corporate watch
Corporate Watch is a London-based workers’ cooperative that investigates corporate power and provides publications, self-directed resources, and training to grassroots campaigns, unions, NGOs, and individual activists using company accounts, ownership records, and public contract data.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What corporate watch does
Corporate Watch is a London-based workers' cooperative founded in 1996. It investigates corporate power and provides research, publications, and training for grassroots campaign groups, trade unions, NGOs, other nonprofits, and individual activists. Its work includes targeted company investigations, collaborative Do-It-Together research, DIY and bespoke training, a handbook, and an online course. The methods taught and used include company-account analysis, ownership and director tracking, corporate-record examination, and investigation of public-sector contracts. The organization has no disclosed software product, SaaS platform, mobile application, or API; its principal technical assets are its investigative methodology and content corpus.
Corporate Watch is a private, nonprofit-oriented cooperative and states that it does not make a profit or accept money from companies or governments. Its funding comes from charitable-foundation grants, reader donations, regular-donation “Friend of Corporate Watch” memberships, publication sales, and training fees. Training is free for unfunded grassroots groups and campaigns, while unions, NGOs, and larger groups are charged on a sliding scale; some publications are free and others are sold. Services are distributed directly through the Corporate Watch website, self-directed materials, direct training delivery, social media, earned media, and activist-network referrals rather than commercial resellers. Available operating-geography data identifies the United Kingdom as the primary served market, while digital publications and training information are distributed online.
corporate watch firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- corporate watch
- Legal name
- Corporate Watch Co-operative Ltd
- Website
- https://corporatewatch.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Corporate Watch is a London-based workers’ cooperative that investigates corporate power and provides publications, self-directed resources, and training to grassroots campaigns, unions, NGOs, and individual activists using company accounts, ownership records, and public contract data.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
corporate watch industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investigative Research Services
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Due Diligence & Third-Party Risk Investigations (BPAKAEAC)
Keywords
Where corporate watch is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
corporate watch business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Foundation Grants: Corporate Watch receives funding from charitable foundations including the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, Lipman-Miliband Trust, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Network for Social Change, and Barry Amiel & Norman Melburn Trust.
- Donations and Membership: The organization accepts donations from readers and offers 'Friend of Corporate Watch' membership in exchange for regular donations. Members receive free copies of books and magazines.
- Publication Sales: Corporate Watch sells publications including handbooks, guides, and books on topics such as technology, capitalism, border regimes, and environmental issues. Some publications are available for free.
- Training Fees: Training is provided free to unfunded grassroots groups, while larger groups, unions, NGOs, and organizations are charged on a sliding scale.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Free training for grassroots groups |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
corporate watch product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Corporate Watch is a workers' co-operative research and training organization that investigates corporate power through investigative journalism and provides training services to help grassroots campaign groups, unions, NGOs, and individuals challenge exploitation. Its offerings include targeted company research, collaborative 'Do-It-Together' research, DIY training programs, and published investigations, reports, books, and pamphlets on corporate accountability topics.
Product overview
Corporate Watch is a research and training organization (workers' co-operative established 1996) that provides investigative journalism, company research publications, and educational training services. Its core offerings consist of published investigations, reports, and books on corporate accountability topics; DIY and bespoke training programs for corporate research skills; and self-directed learning materials. The publications portfolio includes titles such as 'TECH: A Guide to the Politics and Philosophy of Technology,' 'Who's in control? A short guide to investigating corporate power,' and 'So, you think you can Google? A guide to getting the most out of your searches.' The training services focus on teaching groups how to investigate companies, analyze accounts, track ownership, and examine public sector contracts. No technology product, software platform, or SaaS offering is present.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Publications (Investigations, Reports, Books, Pamphlets)
Quantifiable outcome
- Couriers won pay rise after Corporate Watch uncovered company accounts showing millions paid to owners (Citysprint case)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use corporate watch
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
corporate watch technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
corporate watch partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- MedactcoreCo-authored Palantir Technologies & NHS Data Systems report with endorsement from Good Law Project, Privacy International, Just Treatment, United Tech and Allied Workers Union, and Amnesty International.
- Privacy InternationalcoreCollaborative project with Privacy International profiling ten key companies pushing dual-use surveillance tech, examining how technology is funded, developed, and sold for military and civilian purposes.
