When starting eCognition Developer it does not load a project, it opens an empty instance by default. Assuming you are working on a project for several days it might come in handy to automatically reload the last project you have saved in eCognition the last time to start right away. To do so, you will have to change the default settings under --> TOOLS --> Options. In the General sections, change the default setting for "Automatically reload last project" from No to Yes and hit OK. Afterwards when opening eCognition Developer it will automatically reopen the last project. Enjoy!