Personio

Overview

Personio SE & Co. KG is a Munich-headquartered German software company that develops cloud-based human resources software for small and medium-sized businesses operating in Europe. Its platform is delivered as a human resources information system covering personnel administration, recruiting, time tracking, absence management, performance and payroll. The company was founded in August 2015 by Hanno Renner, Roman Schumacher, Arseniy Vershinin and Jonas Rieke, who met while studying at the Center for Digital Technology and Management in Munich; some public records name Ignaz Forstmeier among the founding team instead of Rieke.
Why this entity matters

Personio is the largest software company to emerge from the Munich startup ecosystem in the past decade and one of the highest-valued private software companies in Germany. Its April 2026 announcement that it had reached its first profitable quarter marks a clearly documented transition from external-capital-funded growth to self-funded operation, which is uncommon among European companies of its size and vintage.
Company or institutional background

Personio was founded in Munich in 2015 and scaled through a rapid sequence of financing rounds: a 12 million US dollar Series A in 2017 led by Northzone, a 40 million US dollar Series B in 2019, a 75 million US dollar Series C in January 2020 at a reported valuation of about 500 million US dollars, a 125 million US dollar Series D in January 2021 at a reported 1.7 billion US dollar valuation, a 270 million US dollar Series E in October 2021 at a reported 6.3 billion US dollar valuation led by Greenoaks, and a second Series E close of 200 million US dollars in June 2022 at a reported 8.5 billion US dollar valuation. That 8.5 billion figure remains the most recent publicly reported priced valuation. The company has also made several acquisitions, including the Spanish payroll company Rollbox in 2019, the German employee-experience product Back in 2022, and the Munich recruiting artificial-intelligence company aurio in April 2026. As of 2026 Personio reports around 16,000 customers covering more than 1.5 million employees, roughly 1,500 staff and eight offices.
Role in the DACH startup and technology ecosystem

Personio is the anchor company of the Munich software cluster and the most-cited German example of a business-to-business software company that scaled by serving small and medium-sized customers rather than large enterprises. Its payroll business, which the company reported growing at 80 per cent year on year with more than 1,500 customers, places it directly in the path of the German payroll and administration incumbents.
Selected relationships and affiliations

Personio was founded by Hanno Renner, who serves as chief executive, together with Roman Schumacher, Arseniy Vershinin and Jonas Rieke, the company's chief operating officer. Its investor base across successive rounds has included Northzone, Index Ventures, Accel and Greenoaks. The Personio Foundation, established by the founding team in 2021, holds one per cent of the company's shares.
Startuprad.io relevance

Personio is referenced across three Startuprad.io posts and appears on the Startuprad.io unicorn tracking list. Co-founder and chief executive Hanno Renner is already published as an entity in the Startuprad.io graph, which makes the company node the completion of an existing founder cluster.
Public source context

Public information on Personio used for this record is drawn from the company's own https://www.personio.com/about-personio/ , its https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personio and https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110814813 , its https://www.linkedin.com/company/personio , and public reporting on its financing rounds and 2026 profitability announcement.

Startuprad.io coverage of Personio

German Startup News March 2026: Robotics, Defence and the Bavaria Signal
Published: 26 March 2026
Last updated: 29 August 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/dach-german-startup-news-march-2026-robotics-defence-and-the-bavaria-signal

Green Startup CleanHub Fights Ocean Plastic Together with Brands - Founder Interview
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 28 August 2026
Coverage type: Interview
https://www.startuprad.io/post/green-startup-cleanhub-fights-ocean-plastic-together-with-brands-founder-interview

Meet Germany's Effortless All-In-One HR Software Startup Kenjo - Founder Interview
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 14 August 2026
Coverage type: Interview
https://www.startuprad.io/post/meet-germany-s-effortless-all-in-one-hr-software-startup-kenjo-founder-interview

This Month in German, Swiss, and Austrian (GSA) Startups - June 2022
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 27 August 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/this-month-in-german-swiss-and-austrian-gsa-startups-june-2022

This Month in GSA Startups - March 2022
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 14 August 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/this-month-in-gsa-startups-march-2022

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Canonical record: https://www.startuprad.io/entities/personio