About
We built the tool we kept wishing for.
Cairn started in 2023 inside a forty-person product company that had tried five planning tools in six years. Each one worked for a quarter, then the spreadsheet came back. We wanted the version that did not need a spreadsheet next to it.
What we believe
Four rules we hold ourselves to
Fast is a feature
A tool you wait for is a tool you stop updating. Every screen has a performance budget and we hold the line on it.
One source of truth
If the same fact lives in two places, one of them is wrong. We would rather build one view well than three views that disagree.
Plain language
No jargon in the product, no jargon in the pricing. If a sentence needs a glossary, we rewrite the sentence.
Long-term by default
We are profitable, independent and not for sale. Your plan will still be here next year, and so will your data.
Timeline
How we got here
2023
Cairn starts as an internal tool. Ten teams ask to use it.
2024
Public launch. Local-first client ships. First 500 workspaces.
2025
Releases, changelog and cycle reviews. The company becomes profitable.
2026
Business plan with SSO and EU residency. 4,000 workspaces and counting.
Team
Small on purpose
Six people, one office in Bristol, and no plans to be a hundred. Everyone talks to customers.
Elin Sørensen
Co-founder, CEO
Previously ran product at a logistics company. Owns the roadmap, and the coffee machine.
Daniel Achebe
Co-founder, CTO
Built sync engines for two previous startups. Believes every spinner is a bug.
Marta Kowalczyk
Head of Design
Designs the product and the documentation, on the grounds that they are the same thing.
Jonah Reyes
Engineering
Keeps the API boring and the release train on time.
Hana Ito
Customer success
The reason the docs answer the question you actually had.
Samuel Brandt
Engineering
Integrations, webhooks and the occasional 3am pager.
We are hiring an engineer and a support lead.
Remote within three hours of UK time. Send a note about something you shipped.
Give the plan somewhere to live.
Import your backlog from a CSV or your current tool, invite the team, and run the next cycle in Cairn. Free for teams up to five.