About Us

What we're about

Kickbyte was founded in 2016 with a clear focus: delivering eCommerce projects properly — whether it's a quick, lean standard setup or a complex integration project with ERP connections, EDI, multi-shop logic and custom business rules. Both are core business, both are what we do.

What sets us apart from many agencies: we still have technical depth when things go beyond the standard. We're honest about which path makes sense for your project — and we won't hesitate to push back if the planned solution won't hold up.

Why this helps us understand you

Our background isn't a typical agency career. We come from the development department of a larger company — the side you're probably sitting on today. We know the day-to-day reality:

• The agency doesn't properly understand your product, so requirements get lost.
• "Small extensions" turn into change requests that take longer to discuss than to implement.
• Tickets sit open for weeks because nobody on the other side is responsible.
• Release dates are announced but not met — and the heads-up comes only when it's too late.
• The code that comes back works — but nobody on your team can maintain it.

We experienced all of this before founding Kickbyte. That's why we work differently today. Clear communication, direct contacts, documented handovers, and code your team can maintain without us. No vendor lock-in as a business model.

How we work

Direct, no translation layers.

Technical questions land where the code is written. No layered hierarchies, no information loss between consulting and implementation.

Honest assessments.

If Shopware is the wrong choice for a project, we say so. If a feature costs more than its value justifies, we say that too. We'd rather lose a deal than deliver a project nobody's happy with.

Technical depth over breadth.

We do a few things well rather than everything a little. Shopware, Pimcore, system integration and custom software development — that's our field. We offer Shopify as an add-on when it fits. Everything else we refer to partners or politely decline.

Long-term client relationships.

Most of our clients have been with us for years. Not because switching would be hard, but because there's no reason to.

Our focus areas

We have a clear profile. This helps you quickly assess whether we're a good fit.

We offer Shopify as a complementary option — for projects that deliberately opt for a lean SaaS setup or run alongside an existing Shopware or Pimcore system.

Location

Markkleeberg near Leipzig. Our office is in the Leipzig south area — fifteen minutes from Leipzig central station, well connected to Berlin, Dresden and Frankfurt. We work across the entire DACH region and handle projects worldwide.

In-person meetings on-site are always possible. Most collaboration happens remotely — via online meetings, email and our ticket system — which is more efficient for both sides and keeps costs predictable.

Projects can run entirely in English if needed — communication, documentation, code comments and tickets. For international teams and clients outside the DACH region, this isn't extra effort — it's standard.

Management

Kickbyte has been led by Nico Anders and Ken Schmidt since its founding in 2016.

Nico is responsible for the technical side: Shopware, system integration, custom development and ongoing project work. Ken handles design, marketing and visual brand communication. Both have been on board since day one, both are directly reachable.

Facts

Founded:

2016

HQ:

Markkleeberg near Leipzig, Saxony

Tech stack:

Shopware, Pimcore, Shopify, Nuxt, Symfony, Spring Boot, Docker, Kubernetes, PHP, Java, Vue.js, TailwindCSS, LangChain, LlamaIndex, Qdrant

Databases:

MySQL, PostgreSQL, MSSQL, Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, Redis/Valkey

Languages:

German, English

Communication:

Email, ticket system, online meetings, phone

Values

We say what works — and what doesn't. We build things that still work in two years. We only take on projects where we're convinced we can make a real difference.

Sounds unremarkable. That's exactly the point.