About three years ago, ProcessM was born at the RWTH Aachen University. In the beginning, it was just a fresh idea to equip Microsoft Power BI with process mining analysis, which was an innovative thought. During these years, we had a long journey and dealt with several challenges, including COVID19. However, one of the great things we had during this challenging period was our team and our great mentors. We tied together and never gave up. As a result, with hard work and their unbelievable support, we finally got the EXIST Business Start-up Grant in 2020, a support programme of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and co-financed by the European Social Fund. In addition, we had the honour of having Professor Wil van der Aalst as our scientific advisor and Maximilian Eckel as our business coach during the funding year.

Professor Wil van der Aalst, the godfather of process mining and the head of the PADS group at the RWTH Aachen University, moved to Aachen since he won the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship in 2018. He is among the leading researchers in computer science, specifically in workflow analysis and process mining. Last November, he was named an IEEE fellow, the highest grade of membership, because of his accomplishments in process mining and workflow processes. During the previous year, he gave us some invaluable hints and advice. He is the man who not only leads the process mining in a technical manner; but also has a thorough understanding of the business in this field.

Maximillian Eckel, or business coach, is a member of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship (WIN) chair and the former head of coaching at the Entrepreneurship Center of RWTH Aachen. He was the perfect business coach for us because he has the academic knowledge and the experience of being an entrepreneur by co-founding two start-ups in Berlin. Despite his packed schedule, he always had time for us. He provided us with a wide range of advice and suggestions and spent dozens of hours with us to know us and understand our idea and our business.

Today, the funding period is over, meaning that we won’t be able to enjoy their sheer knowledge and their presence in our team. Therefore, we would like to use the opportunity and extend our thanks to these two great men in ProcessM’s life. It was a great honour and a pleasure for all of us, having you as our mentors. You are our inspiration. Thank you for being wonderful friends, teachers, and mentors. We will always be grateful to you for your support and kindness.