What ethinking does

ethinking GmbH is a Berlin-based, family-owned software company founded in 2014 that builds content orchestration, audience engagement, and analytics products for content-driven businesses, with a strong specialization in European media, publishing, and broadcasting. Its core platform, XP Layer, is a proprietary, widget-based content orchestration layer designed to sit on top of headless CMS systems (CUE by Stibo DX, Ibexa DXP, Brightspot, Contentful, WordPress) and enable editors and channel managers to deploy multichannel frontends — web, app, Alexa, PWA, AMP — without developer involvement, using a low-code Sitemanager interface and inheritance logic for white-label multi-publication setups. The complementary Push Notification Service delivers audience engagement across 10+ channels (web push via Chrome/Firefox/Safari, iOS, Android, Huawei HMS, Alexa, MS Teams, Slack, email, social) with native plugins for CUE and Ibexa DXP, while the Analytics & Data Engine (ADE) provides AI-assisted personalization, predictive intelligence, and revenue optimization.

The company monetizes through a hybrid model: quote-based enterprise licensing for XP Layer and platform implementations, tiered subscription plans for the Push Notification Service (Free through Custom enterprise, €79–€699/month published bands), and professional services including digital consulting, software development, and Academy training. Its go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales into large media groups with channel partnerships (Stibo DX flagship, Ibexa Silver, Brightspot) and a self-serve PLG funnel for the Push service via console.push.delivery. Visible customers include RTL Deutschland, DER SPIEGEL, Süddeutsche Zeitung, ntv, Swisscom/blue News, Blick, 24 MEDIA, Organización Editorial Mexicana, RTL Radio Deutschland/Digital Media Hub, and PostFinance, with operating footprints spanning DACH, Northern Europe (Sweden), Southern Europe (Greece), and LATAM (Mexico). The company remains privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds.

Name

ethinking

Legal name

ethinking GmbH

Website

https://ethinking.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ethinking GmbH is a Berlin-based, family-owned software company that builds XP Layer (content orchestration for headless CMS), a multi-channel Push Notification Service, and the Analytics & Data Engine for media, publishing, and broadcasting clients across Europe and Latin America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Technology / Content Orchestration Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Support, CRM & Retention Tooling (Helpdesk, Churn, Messaging) (MPAHAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creative, Content Production & Ad Ops Tools (BPAMALAK), Developer Portals, SDKs & Documentation Platforms (BPAMADAG)

Keywords

• Content orchestration
• Push notification platform
• Media analytics software
• Digital publishing tools
• Newsroom software

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. XP Layer Platform Licensing/Subscription: XP Layer is sold as a complementary orchestration software for headless CMS platforms. Revenue is derived from platform licensing, likely subscription-based, for multi-publication and multichannel content orchestration.
2. Push Notification Service Subscriptions: Push Notification Service offered in tiered plans (Free, Premium, Enterprise, Basic, Lift-Off, Custom) ranging from free (500 devices, 1 platform) to custom enterprise pricing. Billing monthly with annual options implied.
3. Digital Consulting Services: Agile digital consulting covering requirement engineering, product strategy, experience design, digital transformation, implementation, system integration, migration, and 24/7 maintenance and support.
4. Academy Training & Coaching: Training, workshops, and coaching sessions on XP Layer, ethinking Push, ADE, platform infrastructure, and multichannel platform management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

ethinking GmbH develops and sells the XP Layer content orchestration platform, a Push Notification Service, and an Analytics & Data Engine (ADE) for media and publishing companies. It also offers Digital Consulting, custom Software Development, and Academy Training services to support publishers' digital transformation and audience engagement initiatives.

