What FLAG21 does

FLAG21 is a Geneva-based non-profit association founded in 2017 to facilitate the integration and inclusion of migrants and refugees in Switzerland through sport. The organization delivers free, no-registration multicultural sports programming at public venues (primarily Parc des Eaux-Vives, with seasonal sessions at Quai Wilson) and at partner institutions, organized into sub-brands MIGRUN (weekly running), MIGYOGA (weekly mixed yoga), MIGWALK (weekly sports walking), Jeux sportifs pour enfants (children's sports games), FLAG21 HORS MURS (outreach activities launched in 2023 at migrant reception centers and social residences), RUN4WORK (sports volunteering plus professional integration, born from a Refugees@Work hackathon), and INCLUSPORT (tailored placement into local sports clubs).

The underlying operating model is human-coach-driven and low-technology. FLAG21 runs with only 3 paid staff — Directrice Christiane Fischer, project lead and yoga instructor Martina Novotny, and Inclusport lead Javier Lopez — supported by roughly 15 volunteer coaches drawn largely from migrant backgrounds with multilingual capabilities spanning Farsi, Tigrigna, Arabic, Ukrainian, Kurdish, and French, and a volunteer committee of approximately 12 members including co-founders Léna Menge (Présidente), Maurizio Velletri (Trésorier), and Jérôme Berthoud. Activities are entirely free to participants, distributed via WhatsApp community groups, partner referrals, and the flag21.ch website; the organization reports reaching approximately 1,000 persons per year across 35 nationalities with 46 active members.

FLAG21's revenue model combines three streams: a CHF 60 annual membership (which provides a T-shirt and access), tax-deductible individual donations via IBAN CH06 0900 0000 1420 7312 5, and institutional grants from a foundation cluster (Beisheim Stiftung, Fondation Leenaards, Fondation Aletheia, Fondation Sandoz, Loterie Romande) and public actors (Ville de Genève, Canton de Genève, KIP, Bureau de l'intégration et de la citoyenneté, Service cantonal du sport, communes including Plan-les-Ouates and Vandoeuvres). Its flagship institutional partner is Hospice général, which provides access to migrant housing centers for FLAG21 HORS MURS. No revenue, budget figures, or funding-round data are disclosed.

Name

FLAG21

Legal name

FLAG21

Website

https://flag21.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FLAG21 is a Geneva non-profit founded in 2017 that facilitates migrant integration through free multicultural sports programs including running, yoga, walking, and children's activities. It serves ~1,000 beneficiaries across 35 nationalities annually, funded by memberships, donations, and foundation and cantonal grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Sports & Social Integration Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF)

Keywords

• Community sports programs
• Migrant integration services
• Nonprofit sports association
• Multicultural physical activity
• Social inclusion programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership at CHF 60 per year, which includes access to weekly sports activities and a FLAG21 T-shirt.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations. IBAN CH06 0900 0000 1420 7312 5 for contributions.
3. Institutional funding and grants: Support from public institutions (Ville de Genève, Canton de Genève, Communes), foundations (Beisheim Stiftung, Fondation Aletheia, Fondation Leenaards, Fondation Sandoz, Loterie Romande), and government programs (Bureau de l'intégration et de la citoyenneté, KIP).
4. Free services to beneficiaries: All sports activities (MIGRUN, MIGYOGA, MIGWALK, children's sports games) are provided completely free of charge to participants, funded by membership fees, donations, and institutional support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FLAG21 is a non-profit association that organizes and delivers free, multilingual, multicultural weekly sports activities (running, yoga, walking, children's sports) primarily in Geneva, Switzerland, to facilitate the social, physical, and professional integration of migrants and refugees. In addition to weekly on-site sessions, the association runs FLAG21 HORS MURS (outreach activities at partner institutions), RUN4WORK (sports volunteering coupled with professional integration support), and INCLUSPORT (placing migrants into local sports clubs).

Product overview

FLAG21 is a non-profit association (not a software/technology company) organized as a collection of social-sports programs. Its offerings are not software products but rather service programs centered around sports and physical activity for migrant integration. The core weekly activities include MIGRUN (running), MIGYOGA (yoga), MIGWALK (sports walking), and children's sports games—all held at Parc des Eaux-Vives in Geneva. These are complemented by FLAG21 HORS MURS (outreach activities at partner institutions), RUN4WORK (volunteering + professional integration), and INCLUSPORT (sports club placement). All activities are free, without registration, and open to all without discrimination, with coaches providing advice in multiple languages (Farsi, Tigrigna, Arabic, Ukrainian, Kurdish).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MIGRUN: Weekly running sessions for migrants at all levels, including competition participation
• MIGYOGA
• MIGWALK
• INCLUSPORT
• RUN4WORK
• FLAG21 HORS MURS

Products and services

• MIGRUN

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000 persons touched by activities annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

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

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting, major and minor.

