Maroua and Máté's paths crossed while pursuing their Ph.D. studies at TU Dresden, where their research interests in data coding and compression intersected, albeit from contrasting vantages (Maroua's being theoretical and Máté's, practical). With their defences delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they sought a productive diversion and joined forces for the 2021 Telekom Challenge. Their collaboration was rewarded with a second-place finish, securing a €125,000 prize. This achievement, along with encouragement from T-Systems, which saw substantial promise in their project, led them to found bitteiler. As the first step towards establishing bitteiler GmbH, they turned to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of Germany (BMWK) for a research transfer grant, leveraging this momentum to lay the ground work for their venture.