3Q
3Q GmbH is a Munich-based private video infrastructure provider offering a GDPR-compliant, proprietary streaming, webcasting, podcasting, and CDN platform to European enterprise, public sector, and media publishing customers across more than 1,000 organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What 3Q does
3Q GmbH is a privately held German video infrastructure company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Munich, operating under CEO Julius Thomas. The company provides a proprietary end-to-end video streaming platform built on its own hardware in Germany and Switzerland, covering live streaming, video-on-demand, webcasting, webinars, podcasting, media library management, and content delivery via both a proprietary CDN and multi-CDN integrations with Akamai, Google, and ChinaCache. The platform is modular, with two commercial tiers — 3Q SMART (pay-as-you-go) and 3Q ENTERPRISE (subscription) — and a catalog of add-on modules including eCDN, video advertising (VAST/VPAID), Video AI for transcription and translation, and REST API access.
3Q sells primarily through direct enterprise sales supplemented by self-serve sign-up for smaller customers and a partner network for the public sector. The company targets enterprise businesses, public sector/government, and media publishers, claiming over 1,000 customers and referencing named accounts such as Siemens, SWR, Funke Mediengruppe, Raiffeisen, Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz, Landtag Brandenburg, Dataport, and FC Schalke 04. Differentiation rests on European data sovereignty, ISO 27001 certification, full GDPR compliance, and WCAG accessibility — positioning that maps directly onto procurement requirements of European regulated buyers.
Revenue is generated through subscription contracts (annual billing on ENTERPRISE), usage-based fees on SMART, and module-level add-ons. No external funding rounds have been disclosed and ownership appears founder/management-held, indicating a bootstrapped growth model. Reported operational scale signals include 99.9% minimum availability SLA, billions of objects processed daily, and billions of hours streamed on the platform. The headcount of approximately 30 employees supports a focused, infrastructure-led operation rather than a high-headcount go-to-market model.
3Q firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 3Q
- Legal name
- 3Q GmbH
- Website
- https://3q.video
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- 3Q GmbH is a Munich-based private video infrastructure provider offering a GDPR-compliant, proprietary streaming, webcasting, podcasting, and CDN platform to European enterprise, public sector, and media publishing customers across more than 1,000 organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
3Q industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Enterprise Video Streaming Platform
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Streaming & Webcasting Platforms (BPAMAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Media Processing at the Edge (Transcoding, Packaging, DRM at Edge) (HDABAGAD)
Keywords
Where 3Q is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
3Q business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Subscription-based Video Platform: SaaS platform providing video hosting and streaming services with modular pricing. Customers pay for access to the platform with additional modules available such as podcasting, webcasting, restreaming, and multi-CDN.
- Usage-based Add-ons: Pay-as-you-go model where customers pay for additional usage beyond base packages, including data transfer and viewer hours.
- Enterprise Custom Solutions: Customized solutions for large-scale projects and complex requirements, tailored to specific customer needs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Monthly | 3Q SMART - Universal video platform with pay-as-you-go pricing |
| Subscription | Annual | 3Q ENTERPRISE - Premium enterprise video platform |
| Hybrid | Monthly | Module-based Add-ons |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
3Q product offering
Product offeringCore offering
3Q operates a proprietary European video infrastructure platform offering video hosting, live streaming, video-on-demand, webcasting, webinars, podcasting, and media library management. The platform runs on own hardware in Germany and Switzerland and is delivered via two main commercial tiers: 3Q SMART (pay-as-you-go) and 3Q ENTERPRISE (subscription-based enterprise), with additional modular add-ons including Video AI, eCDN, Media CDN, Video Advertising, and a REST API.
Product overview
3Q offers a modular video platform architecture centered on 3Q SDN, with two product tiers: 3Q SMART (pay-as-you-go universal platform) and 3Q ENTERPRISE (premium enterprise platform). The platform provides live streaming, video-on-demand, audio streaming, and webcasting as core capabilities, supplemented by Video AI (Video-KI) for automated transcription and subtitling, Video Advertising for monetization, and Media CDN/eCDN for content delivery. Additional modules include Podcasting, Webinars, Multi-Channel-Livestreaming, VOD2Live, Restreaming, and security features (token protection, encryption). The platform emphasizes GDPR compliance, ISO 27001 certification, and European data sovereignty with infrastructure in Germany and Switzerland.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 3Q SDN (3Q Video Platform)
- Livestreaming Plattform (Live Streaming Platform)
- Mediathek (Media Library)
- Audiostreaming Plattform (Audio Streaming / Podcasting)
- Media CDN (Content Delivery Network)
- Webcasting Platform
- Webinar Lösung (Webinar Solution)
- HTML5 Video Player
- Video-KI (Video AI)
- eCDN (Enterprise CDN)
- Video API
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.9% minimum availability guaranteed
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use 3Q
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
3Q technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability8 records
Feature7 records
3Q partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Hive StreamingcoreIntegration partner for eCDN technology, providing efficient video content delivery solutions for corporate networks with reduced load during high viewer traffic.
