KOAN: 30 Years of vision, from Linux embedded pioneering to Yocto Project
In April 2026, KOAN celebrates 30 years of activity—but more than a milestone, this anniversary represents the confirmation of a vision that has consistently anticipated the future. Since its founding in 1996, the company has demonstrated a rare ability: to recognize technological trends early and invest decisively in the right directions.
While the early years were focused on software development for industrial automation, it was in the early 2000s that KOAN made the defining move that would shape its identity. At a time when the market was still heavily dominated by proprietary systems, the company chose to embrace Linux and open source technologies—a bold and forward-thinking decision.
Adopting Linux embedded systems
Adopting Linux embedded systems in those years meant betting on a paradigm that was still emerging, yet destined to become central to technological evolution. KOAN did not simply adopt it—it studied it, integrated it, and brought it into real industrial applications, helping to demonstrate that open source systems could grant reliability, flexibility, and technological independence even in critical environments.
This vision was closely tied to another key insight: the growing importance of embedded systems. Long before the term Internet of Things became widespread, KOAN was already working with dedicated hardware platforms and ARM architectures, developing tailored solutions for intelligent and connected devices. In many ways, this was a concrete anticipation of today’s IoT landscape.
Linus Torvalds and Marco Cavallini at ELCE 2014 in Dusseldorf
Openembedded and Yocto Project
A pivotal moment in the company’s evolution came in 2010 with the creation of the Yocto Project. From the very beginning, KOAN recognized its strategic potential and chose it as the primary framework for building Linux embedded systems. Once again, this was a pioneering decision: KOAN already adopted OpenEmbedded years earlier introducing a new paradigm in the creation of embedded Linux distributions, offering a structured, scalable, and highly customizable approach.
KOAN did not stop at adopting the Yocto Project—it became an active contributor to its ecosystem. Through training, consulting, and continuous knowledge sharing, the company has played a significant role in spreading awareness and expertise around Yocto, helping organizations fully leverage its capabilities. This ongoing commitment has led to international recognition, including the role of KOAN CEO Marco Cavallini as Yocto Project Ambassador.
These two strategic choices—embracing Linux embedded in the early 2000s and adopting and contributing to Yocto Project from 2010—represent the core thread running through KOAN’s entire history. They are not just technological decisions, but the expression of a clear philosophy: building open, sustainable, and vendor-independent solutions.
Over the past three decades, this vision has enabled KOAN to successfully operate across highly complex industries, supporting customers in the development of advanced embedded systems and IoT solutions. The company has evolved continuously without ever losing its coherence, always keeping innovation and technical excellence at its core.
Since April 2025, KOAN has officially become part of the Abinsula group, expanding its ability to offer a wider range of services and further strengthening its presence across key sectors such as Automotive, Agritech, industrial automation, Linux embedded, and open source technologies. This step represents a natural evolution of KOAN’s journey, enhancing its capacity to support increasingly complex and large-scale projects.
Koan is an Abinsula Group company
Innovation with Linux embedded
Today, KOAN is recognized as a highly specialized company in the Linux embedded world—and above all, as a trusted partner for those seeking expertise, experience, and a clear vision of the technological future.
Celebrating these 30 years therefore means celebrating a choice: the decision to believe, long before many others, that open source and embedded systems would become the foundation of innovation.