- Good Jobs First / Violation Tracker UKcoreCollaborated on Careless Profiteering report investigating financialisation of care homes, commissioned by The Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) as part of Module 6 of the Covid-19 Inquiry.
- Independent Media AssociationminorCorporate Watch is a member of the Independent Media Association, an organization supporting independent media outlets.
- ImpressminorCorporate Watch is a member of Impress press regulator, adhering to high ethical standards in journalism.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights5 records
corporate watch competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Corporate Accountability: US-based nonprofit that campaigns to hold corporations accountable, particularly in health, food, and human rights. Closely comparable to Corporate Watch as a mission-aligned nonprofit using research and advocacy to challenge corporate power, though focused on US policy and transnational corporations.
- Good Jobs First: US nonprofit that maintains databases of corporate subsidies, misconduct, and violations (Violation Tracker). Direct peer — Corporate Watch has already collaborated with it on the 'Careless Profiteering' care-homes investigation, and both produce corporate accountability research for advocacy use.
- Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO): Brussels-based research and campaign group that investigates the influence of big business on EU policy. Highly comparable as a European peer organisation focused on exposing corporate lobbying, financialisation, and trade deals through investigative research.
- SOMO (Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations): Dutch research organisation investigating multinational corporations and their impact on people and the environment. Direct peer — comparable methodology (corporate research, accountability reports) and target subjects (multinationals in finance, tech, extractives).
- InfluenceMap: UK-based research organisation mapping corporate influence on climate policy. Direct peer in the corporate-accountability research space, with a more specialised focus on lobbying against climate action but the same investigative, data-driven methodology.
- Spinwatch: UK research group monitoring PR, lobbying, and corporate spin. Highly comparable as a UK-based nonprofit producing investigative work on corporate power and influence, with overlapping audiences in the activist and journalism communities.
Broad incumbents
- Bureau of Investigative Journalism: UK-based independent nonprofit investigative journalism outlet covering corporate, criminal, and state wrongdoing. Broader incumbent in the investigative-journalism space — overlaps with Corporate Watch on corporate accountability stories but covers many other domains and has a larger distribution model.
Regional players
- LobbyControl: German nonprofit campaigning for transparent lobbying and against corporate capture of politics. Comparable to Corporate Watch in mission and method (corporate power, transparency, advocacy) but primarily operating in the German-speaking market rather than the UK.
Emerging players
- Privacy International: UK-based charity investigating state and corporate surveillance. Partial overlap with Corporate Watch — they have already co-produced the dual-use surveillance tech investigation, and both engage in adversarial corporate research, though Privacy International is focused on data/surveillance rather than Corporate Watch's broader corporate-power remit.
- GRAIN: International nonprofit supporting small farmers and social movements against corporate control of the food system. Comparable in mission (challenging corporate power via research and movement support) but narrower thematic focus on food and agriculture, and a more international footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
corporate watch social profiles
Digital presencecorporate watch compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
corporate watch financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
corporate watch leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
corporate watch funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
corporate watch M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about corporate watch
What does corporate watch do?
Corporate Watch is a workers' co-operative research and training organization that investigates corporate power through investigative journalism and provides training services to help grassroots campaign groups, unions, NGOs, and individuals challenge exploitation. Its offerings include targeted company research, collaborative 'Do-It-Together' research, DIY training programs, and published investigations, reports, books, and pamphlets on corporate accountability topics.
Is corporate watch a public or private company?
corporate watch is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was corporate watch founded?
corporate watch was founded in 1996.
Where is corporate watch based?
corporate watch is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does corporate watch make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Foundation Grants are the primary driver. The others are donations and Membership, publication Sales and training Fees.
Who are corporate watch's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Corporate Accountability, Good Jobs First, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), SOMO (Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations), InfluenceMap and Spinwatch. Bureau of Investigative Journalism is listed as a broad incumbent. LobbyControl is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Privacy International and GRAIN.
Does corporate watch have an API?
No public API is recorded for corporate watch.
What industry is corporate watch in?
corporate watch's product category is Investigative Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAKAEAC, Corporate Due Diligence & Third-Party Risk Investigations. Its NAICS code is 8133.