- KollectivecoreEnterprise CDN partner for internal network optimization, enabling seamless video delivery on corporate networks without additional hardware requirements.
- AkamaicoreMulti-CDN partnership for global content delivery, providing redundant delivery options beyond the proprietary 3Q SDN network.
- GooglecoreMulti-CDN partnership for enhanced global delivery capabilities, complementing 3Q's own infrastructure.
- AdsWizzcoreAudio and video advertising technology partnership for publisher monetization solutions, integrated into the 3Q platform for ad placement capabilities.
- IAB EuropecoreMembership in IAB Europe demonstrates commitment to digital advertising standards and GDPR-compliant practices in the European market.
- CDN AllianceminorIndustry alliance membership for CDN best practices and collaboration with other CDN providers.
- ProDigital TVminorPartner for digital TV and streaming solutions distribution in specific markets.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights6 records
3Q competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bitmovin: Bitmovin provides video encoding, playback, and analytics infrastructure for OTT and streaming providers. It is comparable to 3Q's encoding, adaptive streaming, and CDN delivery stack serving enterprise and media customers.
- Wowza: Wowza provides streaming infrastructure software and cloud services for live and on-demand video delivery. It is comparable to 3Q's core streaming and CDN capabilities, particularly for custom and developer-driven deployments.
- Panopto: Panopto is an enterprise video platform focused on internal communications, training, and knowledge management with live streaming and VOD. It is comparable to 3Q's enterprise and corporate communications use cases.
- Kaltura: Kaltura provides an enterprise video platform with live streaming, VOD, webinars, video CMS, and virtual classroom offerings. It is a direct competitor to 3Q across enterprise communications, education, and media verticals with overlapping product functionality.
- Vimeo Enterprise: Vimeo's enterprise offering provides video hosting, live streaming, webinars, and OTT solutions for corporate communications and media. It is comparable to 3Q's enterprise video platform, webinars, and live streaming modules.
- Brightcove: Brightcove is a leading enterprise video hosting and streaming platform serving corporate communications, media publishers, and broadcasters globally. It is a direct competitor to 3Q's video hosting, VOD, and live streaming capabilities for enterprise and media customers.
- Dacast: Dacast is a live streaming and VOD platform with monetization features targeting broadcasters, media companies, and event producers. It is comparable to 3Q's livestreaming, VOD, and video advertising modules for SMB and media customers.
- JW Player (JWP): JW Player provides video hosting, streaming, monetization, and player technology for media companies and broadcasters. It is comparable to 3Q's VOD, live streaming, advertising integration (VAST/VPAID), and publisher-focused capabilities.
Emerging players
- Mux: Mux offers a developer-focused video API platform for streaming, video analytics, and real-time monitoring. It overlaps with 3Q's developer API offering and video infrastructure layer, though Mux primarily targets software builders rather than traditional enterprise buyers.
Broad incumbents
- Cloudflare Stream: Cloudflare Stream is part of Cloudflare's broader edge and security network offering video streaming, transcoding, and delivery as a bundled cloud service. It is a broad incumbent competing with 3Q on global CDN-backed video delivery at hyperscale pricing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
3Q social profiles
Digital presence3Q compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
3Q financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
3Q leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
3Q funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
3Q M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 3Q
What does 3Q do?
3Q operates a proprietary European video infrastructure platform offering video hosting, live streaming, video-on-demand, webcasting, webinars, podcasting, and media library management. The platform runs on own hardware in Germany and Switzerland and is delivered via two main commercial tiers: 3Q SMART (pay-as-you-go) and 3Q ENTERPRISE (subscription-based enterprise), with additional modular add-ons including Video AI, eCDN, Media CDN, Video Advertising, and a REST API.
Is 3Q a public or private company?
3Q is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 3Q founded?
3Q was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is 3Q based?
3Q is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does 3Q make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription-based Video Platform is the primary driver. The others are usage-based Add-ons and enterprise Custom Solutions.
Who are 3Q's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bitmovin, Wowza, Panopto, Kaltura, Vimeo Enterprise, Brightcove, Dacast and JW Player (JWP). Mux is listed as an emerging player. Cloudflare Stream is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does 3Q have an API?
Yes. REST API providing access to video hosting, livestreaming, VoD, Live-to-VoD, VoD-to-Live, automated metadata, AI solutions, content and playback security, and analytics. API license included without additional costs. Player license included with unlimited views, viewers, and playback. Developer documentation is at api.3qsdn.com/v3/doc.
What industry is 3Q in?
3Q's product category is Enterprise Video Streaming Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAB, Live Streaming & Webcasting Platforms, with a secondary code of HDABAGAD, Media Processing at the Edge (Transcoding, Packaging, DRM at Edge). Its NAICS code is 51621 and its SIC code is 7370.