Jan Emmel — Software Engineer, Runner and Long-Distance Hiker

// 01 Engineer

Build
things
that
compile.

I’m Jan Emmel — software engineer, co-founder of radical minds GmbH since 2011. Fully remote since 2017.

Software Engineerradical minds GmbH
15+ yearsSpring Boot & backend
Since 2011Co-founded radical minds
100% home officesince 2017

Software engineer
by trade.

I build scalable software for manufacturing, e-commerce and logistics companies — from large-scale production facilities and footwear & textile retailers to industrial automation.

My stack: Go and Spring Boot backends that don't fall over, Next.js frontends that don't make your eyes bleed, and Android apps built with Kotlin and Jetpack Compose. Clean Code isn't a book, it's a non-negotiable.

15+

Years in Spring Boot & backend.

Go + Spring Boot

Clean architecture, manual dependency injection, tiny interfaces. No global state. Context propagation everywhere. Services that don't surprise you at 2 AM.

Next.js + TypeScript

App Router, Server Components, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui. Type-safe from API to component. Turbopack in dev.

Android / Kotlin

Jetpack Compose, Hilt, Room, Navigation. Modern Android that doesn't look like it was designed in 2014.

Infrastructure

PostgreSQL, Redis, Docker, Traefik, GitHub Actions. Deploy early, deploy often. No cowboy deployments.

Craftsmanship

Clean Code, TDD, DDD, Hexagonal Architecture. Tests aren't optional. Refactoring is maintenance, not tech debt.

Domains

Manufacturing & production facilities, footwear & textile retail (E-Commerce, Shopware), Industry 4.0, Logistics. 15 years of building things that actually get used.

02 Athlete //

Build
things
that
last.

Runner and long-distance hiker. Father of two. 3.000 km of New Zealand on foot. Next: Hannover, sub 3:00.

~100 km / monthRunning
3.000 kmTe Araroa Trail
2 kidsAnd a wife who puts up with all of it
Since 1985Ammerland → World

New Zealand, end to end. On foot.

In 2016 — before kids, before the point of no return — my wife and I quit our jobs, packed our bags, and walked the length of New Zealand. The Te Araroa Trail — 3.000 kilometers in 110 days. No shortcuts.

After that: Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Canada, USA, Iceland. Eleven months. One rule: keep moving.

“Too far” stopped being an argument somewhere around day 40.

3.000km
Te Araroa 2016 110 Days New Zealand freizeitkamele.de

Hannover Marathon
Sub 3:00

11.04.2027 · 42.195 km · Target 4:15 / km

Base Building30 weeks to race day
Target Pace4:15 / km
Weekly Volume~60 km

Currently in training — Garmin Forerunner 965.

Drag or use ← → to weigh both lives