Recherche-team Reflekt

What Recherche-team Reflekt does

Verein REFLEKT (operating as Recherche-team Reflekt) is a Swiss nonprofit investigative journalism organization founded in 2019 and headquartered in Bern. It was established as Switzerland's first independent, nonprofit investigative team in response to budget cuts and quality erosion in traditional Swiss newsrooms. The organization conducts multi-month, cross-border investigations into corruption, power abuse, institutional failures, corporate malfeasance, and societal inequality, producing 3–4 major projects per year on topics such as asylum distribution, university misconduct, money laundering, prison conditions, and tax lobbying.

REFLEKT's core product is its investigative reports (Recherchen), delivered in text, video, audio/podcast, and an annual printed magazine format. Underlying capabilities include data-driven reporting, multimedia production, and a secure whistleblower intake stack (Tor Browser, Cryptomator, ProtonMail, Swisstransfer). Investigations are co-published with partner outlets including SRF Investigativ, Bajour, WOZ, RTS, and Der Beobachter, and the organization's digital platform is powered by the We.Publish ecosystem for independent Swiss media.

REFLEKT operates a community-funded, advertising-free model. Revenue is generated through individual memberships in four tiers (Kompliz:in at CHF 60/year, Insider:in at CHF 120/year, Whistleblower:in at CHF 210/year, Kronzeug:in at CHF 500/year) with over 1,000 paying supporters, supplemented by paid workshops on media literacy (CHF 80 per two-hour session), magazine sales shipped within Switzerland, sale of research results to media partners, and project-based grants from foundations including Investigativ.ch, JournaFONDS, and LokalHub. The organization is led by editorial director Christian Zeier and governed by a board presided over by Dominique Wandeler, with approximately 5–10 core team members supported by external specialists on a project basis.

Name

Recherche-team Reflekt

Legal name

Verein REFLEKT

Website

https://reflekt.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Recherche-team Reflekt is a Bern-based nonprofit investigative journalism organization founded in 2019 that produces multi-month, cross-border investigations on Swiss power abuse and corporate malfeasance, funded by 1,000+ individual members, workshops, and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Memberships / Donations: REFLEKT is funded entirely by supporters who pay annual membership fees (CHF 60–500 per year across four tiers). Over 1,000 individuals support the organization. No advertising is accepted.
2. Sale of Investigative Results: Revenue is generated by selling the results of investigations to other media outlets and institutions.
3. Workshops: REFLEKT offers paid workshops on media literacy, fact-checking, and investigative techniques. The two-hour course costs CHF 80, with discounts for Insider and Gönner supporters.
4. Magazine Sales: Supporters who join receive the annual REFLEKT magazine containing investigative reports and in-depth storytelling (shipping within Switzerland).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

REFLEKT is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization that conducts multi-month, cross-border research projects on Swiss institutional corruption, power abuse, and societal issues, publishing the findings on its own platform and co-publishing with partner media outlets. The organization is community-funded through individual memberships (CHF 60–500 per year across four tiers), with supporters receiving an annual magazine, workshop discounts, and early access to investigations. REFLEKT also sells investigative results to other media outlets, offers paid media literacy workshops, and provides a secure encrypted channel for whistleblower tips.

Product overview

REFLEKT is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization offering a portfolio of products centered on in-depth investigative reporting. The core offering consists of multi-month investigative reports (Recherchen) covering social, political, and economic topics in Switzerland, which are sold to media outlets and published on their platform. Supporting products include an annual printed magazine distributed to members, a two-hour media literacy workshop on fact-checking and source verification, and an email newsletter. A key service is the secure whistleblower platform enabling anonymous tips submission through encrypted channels. The organization functions as a reader-supported model, not a traditional software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investigative Reports (Recherchen)

