29 years of trinidat: It all began with the floppy disk …

… and today we’re talking about AI. Exactly 29 years have passed since then. On 20 May 1997, Christoph Spielmann and Manfred Hoffbauer founded a small software company called trinidat in Düsseldorf. Back then, the internet was still uncharted territory, modems were beeping away, and the ‘cloud’ was something you might see hanging over the Rhine on a rainy day at best.

Almost three decades later, we are still developing software to meet individual requirements, have more than 50 employees and customers, some of whom have remained loyal to us for 20 years.

Founders with a soft spot for databases

Christoph Spielmann and Manfred Hoffbauer realised early on in the nineties that they both had a soft spot for databases. Shortly afterwards, they published their first book on Microsoft Access. This would later grow to over 20 books. From this database expertise, the idea of founding a software company emerged in 1997.

This company grew and evolved in step with the technological changes of the times. In 2000, Microsoft announced the .NET platform. Whilst most people were still pondering what dot-NET actually meant, trinidat had already launched its first production .NET web application in 2002.

Growth, the pandemic and a third managing director

In the 2010s, we grew steadily: our first WPF applications, becoming a training company, our first CMS. With the COVID-19 pandemic came the realisation that software development works just as well remotely. This was also evident in our continued growth in the early 2020s: new clients, new projects – all via video call.

In 2021, Tobias Geisler joined as the third managing director to ensure the company remains well-positioned for the coming decades.

AI: A Game-Changer

Over the past two years, we have modernised trinidat once again and, in some respects, repositioned it. The keyword is AI. With a clear focus on the needs of SMEs.

For us, AI for SMEs means: concrete solutions that are up and running from day one. AI agents that take over routine tasks, secure interfaces that connect AI to existing IT systems, and intuitive user interfaces so that even the colleague from the accounts department doesn’t have to attend a three-day workshop first.

We also use AI in our own development work. This has given us another boost in efficiency and speed.

What we’ve learnt in 29 years: technologies come and go. What remains is craftsmanship, smart architecture and people who truly understand what the customer needs.

A huge thank you to our customers, partners, colleagues and everyone who has worked, argued, laughed and, in the end, always found a solution with us over the last 29 years.