DGAP-News

XING AG: XING AG buys eqipia - the leading technology for intelligent employee referrals in Switzerland (news with additional features)

DGAP-News: XING AG / Key word(s): Takeover
XING AG: XING AG buys eqipia - the leading technology for intelligent
employee referrals in Switzerland (news with additional features)

14.04.2016 / 11:37
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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XING AG buys eqipia - the leading technology for intelligent employee
referrals in Switzerland

- The purchase price is set at CHF 3.2m and can be increased by up to CHF
4.8m.

- XING CEO Vollmoeller: "XING asserts its position as the leader in
innovative recruiting solutions with this acquisition."

Hamburg/Zurich, 14 April 2016 - XING AG (O1BC/ISINDE000XNG888) has acquired
the Zurich company BuddyBroker AG and its product eqipia effective
immediately. eqipia is the leading intelligent and automated employee
referral programme in Switzerland. The purchase price is set at CHF 3.2m.
An earn-out payment of up to CHF 4.8m may also take effect if the operative
goals are reached. BuddyBroker AG has seven employees who will all continue
working for the company. Both founders, Flurin Müller (30) and Patrick
Mollet (39), will stay on board to drive the product's further development.
Companies like Migros, Swisscom, SBB, Zühlke, BKW (Bernische Kraftwerke)
and EMC have already begun using eqipia successfully.

Employee referrals are on the rise in HR. In the USA, around 40 percent of
all new hires can be attributed to referrals from employees. Employee
referrals are already the most effective recruiting tool in the
German-speaking world today. Most companies have implemented a bonus
programme in order to make use of employee referrals. This, however, is a
manual process that is inefficient and time-consuming for both HR and
employees.

The "eqipia ReferralManager" digitalises and automates this complex
process. It analyses employees' networks, which it can access via their
XING profiles, and identifies suitable colleagues using a matching
algorithm. These potential candidates can then be contacted automatically
via the tool, significantly reducing the workload in HR. The employees
concerned receive all the important information about the vacancy and can
pass this on to their contacts. HR departments then receive transparent
reports about the success of the recruiting tool. They also have the option
of awarding a bonus for the successful referral of a contact.

XING CEO Vollmoeller: "XING emphasizes its position as the leader for