• Hospice généralcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017FLAG21's flagship institutional partner. Provides access to migrant housing centers and social residences where FLAG21 delivers sports activities through the FLAG21 HORS MURS program. FLAG21 organizes activities at Hospice général locations, serving residents in their integration journey through sport.
• Ville de Genève (City of Geneva)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor municipal supporter providing legitimacy and venue access. The Service des sports de la Ville de Genève supports FLAG21's mission and provides backing for sports integration activities in Geneva parks and public spaces.
• KIP Genève (Programme d'Intégration Cantonal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCantonal integration program of the Canton de Genève providing institutional backing and coordination for FLAG21's integration through sports activities.
• Bad-des-JeunessupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeneva badminton club partnering with FLAG21's INCLUSPORT program to welcome migrant members.
• Vernier DancesupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDance school in Vernier, Geneva, partnering with INCLUSPORT to integrate migrants into dance activities.
• Dauphins VerniersupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwimming club in Vernier, Geneva, partnering with INCLUSPORT to welcome migrant members.
• Black Sharks BernexsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVolleyball club in Bernex, Geneva, partnering with INCLUSPORT for migrant integration through team sports.
• Boxing Club GenevoissupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeneva boxing club partnering with INCLUSPORT to integrate migrants into combat sports activities.
• Léman RunningsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLake Geneva running organization, one of FLAG21's running club partners in the Geneva sports community.
• Meyrin RunsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMeyrin running group, partner in FLAG21's running network in the Geneva region.
• Running GenevasupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeneva-based running organization, part of FLAG21's partner ecosystem for running activities and events.
• TogetherRunsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRunning organization co-organizing events with FLAG21 in the Geneva region.
• Commune de Plan-les-OuatesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner in the Geneva canton providing support for FLAG21's activities and integration mission in the region.
• Commune de VandoeuvressupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner providing backing for FLAG21's sports integration activities in the Geneva canton.
• ici.ensemblesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegration initiative platform working with FLAG21 on shared integration goals in Geneva.
• SwissDonationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSwiss online donation platform supporting FLAG21's fundraising and donor engagement efforts.
• IdéeSportsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss sports promotion organization, partner in FLAG21's ecosystem for sports integration activities.
• APRÈS GenèvesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneva sports and lifestyle organization, partner in FLAG21's network of sports integration stakeholders.
• SportObs (Observatoire du sport populaire)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPopular sports observatory. Co-director Jérôme Berthoud holds leadership in this organization, creating a strong strategic alliance.
• AGS (Association Genevoise du Sport)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneva sports association, part of FLAG21's institutional sports network in the canton.
• Bureau de l'intégration et de la citoyennetécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCantonal bureau supporting INCLUSPORT project, providing institutional backing for migrant integration through sport in Geneva.
• Service cantonal du sportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCantonal sports service supporting INCLUSPORT and providing official backing for FLAG21's sports integration programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Suisse: Large Swiss humanitarian organization running migrant integration programs including sports and community activities. Competes for the same foundation and cantonal funding pools as FLAG21 but at substantially greater scale.
• Croix-Rouge suisse (Swiss Red Cross): National humanitarian organization with established migrant integration and health-promotion programming. A much larger incumbent competing for similar public and philanthropic funding aimed at newcomer integration in Switzerland.

Direct peers

• SportObs (Observatoire du sport populaire): Geneva-based popular sports observatory with shared leadership (co-director Jérôme Berthoud is also a FLAG21 co-founder). Engages in sport-populaire research and advocacy adjacent to FLAG21's grassroots sports integration work.
• IdéeSport: Swiss sports-promotion association already named as a FLAG21 partner. Operates community-based sports activities targeting youth and at-risk populations across Switzerland, sharing FLAG21's community-led delivery model and grassroots funding approach.
• ici.ensemble: Swiss integration initiative platform partnering with FLAG21. Shares the migrant-inclusion mission through community-level activities and is part of FLAG21's institutional ecosystem in Geneva.

Regional players

• Association Genevoise du Sport (AGS): Canton-level sports association of which FLAG21 is a partner. Aggregates and represents Geneva sports clubs, providing the umbrella network that FLAG21's INCLUSPORT program plugs into.
• APRÈS Genève: Geneva sports-and-lifestyle organization listed as a FLAG21 partner. Targets similar community sport engagement goals in the Geneva canton with overlapping institutional networks and beneficiary demographics.

Emerging players

• Play International (formerly Sport Sans Frontières): International NGO using sport as a tool for education and social inclusion of vulnerable children and youth. Conceptually aligned with FLAG21's sport-for-integration thesis but operating at multi-country scale.

Others

• Hospice général: Geneva institution responsible for migrant housing and social aid, and FLAG21's flagship institutional partner. Provides access to migrant populations for FLAG21's HORS MURS program and is a commissioning stakeholder rather than a direct competitor.
• Bureau de l'intégration et de la citoyenneté (Canton de Genève): Cantonal bureau supporting FLAG21's INCLUSPORT project. A key commissioning/funding partner rather than a competitor, but its broader integration programming partially overlaps with FLAG21's remit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FLAG21_Geneve
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flag21

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 FLAG21