Quantifiable outcome

• Zuger Police sensitized staff on hate speech reporting following REFLEKT's 'Kein Freund und Helfer' investigation.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Der BeobachtercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024REFLEKT conducted a joint investigation with Der Beobachter into 'Die Mathieu-Methode' (coaching fraud in Dubai). Both outlets collaborated on the reporting and publication of the investigation.
• We.PublishcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024REFLEKT's website and publishing infrastructure is powered by We.Publish, an ecosystem for independent media in Switzerland. We.Publish provides the technical platform for content management, subscriptions, and reader payments.
• HörkombinatminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022REFLEKT partnered with the audio duo Hörkombinat to produce the first podcast adapting a REFLEKT investigation ('Bei Rückkehr Folter? Schweizer Asylpraxis und Eritrea') into audio format.
• Bajour (Basel)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021REFLEKT co-published the 'Welchen Firmen gehört Basel?' investigation with Bajour, the Basel-based independent media outlet. This followed the 'Welchen Firmen gehört Zürich?' investigation.
• WAV RecherchekollektivcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021REFLEKT collaborated with WAV (Recherchekollektiv) on the year-long 'Gefängnis-Report' investigation into Swiss prison conditions, published jointly with WOZ weekly newspaper.
• Polit-Forum BernminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021REFLEKT co-hosted a panel discussion on real estate ownership and rent in Switzerland with Polit-Forum Bern, an organization focused on political education.
• WOZ Die WochenzeitungcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021WOZ (weekly newspaper) co-published the 'Gefängnis-Report' investigation with REFLEKT and WAV, with WOZ featuring in-depth narrative accounts of prisoners in their magazine issue.
• SRF InvestigativcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019REFLEKT co-publishes investigation podcasts and content with SRF Investigativ (Swiss Radio and Television's investigative unit), including the 'AntePAY' podcast series investigating organized crime's ties to FC Zürich sponsorship.
• Öffentlichkeitsgesetz.ch (Martin Stoll)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019REFLEKT partners with Öffentlichkeitsgesetz.ch for data-driven investigations requiring access to government data via freedom of information requests. Key collaboration: the 'Asyl-Atlas' investigation using SEM asylum data.
• Tagesspiegel Innovation Lab (Germany)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration partner in cross-border investigations, notably the European 'Cities for Sale' real estate investigation.
• Arena for Journalism in Europe (Jose Miguel Calatayud)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration partner for European journalism projects and cross-border investigations.
• Natalie Widmann (Data Journalist, Germany)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal data journalism specialist contributing to cross-border data-driven investigations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Republik: Swiss online magazine operating on a community-funded membership model with no advertising. Closest domestic peer to REFLEKT in Switzerland, with a similar audience of civically engaged readers, though Republik is a general-interest magazine rather than investigative-focused.
• Bellingcat: International open-source investigative collective using data-driven and cross-border methodologies. Comparable to REFLEKT in its use of data journalism, cross-border collaborations, and focus on accountability investigations.
• ProPublica: Leading US nonprofit investigative newsroom funded by donations and grants. Closest large-scale analog to REFLEKT's nonprofit investigative model, demonstrating how a small, donation-funded newsroom can produce high-impact accountability journalism.
• Correctiv: German nonprofit investigative journalism organization with a similar reader-funded, multi-month investigation model. Operates as a research collective producing award-winning accountability journalism, directly comparable to REFLEKT's nonprofit investigative model in the DACH region.
• OCCRP: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project is a global investigative journalism network with cross-border collaborative investigations. Highly comparable to REFLEKT's cross-border work (e.g., 'Cities for Sale') and its focus on corruption and money laundering (e.g., AntePAY).
• The Markup: US nonprofit investigative newsroom focused on technology and society. Shares REFLEKT's nonprofit, donor-funded model with a small core team producing in-depth accountability reporting and datasets.
• Follow the Money: Dutch investigative journalism platform funded by donations and grants. Comparable to REFLEKT in mission, funding model, and data-driven investigative approach, particularly for financial and corporate accountability stories.
• ICIJ: International Consortium of Investigative Journalists coordinates cross-border investigations globally. Comparable through REFLEKT's participation in European collaborative projects and joint investigative work with international partners.

Others

• Arena for Journalism in Europe: European foundation coordinating cross-border investigative collaborations. REFLEKT is a documented partner; comparable as an ecosystem participant enabling the kind of cross-border investigative work REFLEKT increasingly pursues.
• Investigativ.ch: Swiss research fund (Gottlieb und Hans Vogt Stiftung) that provides financial support for investigative journalism. Functions as a grantmaker to REFLEKT and similar outlets; comparable as a financial ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Reflekt.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/recherche-team-reflekt
• Instagraminstagram.com/reflekt.ch

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Recherche-team Reflekt