Like most startups, we started Cloudron to scratch our own itch. We met at Nokia in early 2012 and discovered that we shared similar thoughts on privacy. We had both been running our own private servers for many years and preferred to store data on our servers when possible. As such an immediate requirement we had, was to have a file syncer that works securely across devices. The first prototype of our project was completed at NodeConf 2013 under a yellow tent at Walker Creek Ranch (and thus the codename 'yellowtent').

At about the same time, in 2013, Google Reader was shutdown. We realized that data is just one part of the problem. What was needed is a mechanism where Apps can be run easily on our servers without the hassle of setting them up. And not to mention, taking care of backups, updates, authentication, storage settings that each app requires in it's own special way.

With this in mind, we set out to create a system where developers can write Apps that can be easily deployed on private servers. The end result is the Cloudron - a solution that allows anybody to create private clouds instantaneously. The concept of a server is abstracted away and the focus is on the Apps.