Company
Key facts about this entity
- Founded 2003 in Hamburg as OPEN Business Club; listed in Frankfurt from December 2006
- Operator: New Work SE (XING SE renamed in 2019)
- Burda Digital delisting offer: €66.25 a share (June 2024)
- Squeeze-out at €105.65 a share approved on 23 June 2025; now wholly owned by Burda Digital
- Billion-dollar status was a public market value
- Listed on TUM's 'Unicorns founded by TUM alumni' list (dated 4 August 2026) as 'acquired (New Work SE)'
Entity Profile
Overview
XING is a professional networking and recruiting platform for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, run by New Work SE in Hamburg.
Why this entity matters
XING is on the Technical University of Munich's August 2026 list of unicorns founded by TUM alumni, supplied to Startuprad.io by UnternehmerTUM's press office in October 2026, where it is marked 'acquired (New Work SE)'. In fact XING SE renamed itself New Work SE in 2019; control passed to Hubert Burda Media, which took full ownership through a squeeze-out approved in June 2025. Founder Lars Hinrichs did not study at TUM, and Startuprad.io found no other TUM-alumni founder. No UnternehmerTUM programme or UVC Partners investment has been documented.
Company history and product
Lars Hinrichs founded the company as OPEN Business Club in Hamburg in 2003; it was renamed XING and listed in Frankfurt in December 2006. Burda acquired a stake in 2009 and majority control in 2012. XING SE became New Work SE in 2019. Burda Digital made a delisting offer at €66.25 a share in June 2024, and a squeeze-out at €105.65 a share was approved on 23 June 2025. In July 2026 New Work SE sold InterNations.
Role in the European start-up landscape
XING was Germany's main professional network before LinkedIn's growth in the region, and remains a reference for German-language recruiting.
Selected relationships and affiliations
Founder: Lars Hinrichs. Owner: Burda Digital SE / Hubert Burda Media (100 percent since the 2025 squeeze-out). CEO of New Work SE: Henning Rönneberg (since 2025).
Startuprad.io relevance
XING is covered in Startuprad.io's Unicorn Atlas special on the 23-company list of unicorns founded by TUM alumni, which UnternehmerTUM's press office supplied to Startuprad.io in October 2026. The special checks each company's TUM link, its billion-dollar milestone and any documented UnternehmerTUM programme or investment.
Public source context
This profile is drawn from public sources including New Work SE, Freshfields, MarketScreener and Startuprad.io coverage. Time-sensitive figures, including valuations and ownership, are reported with their dates and should be re-verified against primary sources before commercial use.
Startuprad.io coverage of XING
XING appears in the following Startuprad.io interviews, news and analysis.
Exclusive: The 23-Unicorn List UnternehmerTUM Gave Us — and Where Its Role Is on Record
Published: 26 October 2026
Last updated: 26 October 2026
Coverage type: Analysis
https://www.startuprad.io/post/exclusive-the-23-unicorn-list-unternehmertum-gave-us-and-where-its-role-is-on-record
Konstantin Guericke: The LinkedIn Co-Founder Bridge
Published: 7 July 2026
Last updated: 7 July 2026
Coverage type: Profile
DACH Startup News March 2021: Founders, Funding and Ecosystem Updates
Published: 24 February 2021
Last updated: 24 February 2021
Coverage type: News
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Canonical record: https://www.startuprad.io/entities/xing