Mindjet: The Beginning

The Christmas of 1989 in Starnberg, Germany was one to remember for the young couple, Mike and Bettina Jetter. Mike, a twenty-five year old software programmer, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. After five years of on-and-off remission, having survived radiation treatment, chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, and a donor leukocyte infusion, the leukemia had returned and options were running out. A last resort would be a stem cell transplant and a second bone marrow transplant, for which he’d need to stay in the hospital for two months in isolation. Facing the possibility of not surviving the transplants, Mike decided to create a legacy he would leave behind.

What he created was the computer interface of a method of visualizing information called mind mapping, which until then had only existed on paper. Mike used this method in his work processes, and he wanted to write the code reflecting the way the human mind works in order to raise levels of creativity and productivity.

Three weeks into medical isolation, in between blood transfusions and repeated bone marrow transplants from his brother Andi and with Bettina’s support, Mike wrote a piece of code called MindMan 1.0 that became the foundation of a company.

Over the next few years, the leukemia remained in remission and Mike added more features to MindMan while Bettina built up the company’s marketing and distribution channels. In 1998, the Jetters moved to California and opened a U.S. office at the epicenter of the Internet boom. Word about the software, renamed MindManager, had spread virally to companies large and small, public and private, educational and government. The Jetters decided to merge their business with MarketSoft, a German company that had become the most successful MindMan reseller in Europe, and by 2000, the newly christened Mindjet Corporation, with thriving offices both three continents and close to a million customers, was experiencing rapid global growth.

The Jetters’ founding vision, to create software that would use the power of information visualization to allow people to work more productively and more creatively, is being realized. Business professionals, global teams and classrooms alike use Mindjet technology to plan projects, improve sales efficiency, conduct strategic planning and manage meetings– which in turn increases personal productivity, satisfaction and growth.

To learn more about the Jetters’ founding of Mindjet while battling cancer, visit www.cancercode.com. A portion of the proceeds from the purchase of The Cancer Code supports patients, families, medical teams and researchers in the fight against leukemia.