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| September, 2007 |
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In this issue:
Meet Thomas Schleu, Canto co-founder and lead engineer. Based out of Canto's Berlin office, Thomas has guided, overseen and played a major role in the development of Cumulus for over 17 years. No one on Earth knows the software better, which ensures Thomas remains busy in his "part-time" job too—acting as the ultimate repository of Cumulus knowledge other Canto employees rely on every day. It's easy to assume an accomplished engineer like Thomas would be a typical computer "geek," but Thomas is full of surprises: "It wasn't about computers," he explains about why he chose his profession. "It was all about the theory of computing in general, and about applying math and logic to create something useful." And therein lies Thomas' core fascination: math. In fact, had a future in numbers seemed more lucrative, there might be no Cumulus today. "After school, two career choices came to my mind: math teacher or software engineer." Thomas says he took the digital road because it seemed to offer a more promising future. Thomas studied computer science at the Technical University in Berlin, during which time he worked as a part-time software engineer for a small, local software company. It would be there, while finishing up his diploma, that he met three others who ultimately played an important role in the direction his life took. Thomas, and the three young engineers he befriended—Jennifer Neumann, Petra Knickmeyer and Jan Lindner—decided their futures were better off in their own hands. In 1990, they founded Canto. [Petra Knickmeyer remains a Canto engineer to this day.] The new company's first product, the "Cirrus" scanning software, established Canto as a reputable software vendor. More importantly, it gave the quartet a platform from which they could develop and launch what would become the best selling digital asset management system today: Cumulus. But Thomas didn't see Canto's humble beginnings as the start of an entirely new industry: "In the beginning," he says, "I didn't have any high expectations. I just wanted to work for a company that was fun and exciting." So, is Canto still fun and exciting for Thomas? "Well," he admits, "as Canto grew, 'fun' turned into 'business.' But the excitement is still here." And what about his lack of fascination with computers? Has Canto's success changed that? "I'm far from a computer addict," he says. "When I get home, I mostly listen to music and talk to my wife and daughter." Though, despite having no real fascination for computers, Thomas does admit to having one at home. It's an Intel Mac he purchased for his family in 2006. This might not seem too surprising, given the man's profession; but, this computer is, in fact, the very first one Thomas has ever owned. So what does "Mr Cumulus" see himself doing in the future? "I'm happy to continue doing what I do now. I don't focus on getting rich and famous. For me, I would be happy just getting rich."
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