Product overview

ethinking GmbH is a family-owned digital solutions provider founded in 2014, offering a product suite of three core platforms: XP Layer (content orchestration for headless CMS systems), Push Notification Service (multi-channel push notifications), and Analytics & Data Engine (AI-powered business intelligence). The products work as an integrated ecosystem: XP Layer orchestrates content from CUE, Brightspot, WordPress, Contentful, and Ibexa across web, app, voice, and other channels; the Push Service delivers notifications via native plugins for CUE and Ibexa DXP to web, apps, smart speakers, and social platforms; and ADE provides analytics, predictive intelligence, and personalization to optimize content delivery and monetization. The company also provides professional services including consulting, implementation, AI integration, and Academy training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• XP Layer: Content orchestration software serving as the bridge between content creation and delivery for headless CMS platforms. Enables multichannel frontend development and customized content orchestration.
• ethinking Push
• Push.Delivery
• Analytics & Data Engine (ADE)

Products and services

• XP Layer
• Push Notification Service
• Analytics & Data Engine (ADE)
• Digital Consulting
• Software Development
• Academy Training

Quantifiable outcome

• Push notification click-through rates around 20%, open rates near 80% (e.g., DER SPIEGEL case)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration22 records

AI capability8 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / core, core and minor.

• Stibo DXflagship / coreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2024ethinking is an official partner of Stibo DX since 2024, building on more than 10 years of collaboration. The partnership combines ethinking's XP Layer, Push Service, and ADE with Stibo DX's CUE CMS into a comprehensive All-in-One solution for multi-publication news platforms. XP Layer is CUE-ready for all CUE versions (Escenic, Content Engine, Content Store, CUE Gateway), enabling smooth migration and unified content orchestration across brands.
• IbexacoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021ethinking is a Silver Partner of Ibexa. Jointly developed the Ibexa DXP Push Connector, enabling push notifications directly within the Ibexa DXP interface. The connector is available for free download on the Ibexa developers portal for Ibexa customers who are also push.delivery customers. ethinking also participated in Ibexa's global partner conference and webinars.
• Digital Media Hub (RTL Radio Deutschland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnerethinking collaborated with Digital Media Hub (a subsidiary of RTL Radio Deutschland) to develop the Audiobase central audio database and the white-label radio platform. ethinking played a leading role in founding the digital unit and developing the central platform as a white-label solution for radio stations including 104.6 RTL, Spreeradio, Jam.FM, and Antenne Niedersachsen.
• PostFinanceminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partnerethinking provided technical consultation and implementation for PostFinance's employer branding campaign, including concept, graphic design, animation, and programming of a landing page, as well as creating a charity challenge.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Storyblok: Headless CMS with a visual editor that enables content creators to orchestrate content across channels without developer dependency, directly overlapping ethinking's XP Layer value proposition for non-technical editorial teams.
• Kontent.ai: Headless CMS purpose-built for content editors and marketing teams, competing in the same editor-friendly orchestration niche ethinking serves for enterprise media customers.
• Contentful: Established headless CMS platform with native orchestration and extensibility APIs; XP Layer's adapter framework explicitly supports Contentful, making it both an integration partner and a substitute at the orchestration layer.
• OneSignal: Multi-channel push notification service for web, mobile, and email, offering comparable self-serve pricing tiers to ethinking Push with significant developer mindshare globally.
• PushEngage: Web push and multi-channel push notification SaaS offering segmentation and personalized messaging — directly overlapping ethinking Push on features and self-serve go-to-market.

Broad incumbents

• Stibo DX: CUE CMS vendor and ethinking's flagship technology partner; also a competitive incumbent in the enterprise headless news/publishing space where XP Layer is sold as complementary front-end orchestration.
• Ibexa: DXP vendor with which ethinking co-developed the Push Connector; represents the broader DXP category where ethinking's XP Layer and Push sit as extension modules.
• Brightspot: Enterprise headless CMS where XP Layer ships a native adapter; overlaps with ethinking in the digital media/publishing vertical served by both companies.
• Magnolia: Enterprise DXP/CMS platform with multi-channel delivery and integration capabilities, competing in the same enterprise media/commerce space as ethinking's XP Layer ecosystem.
• Arc XP: Enterprise digital experience platform built by The Washington Post for news and media organizations, addressing the same multichannel orchestration and audience engagement needs ethinking solves for European and LATAM publishers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ethinking
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/ethinking
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ethinking-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/ethinking

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ethinking