great experiences and learned a lot.
Fun Fact
Can solve a Rubics Cube to ā
What do you find special about gridscale?
The competence, nice employees and the great product
Origin
Bergisch Gladbach
Interests
Cycling, movies and friends
Strength
I can tackle most problems without stress and thus solve them objectively.
My quirk or oddity
I eat very slowly
Canāt do without
My mobile phone
Iād like that superpower
Flying
My motto in life
Ā»Those who fight can lose. Those who do not fight have already lost.Ā«
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#goodvibes#fritzcola#iqos
Vanessa Mattes Inside Sales Manager
Vanessa supports the New Business Development Team as Inside Sales Manager. With her 15 years of experience in sales she will bring her sales expertise to gridscale. As an absolute motorsport enthusiast, she swaps her office chair with her racing kart at the weekend.
Fun Fact
Is a technology enthusiast and therefore often works together with her boyfriend on their racing karts.
What do you find special about gridscale?
It is definitely the company culture. Especially as a new employee you feel immediately welcome and accepted. What is also nice is that gridscale gives you the opportunity to develop freely.
Origin
Frickingen at Lake Constance
Interests
race karting, play music in the music club, "Narrenverein", play table tennis
Strength
I am absolutely able to take criticism
My quirk or oddity
I like to twist proverbs
Canāt do without
My phone and my car
Iād like that superpower
Flying š Then I could be everywhere super fast
My motto in life
Ā»Don't dream your life, live your dreamĀ« and Ā»Whoever slows down later is longer fast.Ā«
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#sprichwƶrterverdreher#audifan#motorsport
Daniela Heilig Inside Sales Manager
Daniela has now been a passionate salesperson for over 8 years. In her past jobs she also had the focus on acquisition. She lives and works in Tettnang at Lake Constance.
Fun Fact
Always looking for her mobile phone charger cable.
What do you find special about gridscale?
All colleagues are very friendly and courteous. One is very warmly welcomed into the team.
Origin
Tettnang at Lake Constance
Interests
I like to watch series, drive cars and knit all kinds of things in my spare time
Strength
Very communicative
My quirk or oddity
I don't like it when someone keeps playing with their pen.
Canāt do without
My mobile phone
Iād like that superpower
Mind reading
My motto in life
Ā»Don't scream before it hurts!Ā«
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#familie#woistmeinladekabel#schlafen
Nina Schrƶter Sales Manager
Nina has been working in IT sales for over 10 years. As a Sales Manager at gridscale she is responsible for new and existing customers. Nina keeps in touch with her customers and always finds out what their needs are and what the optimal solution is.
Fun Fact
Is mostly overdressed at gridscale.
What do you find special about gridscale?
At gridscale there is a constant movement: an amazing product that is constantly being developed, a great team that is growing and a corporate culture that makes you feel good. You are invited to take part in shaping it.
Origin
Cologne
Interests
Board games, hiking, food
Strength
Openness to new ideas
My quirk or oddity
I eat too many Brizzl Ufos
Canāt do without
Internet
Iād like that superpower
Flying
My motto in life
Ā»Meet a jerk in the day - you met a jerk. Meet ten jerks a day - you're the jerk.Ā«
Andrej Friesen Software & Systems Engineer
Andrej has a background in quality engineering and after his studies he devoted himself to his passion, IT. Prior to gridscale he worked as a systems architect, modernizing infrastructure architecture. For this purpose Andrej used the cloud, Kubernetes and cloud services. Now he is building the cloud and paas services at gridscale himself.
Fun Fact
Prefers to run barefoot, even in the office.
What do you find special about gridscale?
A very positive corporate culture and open-mindedness for new things.
Origin
Emsdetten
Interests
Books, computers, home automation, snowboarding, summerboarding, swimming, longboarding, cycling
Strength
I love to learn and am always open for new things
My quirk or oddity
Others crack their fingers, I crack my entire spine
Canāt do without
Internet
Iād like that superpower
To help people overcome their fear of change or the unknown
My motto in life
Ā»Learning is like rowing against the current. If you stop, you drift back.Ā«
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#kraneberger#rohrperle#learnforever
Alan James Team Product
Alan draws from a strong background in Product Management, Strategy, Operations and techno-functional FinTech consulting. While pursuing his Bachelor's in Computer Engineering from one of Indiaās leading technical universities, Alan was the lead for Google Developers Group. He is passionate about promoting technological education, and helped found one of India's largest community hackathons. When he's not dabbling in experimenting with cutting edge tech, Alan spends his time ambling around museums, playing basketball, reading or trekking through the wilderness.
Fun Fact
Can speak over 7 languages
What do you find special about gridscale?
A beautiful marriage between German Efficiency and Startup Culture, breeding a spirit of flexibility and open-mindedness.
Origin
Planet Earth
Interests
Music, languages, basketball, cooking, trekking, Ukulele
Strength
Adaptability
My quirk or oddity
Thrift Shopping as a way of life
Canāt do without
Exploring mountains and forests
Iād like that superpower
Nap on command
My motto in life
Ā»Donāt wait for somebody else to show you that the roses in your own garden smell beautiful.Ā« (My take on a Malayalam Proverb)
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#opensource#polyglot#hakunamatata
Arlind Hoxha Senior Python Developer
Proud member of the Core Services team. Giving a helping hand in optimising deployment strategies/processes, analysis & brainstorming for core services new projects and often being an āemissaryā of Core Services team for multi-team projects.
Fun Fact
Likes building frontend interfaces from time to time!
What do you find special about gridscale?
Very friendly and flexible environment that encompasses an ocean of knowledge spread between different teams.
Origin
Albania
Interests
Traveling, gaming, tennis, football and writing clean code!
Strength
Adaptability. I have no issue tackling new challenges.
My quirk or oddity
I can move my ears (which are very small)
Canāt do without
Coffee!
Iād like that superpower
Teleporting
My motto in life
Ā»Stay Hungry Stay FoolishĀ« (even thoā not a fan of Steve Jobs)
Describe yourself in 3 hashtags
#pseudonym_generator#espresso#gif_machine
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