Kometa

What Kometa does

Kometa is an independent French bimonthly magazine published by Être À L'Est SAS, a privately held Société par Actions Simplifiée founded in 2022 and headquartered in Paris (2 rue Seveste, 75018). The publication covers international geopolitics, culture, and underreported global stories through a country- or theme-centric format, with each issue offering approximately 160–164 pages of original journalism, photojournalism, interviews, analytical cartography, and essays. Since launch it has released 13 regular issues plus one hors-série on Armenia, drawing on a contributor base that includes Emmanuel Carrère, Gaël Faye, François-Régis Gaudry, Karim Kattan, Vincent Munier, Golshifteh Farahani, Agnieszka Holland, and Laure Adler. Its audience is French-speaking educated readers seeking independent, advertising-free international reporting; the Carrère article that became the Prix Médicis-winning novel "Kolkhoze" is a notable reputational marker.

The product surface is a print magazine (published six times per year in odd months) bundled with a proprietary online reader, the "Liseuse." Kometa operates a direct-to-consumer model via kometarevue.com, offering three subscription tiers — Abonnement 4 numéros at €82 per year, Abonnement 8 numéros at €156 for two years, and a flexible Abonnement Liberté at €20 per issue — alongside single-issue purchases, gift subscriptions, and a free weekly newsletter ("La Comète"). Distribution leverages France's independent bookstore network under the prix unique du livre and international e-commerce shipping, with payments processed via Stripe. The company employs 19 people, is led by Présidente and founder Léna Mauger, has no disclosed venture or private-equity backing, and accepts reader donations through Donorbox to supplement subscription and single-issue revenue.

Name

Kometa

Legal name

ÊTRE À L'EST SAS

Website

https://kometarevue.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kometa is an independent, ad-free French bimonthly magazine covering international geopolitics and culture through long-form journalism, photography, and analysis, sold via subscriptions, single issues, and independent bookstores to French-speaking readers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Periodical Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Independent print journalism
• Bimonthly magazine publishing
• Geopolitical news coverage
• Long-form journalism
• Subscription magazine

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Kometa generates recurring revenue through annual and biennial subscriptions (82€ for 4 issues, 156€ for 8 issues) and open-ended subscriptions (20€ per issue). Subscriptions include both print and digital access via the liseuse reader.
2. Single Issue Sales: Individual magazine issues are sold at unit prices for readers who prefer one-time purchases. Each issue is available in print format with digital access included.
3. Donations: Kometa accepts donations through Donorbox platform, providing additional support from supporters who wish to fund independent journalism.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kometa publishes an independent, ad-free French bimonthly magazine (six issues per year, 160-164 pages each) covering geopolitics, international affairs, and culture through long-form journalism, photography, interviews, analysis, and maps. It sells subscriptions and individual print issues directly to consumers via its website and through independent bookstores, with all purchases including access to a digital reader (liseuse).

Product overview

Kometa is an independent, ad-free bimonthly magazine offering in-depth journalism, photography, interviews, analyses, and geopolitical maps. The product portfolio consists of a print magazine (164+ pages, published six times yearly in odd months) combined with a proprietary digital reader platform (Liseuse) providing secure online access to all purchased or subscribed issues. Subscriptions are available in three tiers: Abonnement 4 numéros (4 issues annually, 82€), Abonnement Liberté (flexible pay-per-issue at 20€), and Abonnement 8 numéros (8 issues over two years, 156€), plus gift subscription options. Individual print issues are also available for single purchase. A free weekly newsletter called La Comète delivers curated content to subscribers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kometa Bimonthly Magazine (Print Edition) Bimonthly print magazine of 160-164 pages featuring journalism, photography, interviews, geopolitical analysis, and maps. Published six times per year in odd months (January, March, May, July, September, November). Available for individual issue purchase or bundled with subscriptions; intended for educated French-speaking readers interested in international affairs and culture.
• Kometa Liseuse (Digital Reader) Online digital reader providing secure access to purchased or subscribed magazine issues. Included with every print purchase or subscription at no additional cost; digital versions are not available for the first four issues. Targets existing Kometa subscribers and single-issue buyers who want online reading access.
• La Comète Newsletter Free weekly newsletter delivering stories, photographs, and cultural recommendations from Kometa authors and photographers. Used to build audience engagement and convert readers into subscribers of the paid bimonthly magazine.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• XXI: French independent quarterly magazine of long-form journalism, photo-reportage, and investigations — the closest direct peer in format, editorial ambition, and ad-free subscription model.
• Books Magazine: French independent bimonthly literary and ideas magazine — comparable in targeting intellectually engaged readers with themed issues, premium production, and subscription-driven DTC distribution.
• Le 1 hebdo: Independent French weekly magazine offering a single themed issue per week covering politics, culture, and ideas — directly comparable in single-topic framing and intellectual reader positioning.
• Usbek & Rica: French independent magazine exploring the future through politics, science, and culture — comparable premium subscription model and intellectual reader audience with thematic editorial framing.
• Philosophie magazine: French independent monthly magazine of ideas and intellectual debate — comparable in targeting educated readers with single-theme issues, premium positioning, and subscription-driven model.

Emerging players

• The Atavist Magazine: Long-form narrative journalism magazine — comparable premium long-form editorial model with bundled digital access, though operating in English and at smaller scale.
• Feuillton: Newer French independent magazine of long-form journalism and ideas — comparable as a small, ad-free, subscription-driven French magazine targeting a similar intellectual reader segment.

Broad incumbents

• Courrier international: Established French weekly translating international press and perspectives — overlaps with Kometa's international affairs and translated-voice editorial positioning, but at much larger scale.
• Le Monde diplomatique: Established French monthly focused on international geopolitics and analysis — shares Kometa's geopolitical subject matter but operates at much larger scale and broader distribution.

Regional players

• Alternatives Économiques: French independent monthly on economic and social issues — comparable in independent subscription-based magazine model serving an engaged French intellectual readership, though focused on economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kometafr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kometafr
• Instagraminstagram.com/kometafr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Kometa