07/13/2017 | XING

XING acquires InterNations, the largest network for expats all over the world

  • Basic acquisition price of around €10 million
  • CEO Vollmoeller: “XING is enhancing its position by adding an international specialist for local offline Networking"

Hamburg/ Munich, 13 July 2017 – XING AG, operator of the leading online business network in German-speaking countries, has acquired InterNations GmbH with immediate effect. The basic acquisition price is around €10 million. This figure may be expected to rise by between €8 million and €20 million from earn-out payments provided ambitious operating targets are met by 2020. InterNations is the world’s largest network for expats. Founded in 2007, InterNations now has more than 2.7 million members in 390 cities worldwide. The company offers expats a variety of ways to connect and exchange with other members who are in the same situation and have similar needs. Members can help each other when it comes to finding a place to live, dealing with the authorities, and cultural aspects relevant to that particular country. Offline events are a particular focus, with 2016 seeing around 50,000 such events held worldwide and attended by a total of 1.5 million people. CEO Vollmoeller: “XING is enhancing its position by adding an international specialist for local offline Networking” Thomas Vollmoeller, CEO at XING AG, said: “XING connects people – not profiles – with one another. This is because personal encounters are indispensable, even in the digital age. This conviction is ingrained in our corporate philosophy and portfolio, and it sets us apart from every other network. For that reason, we bring people together on a regular basis so they can network with one another on a business level and have a number of opportunities to find inspiring new contacts. By acquiring InterNations we now have a real specialist for local offline networking. This new member of the XING family will help us expand our expertise considerably in this field.” The XING platform will continue to focus its attention on German-speaking countries, while InterNations will carry on providing global networking opportunities, which is why it will continue to operate as a separate brand. As well as additionally boosting expat communities, XING will also invest in further expanding the InterNations portfolio and its B2B business. Philipp von Plato, Founder and Co-CEO at InterNations GmbH, said: “XING is an ideal partner that will help us grow our community business among both end customers and corporate clients, while also enabling us to continue developing our expat services. We’re looking forward to introducing our international offline event experience and expertise to XING.” InterNations is based in Munich and currently employs more than 100 people from over 30 countries. Founders Malte Zeeck and Philipp von Plato will remain with the company and continue to manage the business. InterNations has a global network of over 6,000 Ambassadors and Consuls who volunteer to act as local points of contact, networkers and event organisers. The company is profitable with double-digit revenue growth. In 2018 InterNations aims to achieve revenues in the low double-digit million range. About XING The leading online business network in German-speaking countries supports its members in mastering the transformations taking place in the world of work. XING helps its more than 12 million members to balance their professional and private life as well as possible within an environment defined by a lack of skilled workers, digitalisation and changing values. To this end, members can visit XING Jobs to look for vacancies that appeal to them, stay up to date with news offers by XING, or browse the German-language portal XING spielraum to find out about the trends and changes taking place in the new world of work. At the start of 2015, XING added Jobbörse.com, the largest jobs search engine in German-speaking countries, to its portfolio. Before that, XING had acquired kununu, which as the principal employer review platform in German-speaking countries served to strengthen XING’s leading position within the field of social recruiting. XING was founded in Hamburg, Germany, in 2003, has been publicly listed since 2006, and listed on the TecDAX since September 2011. Members can meet and exchange views in around 80,000 groups, while also getting together at more than 150,000 business-related events every year. XING has more than 900 employees at offices in Hamburg, Munich, Barcelona, Vienna und Zurich. Visit www.xing.com for more Information.


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