What Avenir Suisse does

Avenir Suisse is a privately held, independent Swiss economic policy think tank founded in 2001 (founding year also referenced as 2000 in firmographic data) and headquartered in Zurich with a secondary office in Lausanne. Its core output is policy research and analysis on Swiss economic and political issues, organized around five thematic pillars: Open Switzerland (Offene Schweiz), Infrastructure and Markets, Sustainable Welfare Policy (Tragbare Sozialpolitik), Smart Government, and Equal Opportunity Society (Chancen-Gesellschaft). Products include long-form publications, blog posts, a bi-weekly podcast series called 'Think dänk!', video content, and the Democratia – The Isle of Five mobile game, which simulates Swiss direct democracy and is available in five languages. Content is distributed free of charge through a multilingual website (German, French, Italian, English), RSS feeds, social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube), podcasts, and app stores.

The organization operates as a non-profit funded by a broad base of over 130 corporate and private donors spanning industries and language regions across Switzerland; this diversified donor base is explicitly cited as the foundation for the think tank's research independence. Customer segments are horizontal and non-paying: Swiss federal and cantonal policymakers, business and industry associations (e.g., Economiesuisse equivalents), the general Swiss public, and educational institutions use the research for policy formulation, public debate, and civic education. Leadership comprises a Director (Peter Grünenfelder), a Directeur romand (Jérôme Cosandey), a Deputy Director (Michele Salvi), and approximately a dozen Senior Fellows and researchers covering social, energy, migration, competition, and media policy domains.

The business model is donor-funded philanthropy: all research, multimedia, and the mobile game are provided at no cost to users. With 11–50 employees, Avenir Suisse has cumulatively produced over 2,000 analyses, publications, podcasts, and videos since inception, positioning itself as a recurring, visible participant in Swiss economic policy discourse without a transactional revenue model.

Name

Avenir Suisse

Legal name

Avenir Suisse

Website

https://avenir-suisse.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Avenir Suisse is an independent, non-profit Swiss economic policy think tank founded in 2001, headquartered in Zurich, that produces free multilingual research publications, podcasts, videos, and the Democratia mobile game for Swiss policymakers, businesses, the public, and educational institutions, funded by over 130 corporate and private donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Avenir Suisse is an independent Swiss think tank that produces policy research and analysis on economic, social, and governance issues affecting Switzerland. Its core deliverables are publications, blog posts, podcasts (Think dänk!), videos, and interactive educational tools such as the Democratia mobile game, all provided free of charge and funded by more than 130 corporate and private donors.

Product overview

Avenir Suisse is a Swiss economic think tank that produces research publications, podcasts, blog posts, videos, and interactive digital content. Its product portfolio consists primarily of intellectual output including the 'Think dänk!' podcast series featuring expert discussions on Swiss policy issues, various research publications on topics such as taxation, migration, social policy, and economic reform, and the 'Democratia – The Isle of Five' mobile game that simulates Swiss direct democracy. The organization operates multiple language versions (German, French, Italian, English) and offers RSS feeds for content distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Democratia – The Isle of Five: A multiplayer mobile game about Swiss direct democracy, simulating political discourse. The game was awarded as best 'Serious Game' at the Swiss Game Awards 2021.
• Think dänk!
• Avenir Jeunesse

Products and services

• Democratia – The Isle of Five (Mobile Game)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Economiesuisse: Swiss umbrella business federation advocating for market-economy policy positions. Comparable as a Swiss policy advocate for free-market positions and a frequent counterpart in policy debates, but structured as a membership federation rather than an independent think tank.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Larger US-based global policy research organisation with much broader scope including defence, health, and education research. Comparable as a globally recognised think tank with similar publication output, though far larger and not focused on Swiss or European economic policy specifically.
• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): UK-based global affairs think tank producing independent research on international issues. Comparable as an independent research organisation with a strong brand and similar content output, though with a broader international-relations focus rather than narrowly Swiss economic policy.

Direct peers

• Wifo Austrian Institute of Economic Research: Vienna-based economic research institute commissioned by the Austrian federal government to produce economic analysis and forecasts. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and product offering (research, publications, policy advice) for a small German-speaking European economy.
• Bruegel: Brussels-based economic think tank producing research on European economic policy with corporate and public-sector funding. Highly comparable as an independent economic policy research organisation with similar products (publications, blogs, multimedia events, international contribution).
• ifo Institut: Munich-based independent economic research institute with a liberal-economic orientation that produces policy research, the ifo Business Climate Index, and a large publications library. Highly comparable in mission (independent market-economy research), funding model, and product portfolio to Avenir Suisse.
• KOF Swiss Economic Institute: Swiss economic research institute at ETH Zurich producing macroeconomic research, forecasts, and policy analysis. Direct Swiss peer operating in the same country and policy space, with overlapping research output and audience of policymakers and business.
• DIW Berlin (German Institute for Economic Research): Berlin-based economic research institute producing policy research and economic analysis. Comparable as an independent economic research organisation producing research output for policymakers and business audiences in a German-speaking context.
• ZEW Centre for European Economic Research: Mannheim-based economic research institute producing empirical research on European economic policy topics. Comparable as an independent economic think tank with similar publications and policy-relevance focus for business and government audiences.
• IWH Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung Halle: German economic research institute producing academic and policy-oriented economic research. Comparable as an independent economic think tank with a similar publication output and focus on economic policy analysis for business and government audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/avenir_suisse
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/zukunftschweiz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/avenir-suisse
• Instagraminstagram.com/avenir_suisse
• Facebookfacebook.com/107269286019299

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Avenir Suisse