Heidi.news

What Heidi.news does

Heidi.news (Heidi Media SA) is a Swiss independent digital news platform founded in 2019 and headquartered in Geneva. It publishes ad-free, French-language investigative journalism covering science, climate, health, education, and global/Swiss affairs, anchored by a long-form investigative series format called 'Explorations' that pairs online articles with printed magazines (Revues des Explorations). The platform is staffed by a team of 11-50 including named journalists and a global correspondent network, and operates under editorial standards aligned with the Munich Deontological Charter and Swiss Press Council.

The core technology stack is a standard digital publishing platform delivering content via web, mobile web shortcut, Telegram bot (@HeidiNews_Bot), and podcast audio (daily 'Le Point du jour' narrated by named voices). No proprietary AI, ML, or platform technology is disclosed; the moat is editorial content, not technology. Distribution is multi-channel: newsletters (Le Point du jour, Heidimanche, L'Immanquable, thematic Mon-Fri streams), social media across Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube, and a dedicated online shop (shop.heidi.news) for physical magazines and gift cards.

The business model is subscription-driven and ad-free. Revenue streams include individual digital subscriptions (starting at CHF 12/month), annual auto-renewing plans, a youth tier (ages 13-25), collective/enterprise tiers (Team, Duo, Family), gift cards (Bons cadeaux), physical magazine sales, donations/soutien contributions starting at CHF 50, and paid events. Customer segments are individual French-speaking readers (primary), enterprises/institutions (secondary), and youth (secondary). Geographic focus is French-speaking Switzerland (Romandy) and the international French-speaking audience, with GDPR and Swiss LPD compliance.

Name

Heidi.news

Legal name

Heidi Media SA

Website

https://heidi.news

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heidi.news is a Geneva-based, ad-free French-language digital news platform offering independent investigative journalism on science, climate, health, and geopolitics via subscription, newsletter, podcast, and print magazine to French-speaking audiences in Switzerland and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online News Subscription

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF), Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Independent journalism
• Digital news subscription
• Investigative reporting
• French-language media
• Newsletter publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital subscriptions: Paid individual, youth (13-25 years), and collective/enterprise digital subscriptions providing full access to all online content. Subscriptions include a free trial period; annual subscriptions auto-renew. Individual digital plan may be billed monthly or annually. Youth subscription priced differently from standard individual.
2. Physical magazine / Revue sales: Heidi.news publishes periodic printed magazines ('Revues des Explorations') derived from long-form online investigations. These are included in 'Explorateur' and 'Soutien' subscription plans, or sold individually via the online shop (shop.heidi.news). Physical delivery fees apply for international orders. Single-issue purchases available.
3. Donations / Soutien: Readers can make financial contributions ('faire un geste de soutien' / 'don') starting at CHF 50 to support the mission. For larger amounts, direct contact with the company is encouraged. Donors joining the 'Amis de Heidi.news' community receive exclusive privileges including events and editorial access.
4. Gift subscriptions (Bons cadeaux): Pre-paid gift cards for 'Explorateur', 'Découverte', and 'Digital' subscription plans, valid for one year from activation. Sold via the online shop.
5. Paid events: Heidi.news organizes paid events and conferences. Access may be free or paid; subscribers receive preferential pricing. Paid event registration is binding upon receipt of payment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Heidi.news is an independent Swiss digital journalism platform that publishes French-language investigative reporting, long-form articles (Explorations), news, opinions, videos, and daily news podcasts. Its primary product is paid digital subscription access to all editorial content, complemented by free daily and thematic newsletters used as lead magnets to convert readers into subscribers. The offering is augmented by periodic printed magazines and a subscriber community program.

Product overview

Heidi.news is a Swiss digital journalism platform operated by Heidi Media SA (Geneva) that publishes French-language investigative journalism, long-form reports (Explorations), news, opinions, videos, and podcasts. The core offering is a paid subscription platform (Abonnement) with tiers including Explorateur, Découverte, and Digital — providing unlimited access to all content plus community membership (Les Amis de Heidi.news). The product suite is augmented by a family of free newsletters: the daily audio podcast Le Point du jour (sent from a different city each day), thematic newsletters sent Monday–Friday, and the Sunday digest Heidimanche. A digital and printed publication program (Les Revues des Explorations) compiles investigations into special-edition journals. Additional offerings include gift vouchers, events, a Telegram bot for article summaries, and a member Q&A feature (Vos Questions).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Le Point du jour: Daily newsletter providing a summary of world news sent from a different city each day, in podcast/audio format.
• Heidimanche
• L'Immanquable
• Les Explorations

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• datatrans AGcoreOthersSwiss payment intermediary handling all credit card transactions on the site. Processes subscriber payments and online shop transactions. Located in Switzerland. Mentioned in the privacy policy as a data processor.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• De Correspondent: Dutch pioneering subscription-only investigative journalism platform. Closely mirrors Heidi.news's reader-funded, ad-free, deep-investigation model with strong community engagement mechanics.
• Le Temps: Leading Swiss French-language daily newspaper with subscription model. Targets the same Romandy audience as Heidi.news with both breaking news and deeper analysis, making it the dominant subscription competitor in the same geography.
• Republik: Swiss independent ad-free journalism platform funded by reader subscriptions. Operates in the same Swiss market with similar cooperative-style reader funding, investigative depth, and multi-format (digital + magazine) offering.
• The Conversation France: French-language edition of academic/scholar-driven independent news with editorially curated content. Comparable niche of independent, non-ad journalism aimed at informed readers seeking depth in science, society, and policy.
• Mediapart: French independent investigative subscription news outlet. Directly comparable business model — ad-free, reader-funded, premium investigative journalism behind a paywall — and the canonical benchmark for Heidi.news's subscription economics in the French-speaking market.
• Courrier International: French magazine aggregating and translating international journalism. Comparable French-language publication focused on curated international news and analysis, with both print magazine and digital subscription offerings.
• Slate.fr: French-language digital news magazine focused on analysis and long-form journalism. Overlaps with Heidi.news's mix of news, opinion, and thematic newsletters for French-speaking digital readers.

Regional players

• Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ): Swiss national newspaper of record with subscription model and strong investigative journalism. Comparable in national-Swiss subscription positioning and multi-format (digital + print) offering, though German-language rather than French.

Broad incumbents

• RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse): Swiss public broadcaster dominating French-language news in Romandy with free, publicly funded offerings across web, radio, and TV. Sets the audience expectation baseline and pricing ceiling Heidi.news must navigate.
• The Guardian: Major English-language independent outlet with subscription-supported model and global investigative journalism. Sets the global benchmark for reader-funded independent news economics that Heidi.news operates within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/heidi_news
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfYpN94AT2g4_gyJb0G_AmA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Heidi.news
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heidinews
• Instagraminstagram.com/heidi.news
• TikToktiktok.com/@heidi.news?

Compliance2 records

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 Heidi.news