E-Fellows
E-Fellows (e-fellows.net) is a Munich-based online scholarship and career network founded in 1999 and co-owned by ZEIT Verlagsgruppe and McKinsey. It connects students, graduates, and young professionals in the DACH region with 70+ employer partners through a scholarship database, job board, events, and mobile app.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersMünchen, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What E-Fellows does
E-Fellows (legal entity: e-fellows.net GmbH & Co. KG) is a Munich-based, privately held online scholarship and career network platform founded in 1999 and co-owned by ZEIT Verlagsgruppe and McKinsey & Company. The company operates a two-sided platform serving (i) students, graduates, and young professionals in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) with free access to an online scholarship program, a database of 1,000+ scholarships, 500+ job and internship listings, 100+ exclusive career events, an editorial magazine, and a podcast; and (ii) corporate clients (70+ partner employers including Allianz, BMW, Bertelsmann, Deutsche Bank, Deloitte, KPMG, McKinsey, and PwC) and higher education institutions that pay for recruitment services, employer branding, events, and job postings.
The core technology is a web-based platform (e-fellows.net) supplemented by a mobile application ("e-fellows.net to go" on iOS and Android), with a scholarship database and event management system. Product surface includes the main scholarship/career network, a dedicated job board (jobs.e-fellows.net), the Stipendien-Datenbank scholarship search database, an events portal, the TALENT Talks podcast, and an online magazine. The company expanded its educational offering in February 2024 through the acquisition of Berlin-based edtech startup Charly Education.
E-Fellows generates revenue primarily through recurring B2B partnership packages with employers and universities for job postings, exclusive recruiting events, employer branding, and talent pipeline access. The student-facing side is free, supported by these corporate partnerships. Distribution is digital-first (web + mobile) with significant offline event activation across the DACH region. The company has no disclosed external venture or private equity funding, and financial details (revenue, headcount growth, valuation) are not publicly disclosed. The company is recognized as a top-tier job board in Germany, having been named to the "Deutschlands Beste Jobportale" rankings (3rd place in 2025 for engineers/technicians and business economists) and as a "Best Job Board" for six consecutive years through 2026 by jobboersencheck.de.
E-Fellows firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- E-Fellows
- Legal name
- e-fellows.net GmbH & Co. KG
- Website
- https://e-fellows.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- E-Fellows (e-fellows.net) is a Munich-based online scholarship and career network founded in 1999 and co-owned by ZEIT Verlagsgruppe and McKinsey. It connects students, graduates, and young professionals in the DACH region with 70+ employer partners through a scholarship database, job board, events, and mobile app.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
E-Fellows industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Career Networking & Recruitment Platform
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL), Internships, Externships & Work-Based Learning Placement (EDAMAKAB)
Keywords
Where E-Fellows is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- München
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
E-Fellows business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Job Board / Recruitment Services: Platform enables employers to post jobs and recruit students, graduates, and young professionals. Revenue generated from company partnerships and job posting fees.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
E-Fellows product offering
Product offeringCore offering
E-Fellows operates an online scholarship and career network platform that connects students, graduates, and young professionals with employers, universities, and scholarship providers across the DACH region. The platform combines a job board with 500+ listings, a scholarship database with 1,000+ entries, exclusive career events, and partnership-based recruitment services for major German and international corporations. Revenue is generated primarily through employer partnership packages and job posting fees, while the network remains free for students.
Product overview
E-fellows.net is a German online scholarship and career network platform. The core offering consists of the e-fellows.net Online-Stipendium & Karrierenetzwerk, which provides exclusive benefits to top-performing students. The platform integrates a job board (Jobbörse) with over 500 positions, an events portal with career events, a scholarship database (Stipendien-Datenbank) with 1,000+ entries, and a mobile app (e-fellows.net to go). Additional offerings include the TALENT Talks career podcast and an online magazine with career guidance content. The platform serves students, graduates, and young professionals, connecting them with partner companies for recruiting, internships, and career opportunities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- E-Fellows Online-Stipendium & Karrierenetzwerk (Scholarship & Career Network) Core online platform combining an exclusive scholarship program for the top 10 percent of each graduating cohort with a career network connecting students and graduates to leading employers. Includes access to 1,000+ scholarships, 500+ job and internship listings, and 100+ exclusive events.
- E-Fellows Jobbörse (Job Board) Job board integrated into the e-fellows.net platform featuring 500+ current job and internship positions targeted at students, graduates, and young professionals from partner companies.
