De Correspondent

What De Correspondent does

De Correspondent is a Dutch ad-free, member-funded online journalism platform founded in 2013 in Amsterdam, producing background, analysis, and investigative reporting across climate, healthcare, migration, politics, economy, and technology. The platform is accessible via its website and a newly launched mobile app (iOS/Android, February 2025), with a Progressive Web App planned for direct installation. The technology stack runs on Amazon Web Services infrastructure with a custom publishing system called Respondens, developed by design studio Momkai, which also handles the brand identity and product design.

The business operates a horizontal subscription model serving individual readers, corporate clients, and book readers through multiple membership tiers. Primary revenue comes from individual memberships at €10.50/month, €105/year, or €200 for two years, with approximately 63,000 paying members generating an estimated €8-9 million in subscription revenue annually. Business memberships (€90-94 per person/year, minimum 5 seats) and book memberships (4-6 titles annually at €9-32.50 per format) provide diversified recurring revenue, supplemented by book publishing (De Correspondent Uitgevers B.V.), donations, events, and a speaker bureau.

The company is privately held as Correspondent B.V., with a subsidiary (De Correspondent Uitgevers B.V.) handling publishing. Its articles of association cap profit distribution at 5% of revenue, reinforcing a mission-driven governance model supported by shareholder Stichting Democratie & Media. The English-language sister publication The Correspondent ceased operations on January 1, 2021. The current roster of approximately 20 staff correspondents — including internationally recognized authors such as Rutger Bregman — has driven content that has translated into 117 international book editions across 46 languages.

Name

De Correspondent

Legal name

Correspondent B.V.

Website

https://decorrespondent.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

De Correspondent is a Dutch ad-free, member-funded journalism platform founded in 2013 serving 63,000+ paying subscribers with in-depth reporting on societal themes via website, mobile app, podcasts, and an affiliated book publishing arm.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Journalism / Digital News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), Book Publishers (513130), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB), Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH), Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

Keywords

• Ad-free journalism
• Subscription news media
• Dutch online journalism
• Independent digital media
• Membership-based publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Primary revenue stream from 63,000+ paying members. Individual memberships at €10.50/month, €105/year, or €200/two years. Business memberships from €94-90 per person annually. Revenue from book publications, event tickets, corporate partnerships, and donations supplement membership income.
2. Book Publishing and Sales: De Correspondent Uitgevers publishes 4-6 books per year. Books are sold through the company's own kiosk shop (avoiding commission to large platforms like Bol.com), through book membership subscriptions (average €22.50 per paperback, €9 per e-book), and through retail distribution. Major bestseller 'De meeste mensen deugen' sold 600,000+ copies in Netherlands and 1.5 million globally in 46 languages.
3. Business/Corporate Memberships: Corporate memberships sold to organizations with 5+ employees. Annual pricing: €94 per person for 5-50 memberships, €90 per person for 51-100 memberships, custom pricing for 100+. Billed via invoice.
4. Donations: Additional donations from supporters beyond membership fees. Used to fund special projects like sending correspondents abroad or platform development.
5. Events and Lectures: Revenue from speaking engagements, lectures, and theatrical tours by correspondents. Theatrical shows based on books (e.g., 'Maankoorts' by Marjolijn van Heemstra, Simon van Teutem's 2026 theater tour).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

De Correspondent operates a subscription-based, ad-free Dutch online journalism platform accessible via its website and iOS/Android apps, providing members with daily in-depth articles, narrated audio stories, videos, podcasts, and a ~14,000-article archive. The platform sells individual and business memberships, and is complemented by De Correspondent Uitgevers, a book publishing subsidiary that releases 4-6 titles per year sold through an own kiosk shop, retail bookstores, and an optional Book Membership add-on.

Product overview

De Correspondent is a Dutch independent journalism platform organized as a single unified product with several complementary modules and sub-brands. The core platform (decorrespondent.nl) and mobile app (iOS/Android) provide subscription-based access to approximately 14,000 articles, daily narrated audio stories, videos, and two freely available podcasts ('Goede Gesprekken' and 'De Jesse Frederik Show'). The publishing division (De Correspondent Uitgevers) produces 4-6 books annually, available through an optional Book Membership add-on. Additional offerings include Business Memberships for organizations, Gift Memberships, multiple newsletter subscriptions, public events/lectures, and RSS feeds. The platform is fully ad-free and member-funded, with no public API.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vonkjes: A pamphlet series of ideas that inspire, designed to spark public debate on major themes of our time.

