Entrepreneur Stephan Schwab
Overview of Companies and Objectives
- Caimito Services LLC (2024 - present, USA): Develop an agroforestry planning and design tool.
- Caimito Agile Life (2021 - present, Andalusia, Spain): Promote ecosystem restoration with an e-commerce and ERP solution.
- Caimito Development S.A. (2006 - 2009, Panama): Establish a software outsourcing company and develop agile tools.
- Caimito Technologies LLC (2003 - 2006, Florida, USA): Provide professional IT services.
- DINX GmbH (1999 - 2003, Germany): Provide infrastructure services like application hosting and web development.
- Farside Communications (1997 - 2001, Germany): Build a regional ISP.
- VentureNET GmbH (1995 - 1996, Germany): Provide Internet services and consulting solutions.
- SoftStream Development (1989 - 1996, Germany): Design and develop software solutions for graphics and document management.
Entrepreneurial Case Studies: Building Companies and Solutions
Caimito Services LLC
Founder & Managing Director
Duration: 2024 - present | Location: USA
Objective:
Develop an agroforestry planning and design tool to support sustainable farming and land restoration initiatives.
Key Contributions:
- Leveraged ChatGPT extensively for researching plant species properties and speeding up development tasks.
- Used GitHub Copilot in VS Code to quickly prototype the tool’s architecture.
- Implemented a trunk-based development workflow to enable seamless delivery of features directly into the production environment.
- Built the backend with Spring Boot and designed a lightweight, htmx-powered HTML5/CSS3 frontend for interactivity without heavy frameworks.
Outcome:
- Successfully delivered a functional planning and design tool to assist in agroforestry projects, combining research with practical development tools.
Caimito Agile Life
Founder & Managing Director
Duration: 2021 - present | Location: Andalusia, Spain
Objective:
Promote an ecosystem restoration project in Andalusia by developing an innovative e-commerce and ERP solution to support product sales and farm management.
Key Contributions:
- CaimitoEU (Frontend Application):
- Developed a Vue.js-based frontend application to facilitate:
- Sales of packaged products and Iberico meat.
- Multi-language support (English, German, Spanish) with vue-i18n.
- Integrated PayPal for seamless payment processing.
- Secured communication via Keycloak (OAuth2) to interact with backend APIs.
- Built a CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions, ensuring reliable deployments with feature flags for complex features.
- Developed a Vue.js-based frontend application to facilitate:
- GranjaEU (Backend ERP System):
- Created a small-scale ERP for farm operations using Spring Boot, MongoDB, and PostgreSQL.
- Implemented RESTful APIs to support the frontend application and manage farm operations.
- Automated email notifications with JavaMail and Google SMTP.
- Ensured robust testing with JUnit and Cypress for both backend and frontend systems.
Outcome:
- Successfully delivered an integrated e-commerce and ERP platform to manage farm operations and promote sustainable ecosystem restoration.
- Achieved frequent, reliable deployments through trunk-based development and CI/CD pipelines.
Caimito Development S.A.
Founder & Managing Director
Duration: 2006 - 2009 | Location: Panama
Objective:
Establish a software outsourcing company to serve customers in the USA while developing innovative tools to support agile teams.
Key Contributions:
- Outsourcing Services: Delivered software development projects for customers in the USA, focusing on high-quality solutions.
- Product Development:
- Conceived, developed, and launched Caimito One Team, an agile lifecycle management tool.
- The tool addressed the needs of distributed Scrum teams, enabling effective collaboration and workflow management.
Outcome:
- Successfully built a business delivering outsourcing services and introduced a market-ready agile lifecycle management product.
Caimito Technologies LLC
Founder & Managing Director
Duration: 2003 - 2006 | Location: Florida, USA
Objective:
Provide professional IT services with a focus on systems operations, networking, and software development.
Key Contributions:
- Delivered professional IT services for clients in systems operations, network design, and custom software development.
- Built a reputation for technical expertise and reliable service delivery in a competitive market.
Outcome:
- Established a sustainable IT services business delivering value to clients in systems and network operations.
DINX GmbH
Founder & Managing Director
Duration: 1999 - 2003 | Location: Germany
Objective:
Provide infrastructure services such as application hosting, IP backbone operations, and web development.
Key Contributions:
- Designed and operated an IP backbone network with access concentrators for reliable connectivity.
- Provided hosting services for application servers, ensuring high availability for client applications.
- Delivered web development services for businesses to establish their online presence.
Outcome:
- Delivered robust hosting and backbone infrastructure services, supporting business-critical applications for clients.
Farside Communications
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Duration: 1997 - 2001 | Location: Germany
Objective:
Build a regional Internet Service Provider (ISP) to deliver reliable Internet access and network solutions to businesses and individuals.
Key Contributions:
- Established a regional ISP for the Rhein-Neckar region in southern Germany.
- Designed and managed an IP backbone network with 4 intra-city hubs supporting DSLAMs for broadband access.
- Delivered advanced security solutions including:
- Firewalls
- Intrusion detection systems (IDS)
- Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) for national and international clients.
Outcome:
- Successfully delivered Internet access and advanced network security solutions for businesses and consumers in the region.
VentureNET GmbH
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Duration: 1995 - 1996 | Location: Germany
Objective:
Launch a company providing Internet services and consulting solutions.
Key Contributions:
- Co-founded VentureNET GmbH in Heidelberg, Germany, together with OSS Consulting GmbH and two partners.
- Served on the board and led the Internet division, providing services and infrastructure to clients.
Outcome:
- Laid the foundation for Internet services and consulting solutions in the region during the early stages of digital transformation.
SoftStream Development
Co-Owner & Software Architect
Duration: 1989 - 1996 | Location: Germany
Objective:
Design and develop innovative software solutions for graphics, presentations, and object-based document management.
Key Contributions:
- Convince:
- Developed an illustration and presentation graphics program for the GEM/3 environment on DR-DOS and MS-DOS.
- Built using Modula-2, providing a robust solution for graphics applications.
- DEO – Documents of Objects:
- Created an object-based software technology for Windows 3.0, comparable to Microsoft OLE 2.
- Designed a container application with software components, including:
- Spreadsheet
- Illustration graphics
- Presentation graphics
- Word-processing integration with third-party components.
Outcome:
- Successfully delivered software products that pushed the boundaries of object-based application development for early Windows environments.
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About me
Hello! My name is Stephan Schwab.
I build and rescue software, and I write fiction about the human side of how it gets made. Here you’ll find my stories and novelas, notes on craft, and field notes from a life lived across several worlds.
Working with software teams is what I do professionally — see how on caimito.net. You can also read about my experience since 1986.