We.publish

What We.publish does

We.Publish is a Swiss non-profit foundation (Stiftung) founded in 2020 and headquartered in Basel that builds open-source digital publishing infrastructure for independent media. It serves a network of more than 20 independent news outlets in Switzerland, Austria, and the broader DACH region, including Bajour, Tsüri, Hauptstadt, Reflekt, OnlineReports, WNTI, Gruppetto, ee-news, Mannschaft, and ganzgraz. The foundation's mission is to provide technical, editorial, and fundraising support that allows small, community-oriented newsrooms to operate at professional standards without relying on proprietary commercial platforms.

The foundation operates an integrated product stack on open-source code published via GitHub. We.Develop is the core content management system; We.Start is an incubation programme for launching new independent media; We.Share is the cross-newsroom network layer that facilitates content exchange, peer learning, and joint infrastructure; and the foundation has added AI tooling, notably the Dorfkönig AI agent, built on a proprietary RAG pipeline that runs on the Apertus open Swiss large language model developed with ETH Zurich. Additional services include Fundraising as a Service and an Expert Network connecting member outlets with specialised advisors.

Because We.Publish is structured as a Stiftung, its revenue model is grant- and membership-driven rather than commercial. Funding has come from multiple Swiss philanthropic foundations (Volkart, Mercator Schweiz, Ernst Göhner, Christoph Merian, Migros Pionierfonds) and from public programmes such as the Media Forward Fund, with additional operating support from membership-style contributions by network media. The team is small (approximately 10-11 people), with a co-leadership transition to Scheurer and Sprenger as co-CEOs effective January 2026. Network outlets have won industry recognition including European Publishing Awards in 2024 for Gruppetto and Bajour, the Swiss Press Award, and 30 under 30 honours, indicating that the foundation's portfolio approach translates into measurable editorial outcomes.

Name

We.publish

Legal name

We.Publish Foundation

Website

https://wepublish.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

We.Publish is a Swiss non-profit foundation that builds open-source digital publishing infrastructure, including a CMS, an AI agent on the Apertus language model, and a peer network for 20+ independent DACH newsrooms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Publishing Platform for Independent Media

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Newsroom/CMS Platforms for Publishers (MPACAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Blogging & Website Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAB), Online News & Magazine Publishing Platforms (CMS & Hosting) (MPAJAMAC), Online Article & Blog Publishing Platforms (MPAJAMAF)

Keywords

• Open-source publishing platform
• Newsroom CMS software
• Digital media infrastructure
• Independent media network
• Publishing technology tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership/Contribution Fees: Participating media pay a membership fee to access the shared infrastructure. This provides access to the common and continuously updated CMS, network benefits, and shared knowledge.
2. Foundation and Grant Funding: We.Publish is supported by various Swiss foundations including Volkart Stiftung, Stiftung für Medienvielfalt, Mercator Stiftung Schweiz, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Temperation Stiftung, Migros Pionierfonds, and Christoph Merian Stiftung. These provide project funding and operational support.
3. Fundraising as a Service: We.Publish supports independent media with foundation research, grant drafting, and submission. They handle most of the fundraising process structured, data-based, and customized. Media pay only if they win grants.
4. Expert Network Services: Practical support for almost any challenge, from people who have themselves built media, campaigns, and communities. Experts can be booked by network media for consultation services.
5. Technology Customization and Development: Individual adaptations and extensions are developed together with media. Either one medium finances an extension alone, or several media share the costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

We.Publish Foundation develops and operates an open-source digital publishing infrastructure for independent media organizations. The platform provides a content management system (CMS) for editorial workflows, a subscription/membership CRM with automated billing, an in-platform crowdfunding tool, newsletter integration, and an article peering system that lets content be shared across a network of media outlets. Complementary offerings include We.Start (accompaniment program for new media), We.Share (network and knowledge-sharing formats), Fundraising as a Service, an Expert Network, and AI-powered editorial tools.

Product overview

We.Publish is an open-source digital publishing ecosystem for independent media. The platform consists of a core CMS (We.Develop) with integrated subscription management, crowdfunding, newsletter, and article-peering features, complemented by three pillars: We.Start for new media accompaniment and transformation, We.Share for network exchange and collaboration, and a suite of AI-powered editorial tools. Additional offerings include Fundraising as a Service and an Expert Network. The infrastructure is shared across a network of independent media, with costs and knowledge distributed among participants. The platform integrates with payment providers (Payrexx, Stripe, Mollie), accounting (Bexio), email/newsletters (Mailchimp, Brevo), analytics (Plausible, Google Analytics), copyright management (ProLitteris), and security (Cloudflare).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• We.Start: A structured accompaniment program for new and transforming media projects, offering strategic consulting, network access, and fundraising support.
• We.Develop
• We.Share