Products and services

• De Correspondent Membership Platform Subscription-based online journalism platform (web + mobile) providing members with unlimited access to ~14,000 in-depth articles, daily narrated audio, video, podcasts, newsletters and full archive. Available to individuals (€10.50/mo, €105/yr, €200/two years) and organizations (business membership).
• De Correspondent Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android providing full platform access to members on smartphones/tablets, consolidating articles, audio stories, and video in one interface.
• Goede Gesprekken Podcast Podcast hosted by Lex Bohlmeijer featuring in-depth conversations, freely available without a membership. Distributed via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Deezer, and TuneIn.
• De Jesse Frederik Show Podcast Podcast by correspondent Jesse Frederik, freely available without a membership, distributed via major podcast platforms.
• Zakelijk Lidmaatschap (Business Membership) Organizational subscription providing bulk access to all journalism content for Dutch organizations with 5+ employees, billed annually via invoice. Pricing: €94/person/year for 5-50 seats, €90/person/year for 51-100 seats, custom for 100+.
• Boekenlidmaatschap (Book Membership) Subscription add-on receiving all 4-6 books published annually by De Correspondent Uitgevers, automatically delivered before retail release with no shipping costs. Options: Total package (avg €32.50), Paperback (avg €22.50), E-book (avg €9), Audiobook (avg €15).
• Cadeaulidmaatschap (Gift Membership) Gift membership available as 3-month (€31.50) or 1-year (€105) gift providing unlimited platform access; auto-terminates unless the recipient renews.
• De Correspondent Uitgevers (Book Publishing) Wholly-owned publishing subsidiary (De Correspondent Uitgevers B.V.) producing 4-6 books annually on major societal themes, sold through own kiosk, retail bookstores, and 117 international translation deals (46 languages). Includes the 'Vonkjes' pamphlet sub-series.
• Speaker Bureau (Lezingen) Speaking engagements by correspondents on topics including media, politics, poverty, healthcare, climate, and culture, bookable via [email protected].
• Events and Theatrical Tours Public events including lectures, theatrical tours (e.g., 'Maankoorts' by Marjolijn van Heemstra, Simon van Teutem's 2026 theater tour) and festival appearances (Bookfest, Rooted Festival, Betweter Festival).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million people reached with a climate-focused deepfake video of Mark Rutte
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Momkai (Design Studio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign studio co-founded by Harald Dunnink and Sebastian Kersten. Responsible for the website, app, brand identity, house style, book covers, campaigns, and the Respondens publishing system. Ongoing creative partnership.
• The Black ArchivesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 'Maand van de Verzwegen Geschiedenis' (Month of Suppressed History), which led to changes in Dutch history textbooks through joint advocacy.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• De Volkskrant: One of the Netherlands' largest-circulation quality dailies, similarly cited by De Correspondent as a 25x-revenue incumbent. Competes for the same Dutch subscriber seeking substantive journalism, but operates a traditional broadsheet model across print, web, and apps.
• The Guardian: UK-headquartered, globally distributed digital-first news organization with a reader-funded membership model alongside other revenue. Comparable in mission emphasis on independence and reader support, but operates at vastly larger scale across multiple geographies and content verticals.
• Trouw: Established Dutch quality newspaper with a progressive, values-oriented editorial profile that overlaps with De Correspondent's audience and subject-matter focus. Competes for the same Dutch subscriber seeking substantive coverage of society, ethics, and politics, though Trouw is part of the larger DPG Media group.
• Het Financieele Dagblad (FD): Dutch financial and economic daily with a subscription-driven, ad-light model that overlaps with De Correspondent's corporate membership proposition. Targets professional readers and organizations, and represents an incumbent alternative in the Dutch paid news subscription market.
• NRC Media (NRC Handelsblad / nrc.nl): Major Dutch quality newspaper publisher referenced in De Correspondent's own FAQ as having roughly 25x its revenue. NRC competes head-to-head for Dutch subscribers seeking substantive news and analysis, but with a much broader portfolio (print, digital, multimedia) and ad-supported revenue.

Direct peers

• De Groene Amsterdammer: Long-running Dutch opinion and current affairs weekly that competes for the same progressive, civic-minded Dutch readership. Both publish in-depth analysis and opinion on Dutch politics, society, and culture, and both rely on subscriptions rather than advertising as their primary revenue model.
• Follow the Money (FTM): Dutch investigative journalism platform focused on financial, economic, and corporate accountability reporting. Both are Dutch independent, member- or donation-funded investigative outlets that have built reputations for rigorous, ad-free journalism outside the established newspaper system.
• ProPublica: US-based, mission-driven investigative journalism organization funded by members and donors rather than advertising. Mirrors De Correspondent's member-funded, ad-free, mission-driven model, and both have built reputations for award-winning investigative and explanatory journalism outside the conventional newspaper industry.
• Vrij Nederland: Dutch opinion and current affairs magazine with a long history of progressive, in-depth reporting on Dutch society and politics. Competes for the same Dutch reader segment that values long-form, opinion-driven journalism, and has moved to a digital-first, subscription-based model similar to De Correspondent.
• Blendle: Dutch pay-per-article and subscription news aggregation platform founded around the same time as De Correspondent. Both target Dutch readers with paid digital journalism models distinct from traditional newspapers, and both emerged from the same Dutch digital media innovation wave.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/embed/iJSskliQ2xI
• Facebookfacebook.com/decorrespondent
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/de-correspondent
• Instagraminstagram.com/decorrespondent
• Xx.com/decorrespondent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

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 De Correspondent