What CleanThinking does

CleanThinking (cleanthinking.de) is a German-language online business magazine founded in January 2009 by Martin Jendrischik in Leipzig, Germany, and operated as a sole proprietorship (Jendrischik PR, Einzelunternehmen). The publication covers Cleantech and the German energy transition (Energiewende) across six editorial categories — energy, mobility, buildings, production, politics, and scientific knowledge — and has built an archive of over 4,200 articles since founding. Its core audience consists of prosumers and home energy decision-makers, politicians and municipal leaders, Cleantech industry participants, and climate-aware general readers in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). The publication maintains editorial independence and positions itself as a pragmatic, fact-based counterweight to fossil fuel misinformation, using an "orchestrated journalism" methodology that combines narrative structure with expert validation from scientists at institutions including DIW Berlin, Fraunhofer ISE, IEA, and Ember.

The platform is built on WordPress with self-hosted Matomo analytics (hosted by ITholics GmbH in Germany, ensuring no third-country data transfers), Google AdSense, and Google Cloud CDN. The business model combines three revenue streams: (1) advertising, exclusively managed by BusinessAd GmbH (Düsseldorf) since October 2019; (2) recurring supporter/membership fees via the Steady platform (Steady Media GmbH, Berlin), which also provides newsletter delivery; and (3) affiliate commissions through Amazon Partner Program, AWIN, and ADCELL. Distribution is exclusively digital: a free website, a free weekly newsletter (Cleanthinking Briefing, delivered every Friday at 7:00 AM to 1,400+ subscribers), a 23,000+ member Facebook community, and active profiles on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. The publication carries ISSN 3055-0998 and is privately held with no external institutional investment.

Name

CleanThinking

Legal name

Jendrischik PR

Website

https://cleanthinking.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CleanThinking (cleanthinking.de) is a German-language online business magazine founded in 2009 covering Cleantech and the Energiewende for prosumers, professionals, and industry participants across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, monetized through advertising, supporter memberships, and affiliate marketing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Leipzig

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Revenue model

1. Advertising (BusinessAd): Cleanthinking.de is exclusively marketed by BusinessAd GmbH (Düsseldorf) since October 2019. BusinessAd sells advertising placements on the site. The advertising relationship is exclusive and managed by the BusinessAd team.
2. Supporter/Membership (Steady): Readers can become supporters via the Steady platform (Steady Media GmbH, Berlin). Supporters receive an ad-free newsletter experience. The Steady widget is embedded on the site for sign-ups. Newsletter data is stored on Steady's servers in Germany with no third-country transfers.
3. Affiliate Marketing: Cleanthinking participates in affiliate partner programs including Amazon Partner Program (Amazon Europe Core S.à.r.l.), AWIN (AWIN AG, Berlin), and ADCELL (adcell.de). These programs generate revenue when readers click affiliate links and complete transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CleanThinking is a German-language online business magazine that publishes Cleantech and Energiewende (energy transition) news, analyses, interviews, and company profiles. Its core offering is the free cleanthinking.de website with editorial categories covering Energy, Mobility, Buildings, Production, Politics, and Knowledge, complemented by a free weekly Friday newsletter (Cleanthinking Briefing) and supporter memberships via the Steady platform.

Product overview

Cleanthinking.de is a German-language online business magazine focused on Cleantech and Energiewende (energy transition), founded in 2009. The core offering consists of the Cleanthinking.de online publication providing news and analysis across six editorial categories: Energie (Energy), Mobilität (Mobility), Gebäude (Buildings), Produktion (Production), Politik (Politics), and Wissen (Knowledge). The publication operates on a freemium model with a free weekly newsletter (Cleanthinking Briefing) delivered every Friday at 7:00 AM, and premium Supporter memberships through the Steady platform. Advertising and content partnerships are available via BusinessAd.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cleanthinking Briefing: Weekly newsletter delivered every Friday at 7:00 AM, summarizing the most important Cleantech news and backgrounds with economic analysis.
• Mutmacher-Serie

Products and services

• Cleanthinking.de Online Magazine A free German-language online business magazine covering Cleantech and Energiewende (energy transition) topics across editorial categories including Energy, Mobility, Buildings, Production, Politics, and Knowledge. Features news articles, analyses, interviews, and company profiles documenting the global energy transition for German-speaking readers.
• Cleanthinking Briefing Newsletter
• Supporter Membership (via Steady)
• Advertising and Content Partnerships