- Stipendien-Datenbank (Scholarship Database) Searchable database of 1,000+ scholarships for students across various disciplines and qualification levels, helping users find financial support for their studies.
- E-Fellows.net to go Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android that enables students and young professionals to access the E-Fellows network services, including job alerts, events, and scholarship information, on the go.
- E-Fellows Events Platform Event platform featuring 100+ exclusive events for career development, including MBA Day, Consulting Day, Women in Business, recruiting events, master days, and career fairs connecting students with employer partners.
- Employer & University Partnership Program Recruitment and branding service for employers and universities to access top student talent, including job postings, sponsored events, employer profile pages, and targeted campus recruiting.
Companies that use E-Fellows
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
E-Fellows technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
E-Fellows partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Charly EducationcoreE-fellows acquired Berlin-based edtech startup Charly Education in February 2024, expanding its educational offerings and student services capabilities.
- AllianzminorEmployer partner listing jobs and recruiting students through the platform. Major German insurance company.
- BertelsmannminorEmployer partner recruiting students through platform. International media company.
- BMW GroupminorEmployer partner recruiting students through platform. Major automotive company.
- DeloitteminorEmployer partner recruiting students and graduates through events and job postings.
- Deutsche BankminorEmployer partner recruiting students and graduates through events and job postings.
- KPMGminorEmployer partner with TechXXellence mentorship program for women, recruiting through platform.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
E-Fellows competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- LinkedIn: Global professional network with strong presence in DACH and expanding student/early-career features. Represents the broadest competitive overlap, although it is not specialized in the German scholarship/student niche that E-Fellows occupies.
- Xing: Major German-speaking professional network with job listings and recruiting tools. Comparable as a career platform serving German-speaking professionals, but operating as a broad incumbent rather than a student-focused niche.
- StepStone: One of the leading generalist job boards in Germany, with broad employer relationships and significant early-career traffic. Overlaps with E-Fellows in employer partnerships and student/graduate recruiting.
Direct peers
- Unicum: German student media and career network offering job listings, scholarship content, and employer events for high-school and university students. Overlaps closely with E-Fellows' scholarship database, job board, and event portfolio.
- Jobvector: Specialist German job board focused on engineers, scientists, and technical professionals. Comparable to E-Fellows in niche vertical focus and similar ranking categories, though without the broader scholarship/community layer.
- Absolventa: Germany-based graduate and entry-level career platform that connects students and young professionals with employers. Directly comparable to E-Fellows in target audience, employer partner model, and content-driven engagement.
- Handshake: US-based early-career network connecting students, universities, and employers. Closest international analog to E-Fellows in dual-sided platform model, university integration, and exclusive employer events.
- Stellenwerk: Operates university-affiliated job portals and career events across German universities. Comparable to E-Fellows in student recruitment focus, event-driven engagement, and university partnerships.
Emerging players
- Symplicity: Provider of career services and recruiting platforms for universities and employers. Comparable on the campus recruiting and career services technology layer, though more infrastructure-oriented than E-Fellows.
- Stipendium Plus: German scholarship information and matching service for students. Partial overlap with E-Fellows' Stipendien-Datenbank, though narrower in scope (no career or employer services).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
E-Fellows social profiles
Digital presenceE-Fellows financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
E-Fellows leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
E-Fellows subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
E-Fellows funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
E-Fellows M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about E-Fellows
What does E-Fellows do?
E-Fellows operates an online scholarship and career network platform that connects students, graduates, and young professionals with employers, universities, and scholarship providers across the DACH region. The platform combines a job board with 500+ listings, a scholarship database with 1,000+ entries, exclusive career events, and partnership-based recruitment services for major German and international corporations. Revenue is generated primarily through employer partnership packages and job posting fees, while the network remains free for students.
Is E-Fellows a public or private company?
E-Fellows is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was E-Fellows founded?
E-Fellows was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is E-Fellows based?
E-Fellows is headquartered in München, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does E-Fellows make money?
One revenue line is on record: job Board / Recruitment Services.
Who are E-Fellows's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are LinkedIn, Xing and StepStone. Direct peers are Unicum, Jobvector, Absolventa, Handshake and Stellenwerk. Emerging players are Symplicity and Stipendium Plus.
Does E-Fellows have an API?
No public API is recorded for E-Fellows.
What industry is E-Fellows in?
E-Fellows's product category is Online Career Networking & Recruitment Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAMAN, Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAFAMAL, Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 7361.