What Vert does

Vert is an independent French ecological news media outlet, founded in 2020 in Paris and structured as a non-profit association (loi 1901). It produces daily editorial coverage of climate, biodiversity, pollution, health-environment, agriculture, energy, and related political and disinformation topics, delivered through a website (vert.eco), daily/weekly/monthly email newsletters, video content, a podcast ("C'était mieux après"), and active social channels across Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Bluesky. The organization is editorially focused exclusively on ecological news and journalism, with no advertising and no billionaire or institutional ownership. The technical platform is a conventional digital publishing stack: a CMS-backed website, email newsletter infrastructure, podcast and video hosting, Matomo for audience analytics, and Donorbox for donation and membership processing.

The organization employs 17 permanent staff (13 of whom are professional journalists) and works with a network of roughly 80 freelance journalists across France and internationally. Co-founders Juliette Quef and Loup Espargilière lead the outlet, and a new specialized investigation unit on health and pollutions is being built around investigative journalist Sophie Roland (formerly of Cash Investigation and Envoyé spécial).

Vert is funded entirely by reader donations. Its primary revenue stream is the Club Vert membership, a tiered recurring donation program priced at 5€/9€/19€/100€ per month, with benefits ranging from fewer donation requests to annual dinners with the editorial team and consultation on major editorial decisions. Donations are processed via Donorbox and routed through the association J'aime l'info, which makes them 66% tax-deductible for individuals and 60% for companies under Vert's recognized status as a political and general information media outlet. Secondary revenue includes one-time donations and merchandise (posters.vert.eco). As of mid-2026 the organization reports 5,862+ paying Club members and a combined monthly audience reach of approximately 6 million across all owned digital channels.

Name

Vert

Legal name

Vert

Website

https://vert.eco

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vert is an independent, reader-funded French media outlet that produces daily ecological journalism via its website, newsletters, podcasts, video, and social channels for a general-public audience in France and French-speaking markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Journalism

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Syndication & RSS/Feed Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAF)

Keywords

• Digital news media
• Environmental journalism
• Online publishing
• News membership
• Investigative reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recurring Member Donations (Club Vert): Monthly recurring donations from Club members at four tier levels (5€, 9€, 19€, 100€/month). All donations are 66% tax-deductible in France through the association J'aime l'info. This is the primary revenue stream, funding journalism operations.
2. One-time Donations: Occasional one-time donations from supporters who do not join the recurring Club membership. Also 60% tax-deductible for companies (up to 0.5% of annual revenue).
3. Merchandise (Boutique): Sale of merchandise including posters through the online store at posters.vert.eco.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Vert is an independent French non-profit ecological news outlet that publishes daily environmental articles, long-form investigations, newsletters, podcasts, and videos. Its commercial offerings are a paid membership community (Club Vert) and a small merchandise boutique, with the broader business sustained by reader donations. The content is aimed at French-speaking readers interested in ecology, climate, and environmental issues.

Product overview

Vert is an independent French media outlet focused on ecological news and environmental journalism. The company operates a unified digital media platform consisting of its main editorial website (vert.eco), multiple newsletter products (daily, weekly, monthly editions), video content, and podcasts. The business model centers on a Club membership program with tiered subscription levels that provide donor benefits and editorial engagement opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vert website (vert.eco) Daily ecological and environmental news and long-form investigations published on the Vert website, aimed at French-speaking readers interested in ecology and climate.
• Vert newsletters Email-based newsletters delivering ecological news and editorial selections from Vert to subscribed readers.
• Vert podcasts Audio podcasts on ecological and environmental topics, distributed through podcast platforms to French-speaking listeners.
• Vert videos (YouTube) Video reporting and editorial content on ecological topics distributed via Vert's YouTube channel.
• Club Vert Paid membership community that gives supporters access to Vert journalists and content in exchange for recurring financial support, forming the backbone of the outlet's non-profit, reader-funded model.
• Vert boutique (merchandise) Online merchandise store selling branded items to readers, providing a small supplementary revenue stream for the non-profit association.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 million people reached monthly across all platforms
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DonorboxcoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform used for managing recurring donations and membership subscriptions. Members can manage, increase, reduce, or cancel their regular donations through Donorbox accounts.
• Freelance Journalist NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of approximately 80 freelance journalists working across France and internationally to produce reports and investigations. Part of the core content production ecosystem.
• Médias partenaires (France Inter, La Croix, StreetPress)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborates with other independent French media outlets including France Inter, La Croix, and StreetPress for content sharing, journalist training, and broader reach.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Basta!: French independent media outlet focused on social and ecological issues, with a reader-funded model similar to Vert. Overlapping niche focus and community-driven approach make it a directly comparable peer in French independent media.
• Médiapart: French independent reader-funded investigative news outlet. Comparable through its independent, no-advertising, reader-supported model, though covering broader political and investigative topics rather than exclusively ecology.
• Reporterre: French independent daily newspaper founded in 2008 covering ecological and environmental news. The most comparable peer to Vert given its identical French-language, independent, ecological focus and reader-supported business model.
• Novethic: French media and research organization focused on sustainable development and ESG topics. Comparable as a specialized ecological/sustainability media outlet serving the French market, though with a more corporate audience focus.
• Bon Pote: French ecological newsletter and blog with significant French environmental media audience. Closely comparable through its niche focus on ecological topics and newsletter-led distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• De Correspondent: Dutch reader-funded independent journalism platform founded in 2013. Comparable business model of community-funded independent journalism, though broader topic scope and serving the Dutch market rather than French.
• Le Monde: Major French national newspaper with extensive climate, biodiversity, and environmental coverage. A broad incumbent serving French ecological news readers and frequently citing Vert's content.
• The Guardian: Major UK-based international newspaper with a renowned climate and environment section. Operates a reader-funded model and sets the standard for quality climate journalism, partially competing with Vert for environmentally engaged audiences.

Regional players

• Climate Central: US-based climate science journalism and communication organization. Comparable mission of climate-focused journalism but operates primarily in the US market and English language.
• Carbon Brief: UK-based specialist climate journalism website covering climate science and policy. Comparable niche focus on specialized climate journalism but primarily serving the UK market with English-language content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQvVZr4LCFW94hLuzLkiNfQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/vertlemedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vertlemedia
• Instagraminstagram.com/vert_le_media
• TikToktiktok.com/@vert_le_media
• Xx.com/Vert_le_media

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Vert