Products and services

• We.Develop Open-source digital publishing infrastructure (CMS) for independent media, including editorial workflows, subscription/membership CRM with automated billing, in-platform crowdfunding, newsletter integration (Mailchimp, Brevo), and article peering between network media. Integrations with Payrexx (Twint, credit card), Bexio, and Cloudflare.
• We.Start Structured accompaniment program for new and transforming media projects offering strategic consulting, network access, fundraising support, and access to expert network. Designed for journalists and founders launching or transforming independent media organizations.
• We.Share Network and knowledge-sharing pillar providing formats for cooperation including monthly exchanges, workshops, hackathons, a shared Slack channel, and article peering between network media. Designed for editorial and operational teams across independent media outlets.
• Fundraising as a Service Service that handles foundation research, grant application drafting, and contact maintenance using a database of Swiss foundations combined with a matching system that aligns media's editorial DNA with foundation priorities. Success-based billing: media pays only if grants are won.
• Expert:innen-Netzwerk (Expert Network) Network of practitioners who have founded media, run campaigns, and built communities themselves, offering hands-on support across crowdfunding, business models, newsletters, member campaigns, social media, design, HR, and organizational development. Bookable on a consulting basis by network media.
• KI-Tools (AI Exoskeleton for Newsrooms) Suite of AI-powered tools for research and editorial processes, designed to relieve small newsrooms from routine work without replacing journalists. All agents run on a proprietary RAG pipeline that ensures AI tools argue only based on verified documents. Includes the Dorfkönig hyperlocal agent and planned specialized agents for government monitoring, newsletter drafting, regional advertising monitoring, and community management.
• Dorfkönig (Hyperlocal AI Agent) First AI agent in production at We.Publish: autonomously collects and structures official bulletins, open government data, and association calendars from municipal sources to create hyperlocal news suggestions for the daily Basel Briefing newsletter (15,000 readers, 50%+ open rate). Currently deployed in ten Basel suburban municipalities with Bajour.

Quantifiable outcome

• 86.7% of Swiss journalists already work with AI, yet 64.2% in newsrooms with fewer than 10 positions report missing AI strategy - We.Publish addresses this gap
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, flagship, core and minor.

• ETH ZürichstrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2026ETH AI Center collaborated on Apertus 1.5, the open Swiss language model. We.Publish and Bajour cited as journalism application example. Foundation for independent, European AI infrastructure for media.
• BajourflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Primary test partner for AI tools including Dorfkönig. Working together on hyperlocal AI journalism in ten Basel suburban municipalities. Bajour is We.Publish's flagship and first media partner since January 2020.
• Verband Medien mit Zukunft (VMZ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Monthly exchanges organized jointly with VMZ. For media that want to learn from each other and share experiences, challenges, and solutions.
• opendata.chminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-organized Rethink Journalism Hackathon events bringing together media professionals, coders, and curious citizens to develop technical solutions for journalism challenges.
• PayrexxcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Payment processing integration with Twint and credit card support. Enables seamless payment collection for subscriptions and crowdfunding.
• BexiocoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Accounting software integration for automated invoicing. Part of Swiss-focused tech stack for independent media.
• MailchimpcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Newsletter tool integration with automatic synchronization of contacts and subscriptions between CMS and newsletter platform.
• CloudflarecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Security integration for the We.Publish platform infrastructure.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Substack: Subscription-based publishing platform for individual writers and small publications, dominant in the newsletter-first creator economy. Competes for the same independent media audience, though Substack is more individual-writer focused while We.Publish targets organized newsrooms.
• Ghost: Open-source publishing platform with built-in subscription and membership monetization, popular with independent journalists and writers. Highly comparable to We.Publish's CMS + subscription model, with similar open-source approach and creator/newsroom focus.
• Steady: Was a Berlin-based membership and crowdfunding platform specifically built for independent media (now operating under different model). Flimmer migrated from Steady to We.Publish in 2025 for data sovereignty, demonstrating direct competitive dynamics in the German-speaking independent media market.
• Memberful: Subscription and membership management platform designed for independent creators and publishers, integrated with WordPress and other CMSs. Overlaps significantly with We.Publish's CRM/subscription functionality for its media network.
• Pico: Subscription platform designed specifically for independent journalism, offering paywalls and reader revenue tools. Targets the same independent media segment as We.Publish with overlapping functionality on subscription management.
• Newspack: Automattic's publishing platform specifically designed for small and independent newsrooms, offering CMS, subscription, and membership tools. Closest direct competitor to We.Publish in mission and target market, though it operates as a commercial product rather than a non-profit foundation.

Emerging players

• Beehiiv: Newsletter-first publishing platform with monetization tools, focused on growth and audience development. Competes for the same independent media audience with a different emphasis on newsletter-led publishing rather than full CMS infrastructure.
• Plone: Mature open-source content management system with strong presence in government, education, and enterprise publishing. Comparable open-source philosophy and extensible architecture, though Plone targets broader enterprise use cases rather than specifically independent journalism.

Broad incumbents

• WordPress VIP: Enterprise-grade WordPress offering for publishers and large media organizations, owned by Automattic. Serves a much larger and more established publisher segment than We.Publish but with overlapping CMS, subscription, and content tools.
• Arc XP: The Washington Post's enterprise CMS and publishing platform, now offered commercially to large publishers. Operates at a fundamentally different scale (large media organizations) than We.Publish but competes in the same digital publishing infrastructure category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/wepublish/wepublish
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/we-publish
• Xx.com/WePublish_media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 We.publish