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4,200 articles published since 2009 documenting the global energy economy transformation
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BusinessAd GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusinessAd GmbH (Headquarter Düsseldorf, Tersteegenstraße 30, 40474 Düsseldorf) has been the exclusive advertising sales partner for Cleanthinking.de since October 2019. BusinessAd manages all advertising placements, media kit distribution, and client relationships on behalf of CleanThinking. Contact: [email protected], Tel.: +49 211 179347 50.
• ITholics GmbHcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerITholics GmbH (Magnusstraße 1, 87437 Kempten) provides website hosting and IT support for Cleanthinking.de. The hosting agreement includes a data processing agreement (AVV) per GDPR Art. 28. Matomo analytics are self-hosted on ITholics servers in Germany, ensuring no third-country data transfers. ITholics is also listed as the webmaster.
• Steady Media GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSteady Media GmbH (Jägerstraße 63, 10117 Berlin) provides the newsletter delivery platform and paid supporter/membership functionality for Cleanthinking. Newsletter data is stored on Steady's servers in Germany with no third-country transfers. The Steady widget is embedded on the site for reader sign-ups.
• Amazon Europe Core S.à.r.l.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCleanthinking participates in the Amazon Partner Program (affiliate). Amazon EU provides affiliate links for book reviews and product mentions, generating revenue when readers purchase through tracked links.
• AWIN AGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCleanthinking participates in the AWIN affiliate network. AWIN AG (Eichhornstraße 3, 10785 Berlin) is a joint controller with publishers for affiliate marketing data processing per GDPR Art. 26.
• ADCELLminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCleanthinking participates in the ADCELL (adcell.de) affiliate partner program as an additional affiliate marketing channel.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Renewables Now: Renewables Now provides English- and German-language news and market data on renewables, with partial overlap on German market coverage. It is comparable to CleanThinking on industry-news content but operates as an international paid-news platform rather than a German niche magazine.

Direct peers

• PV Magazine: PV Magazine covers solar and adjacent renewable-energy industries with extensive German coverage, operating as an English-language publication that targets the same Cleantech-professional audience as CleanThinking. It directly overlaps CleanThinking's editorial focus on PV, batteries, and energy transition economics.
• EUWID Neue Energie: EUWID Neue Energie is a German trade publication covering the European energy transition and new-energy industries. It is comparable as a paid trade-news subscription outlet serving Cleantech industry participants alongside CleanThinking.
• Clean Energy Wire: Clean Energy Wire produces fact-based journalism on the German Energiewende in English and German, an explicit competitor for the policy-analyst reader. It mirrors CleanThinking's solutions-oriented framing and expert-sourcing methodology, with broader institutional backing.
• klimareporter: klimareporter is a German online magazine covering climate and energy policy journalism, with a fact-based, independent editorial stance. It is structurally similar to CleanThinking in format, audience (policy-aware general readers), and German-language Cleantech focus.
• energate: energate is a German energy news service for utilities, municipal utilities, and policy actors. It shares CleanThinking's prospective audience of municipal decision-makers and industry professionals and covers overlapping topics on Energiewende policy and markets.
• IWR – Internationales Wirtschaftsforum Regenerative Energien: IWR is a German specialist outlet dedicated to renewable energy news, data, and background for professional readers. Its German-language renewable-energy focus directly overlaps CleanThinking's editorial remit and industry-following audience.
• Solarserver: Solarserver covers the German solar industry with news, market data, and analysis. It is the closest direct industry-trade substitute for CleanThinking's PV-focused coverage and shares the German-language Cleantech-professional target reader.
• energy & management (E&M): E&M is a long-running German B2B trade publication covering the energy industry. It competes directly for decision-maker and industry-professional readership and operates a comparable paid-content plus advertisement model.

Broad incumbents

• ZEIT Online: ZEIT Online is a major German general-news outlet that frequently covers Cleantech, energy, and climate themes. It is comparable as an adjacent incumbent that siphons the same professional and prosumer audience with much broader editorial resources.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Cleanthinking
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cleanthinking
• Facebookfacebook.com/cleanthinking
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/martinjendrischik
• Instagraminstagram.com/cleanthinking

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 CleanThinking