In 2011, Christopher Rudolf noticed something. Entire industries live by appointments: hairdressers, physiotherapy, badminton halls, but as a customer you couldn't book online anywhere. If you wanted an appointment, you had to pick up the phone, and only during business hours. Digital solutions? Nowhere to be found.
Good thing Chris not only needed appointments, but could also write code. Through various connections, he knew a hairdresser who was looking for exactly this. That's how the first version of our software came about, back then still under the name zeitfest, entirely focused on time and appointments. Anna-Lena Lewerenz joined to build the product from the start in a way that people enjoy using and find intuitive: with good design and simple handling.
What started as a calendar for a salon quickly grew beyond mere appointment management. The beauty industry came to us with its own requirements, cosmetics, medical beauty, foot care, spas. Sports and EMS studios as well. By the way, we also built a pretty cool solution for escape rooms. Almost every feature in Belbo came about because someone like you needed it in their daily work.
In 2014 we started with our cash register system, today with certified TSE. By then it was clear: it was no longer just about time. A simple appointment calendar had become a complete solution for salon everyday operations, and the name zeitfest became too narrow for it. On January 1, 2015, it became Belbo Business Software GmbH, same team, same product, new name. Belbo combines the French "la belle" and "le beau", the beautiful woman and the beautiful man, a nod to our roots in the beauty industry. When the first major chain found us, we also specialized in multi-location businesses, with a cross-location perspective and terms that fit growing businesses. But one thing is important to us: Belbo works for the part-time beautician who is just building her own business, just as well as for the chain operator with several large teams.
Over 2,000 businesses in the DACH region and the Benelux countries work with Belbo. In 2025, over 11 million appointments were organized via Belbo. We continue to develop in Berlin, our servers are in the EU, and we remain owner-managed by Chris and Lena, supported by a great team. That means: we don't have to satisfy anyone except the businesses that work with Belbo every day. And if you need support, our support team is there for you quickly.
Now we're entering the AI era with the same principle as in 2011: first see what really helps businesses in their daily work.
