Mathias Goldhan laid the technological foundation for today’s digital agency back in 1994 by founding an IT infrastructure and software company. Since the company was officially incorporated in 2005, he has consistently led the resulting HQ GmbH both strategically and operationally as an owner-managed, fully self-financed full-service agency.
With more than three decades of in-depth practical experience in software development, system architecture and IT infrastructure, he advises mid-sized companies, corporations and established brands on the digitalization of business-critical processes. As the strategic driving force, he guided the agency’s positioning among the Top 100 owner-managed digital agencies in the official iBusiness/BVDW ranking, as well as its continuous international orientation between its headquarters in Thuringia and its branch in Spain.
Career & Strategic Evolution at HQ GmbH
- Since 2005: Managing Director & Founder of HQ GmbH: Overall strategic management, international scaling and establishment of the agency as a reliable partner for mid-sized companies. Mathias Goldhan is responsible for the financial foundation of the fully self-financed and owner-managed agency. The company’s international development was further expanded through HQ Professional Services, founded by him in 2009, and HQ Ecommerce SLU in Spain, founded in 2025.
- From 1999: E-Commerce & SaaS Pioneering Work During the Rise of the Internet: With the commercial breakthrough of the World Wide Web in Germany, the focus shifted to the conception and development of fully web-based software systems. These included early e-commerce structures as well as the later operational programming and marketing of the highly successful web-based auction and marketplace model phpauction.
- 1994: Founding of the IT Infrastructure and Software Company: Founding of the technology-focused sole proprietorship. In the early years, the focus was on building complex local networks, configuring business-critical client-server architectures and developing hardware-related custom software for companies in the DACH region.
Core Competencies & Focus Areas
Strategic Consulting & Audits: Vendor-independent architecture consulting for upper mid-sized companies when selecting systems (Shopware, Magento, Shopify, etc.). Creation of technical specifications, digital roadmaps and security audits of established infrastructures.
Crisis Intervention (E-Commerce): Specialized in the technical and strategic rescue of failed software projects and unsuccessful system migrations by third-party service providers. Coordination of emergency task forces for rapid business recovery.
Enterprise Cloud Architecture & GDPR: Conception of highly available cloud and physical server environments under our own data-center management. Consulting on maximally fail-safe systems, European data-protection standards (GDPR) and e-commerce compliance.
ERP, Odoo & Process Integration: Practical Odoo experience since the TinyERP era in 2005 through use in the company’s own operations, extending to the development of custom plugins for project management and the integration of AqBanking banking software. Expertise in ERP architecture, e-commerce integration and the technical connection of business-critical processes via custom API and interface solutions.
Track Record & Background
With more than 30 years of active market presence and deep technological understanding, Mathias is today the final strategic authority at HQ GmbH when it comes to digitalizing complex, established business processes. He combines his roots in classic IT infrastructure and software development with clear entrepreneurial foresight to scale IT infrastructures flawlessly, future-proof and highly profitably.
Entrepreneurial success in modern e-commerce is not based on short-lived trends, but on uncompromisingly solid system architecture, absolute cost transparency and digital processes that scale flawlessly even under maximum load. For this reason, we never bind our customers through rigid contract terms, but exclusively through technological perfection and measurable success.
“All strategic analyses, e-commerce audits and specialist articles by Mathias Goldhan are subject to our strict Editorial Guidelines and are based on more than three decades of valid market experience.”