The Baan Company reached a valuation of $680 million by 1998, establishing itself as the second-largest entity in the global Enterprise Resource Planning software industry. Founded in 1978, this firm emerged from the professional experiences of Jan Baan, an entrepreneur from the Netherlands who spent his early career navigating accounting departments and emerging computer automation technologies.
Early Career and Software Foundation
Born in Rijssen in 1946, Jan Baan entered the workforce at age 16 at a meatworks, bypassing secondary school. Following military service and a role at an accounting firm, he joined a wholesale business in 1970, where he became head of the accounting department. His introduction to computing occurred when that firm purchased its first machine. By 1978, he established the Baan Company, releasing his first software package in 1979 alongside his brother, Paul Baan. Under his management, the firm grew from a $35 million valuation in the early 1990s to its peak before he departed in 1998.
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Following his exit from the Baan Company, which was sold to Invensys in 2000, Baan shifted his focus to venture capital. He invested in Top Tier, which was later acquired by SAP, and WebEx, which Cisco purchased. In 2001, he partnered with Theodoor van Donge to establish Cordys, a venture intended to integrate ERP products with internet-based interfaces. Cordys operated independently until its sale to OpenText in August 2013 for $33 million, excluding the Swiss legal entity founded in 2010.
Vanenburg Software and Rappit
In 2009, Baan founded Vanenburg Software. This organization focused on application modernization using open Java technologies and the Google Cloud Platform. By November 2022, the company launched Rappit Developer, a tool for web and mobile application prototyping that integrates data from legacy ERP systems like Baan. Renamed Rappit in 2024, the business transitioned to a product-oriented model. Headquartered at Vanenburg Castle in Putten, the Netherlands, the firm maintains operations in India with over 250 employees. Current management is held by his sons Ardjan, Paul, and Bernhard, while Baan serves as founder and chairman.
Professional Principles and Academic Role
As a member of the Pietistic Reformed religion, Baan integrated his faith into his business practices. During his leadership of the Baan Company, he managed customer support across different time zones to observe the prohibition of Sunday labor. Following a downturn in 1999, he established the De Keursteen Stichting to address financial abuses within the reformational circuit. Beyond his entrepreneurial activities, Baan has held a position as a university teacher at Leiden University.
Fast facts
- Born: 1946, Rijssen, Netherlands
- Founder of Baan Company: 1978
- Departure from Baan Company: 1998
- Sale of Cordys: August 2013
- Founding of Vanenburg Software: 2009
- Current company name: Rappit
- Affiliations: Leiden University
- Religion: Pietistic Reformed
Questions readers ask
What is the status of the Baan Company?
The Baan Company was sold to the British company Invensys in 2000.
Who manages Rappit as of 2024?
How did Baan integrate his religious principles with global business?
He utilized different time zones to provide continuous customer service while maintaining a prohibition on labor on Sundays.
Achievements
- Affiliated with Leiden University
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