The award is presented to companies in the cultural and creative industries and in interfacing sectors of the economy. It honors “people who show courage, commitment and always ask themselves: What can I do even better? The award is not an innovation prize, but rather focuses on the entrepreneurial personality – because especially in these challenging times, it is important to give the industry a face and show the innovative power that is generated by the diversity of its courageous people, dissenters and pioneers,” say the award organizers.

Dr. Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, describes the founders of the cultural and creative industries as “seismographs”: “They always focus on the issues that affect us as a society – and respond to them with clever answers. With creative thinking, entrepreneurs find ways to solve old and new problems.”

“We need these different perspectives more than ever to shape a future worth living,” adds Claudia Roth, Federal Minister for Culture and the Media.

“We don’t just produce translations, we transfer ideas,” is how founder Jochen Adler describes the borderless European quality journalism offering. The Frankfurt-based start-up has its team spread across the entire European continent. With “artificial intelligence” and language technology, the digital reader provides a completely new information offering for a new era, free from fake news and AI hallucinations: endless inspiration, quite literally, and an independent view of events at home.

“Misinformation and disinformation will be the biggest threat to our freedom and prosperity in the next two years,” Adler quotes a recent World Economic Forum report. “We are grateful every day for the journalistic work of our partners, and we are happy with our practical solution to a pressing issue. A vibrant democracy needs a strong, free and independent media landscape, that’s currently evident throughout Europe and across the world. We are very proud of this award.”

More information

About the award.
kompreno’s profile on the Kultur- und Kreativpilot*innen website.
About kompreno.
LinkedIn.
Instagram.

Contact / Interviews

kompreno GmbH, Jochen Adler, office@kompreno.eu

In a digital reading experience without borders, the content and language technology start-up makes in-depth analysis, solution-oriented commentary and award-winning reportage available to us all, in the five major European languages: translated to a high standard in English, but also in French, Spanish, German and Italian.

Tablet and smartphone, Apple or Android: since August, Europe’s most important texts are also available on the mobile app developed especially for kompreno’s subscribers.

“Thousands of inspirations, always well within reach. Unique perspectives at the swipe of your finger,” says Paul Maibach, “and thanks to our responsive web app, even power users can continue to research deep into our content archive. Maibach is responsible for technology and product at kompreno: “Our small team has done a fantastic job with limited resources. We have laid the groundwork to soon offer even more features that will tailor the kompreno experience to each reader’s needs. This will enhance both utility and individual reading pleasure.”

kompreno not only translates, but also makes targeted reading recommendations using innovative language technology. Each reader can create their own personal mix of information, both across places and across topics – climate and sustainability, international economics, energy and geopolitics, digital society and innovation, but also social justice and organised crime. Exclusively for subscribers, the service is 100% fair and ad-free, with no distractions and, of course, no brokerage of personal data.

“In a digitally connected world and with social media, it has become difficult to see the substance behind waves of outrage, or to distinguish between opinion and fact,” comments Giuseppe Menditto, who is responsible for selecting publication partners and their editorial material at kompreno. “This is how polarisation takes hold, and free societies seem to be increasingly divided. Time and again we meet people who, feeling overwhelmed, have greatly reduced or even stopped their news consumption. In this situation, we focus on an ad-free reading experience without distractions, high quality content, and reliable sources with the highest standards. We want to open new horizons and break down prejudices, with quality European journalism from outside our own ‘bubble’.

“Each of our subscriptions directly contributes to the sustainable funding of quality journalism across the continent,” adds Jochen Adler, founder and CEO of the start-up. “As a newcomer, we are very grateful to our partners for this vote of confidence. It gives me great pleasure every day to see how, together, we are providing a platform that helps outstanding writing reach new audiences. Our service makes local solutions to global challenges more accessible to all of us. He also explains the project’s ambitious goals: “All revenues from subscriptions will be shared with our partners, both directly and indirectly. In this way, we want to contribute to ensuring that these media outlets can continue their valuable work independently for a long time to come, which they all too often do in the face of resistance”.

Out of deep conviction, kompreno even makes its rich and innovative offering available free of charge to people under the age of 25. “This is our reverse generational contract,” explains Adler: “Anyone who, whether as an employee, entrepreneur or simply as a citizen, is dependent on high-quality information and can afford to pay fairly for it, is also enabling free access to education. This model should be an incentive, for example in the classroom or at university, to deal with Europe’s great diversity and the unique value of a free press,” explains Adler.

More than 25 partners from 12 countries are already involved, including some lighthouse media that shape national debates (such as Le Monde and DIE ZEIT), but also specialist magazines such as Prospect Magazine, eastwest (Italy) or MO* Magazine (Belgium), and innovative community journalism such as andererseits from Austria, where an editorial team comprised of people with and without disabilities, working side-by-side, sets new standards for inclusive journalism. The cross-language kompreno archive, which is open to subscribers, has already grown to well over 7,000 translated texts since its launch. The borderless diversity continues to grow, not only through the almost daily addition of new texts, but also through the constant but very deliberate inclusion of new, high-quality, often exclusive partners.

The latest addition, for example, is esglobal: “Politics, business and ideas from the Spanish-speaking and Latin American world” – not only in Spanish, but now also for all of us.

The interdisciplinary team, spread across the continent, launched last year and has already developed a broad client base and strong network. The locally rooted impact start-up is owner-led, guided by strong beliefs and values, conservative and independently funded. kompreno was founded in Frankfurt – in the heart of Europe – during the Covid pandemic.

Contact / Interviews

kompreno GmbH, Jochen Adler, Schleusenstr. 15, 60327 Frankfurt.
https://kompreno.eu, +49.69.870063980, office@kompreno.eu.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/komprenoeu
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KomprenoEu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kompreno.eu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kompreno.eu

The first reading experience without borders brings together the most relevant analysis, reporting and opinion and makes it available in five major European languages. Articles are selected daily from lighthouse media that shape national debates (such as Independent, DIE ZEIT and Le Monde), but also from specialised magazines and innovative participatory journalism projects.”It’s an Interrail pass for the digital world!” says founder Jochen Adler. “Every single text is rewarding. Our content team does a fantastic job with the curation and editing.”With over 20 media partners from 10 European countries, the subscription already provides enough reading material for a few rainy weekends or long train journeys. The team is constantly expanding the selection, but “it’s already enough for a few roundtrips between Frankfurt and Rome,” Adler notes.”Constant breaking news and the barrage of social platforms have led to a widespread withdrawal from news consumption among many people,” notes Giuseppe Menditto, the Head of Content at kompreno. “This is precisely why our target audience from Europe and around the world enjoys our ‘slow journalism’: the background, the context, and the diversity of perspectives.””We are not a supermarket, but rather a delicatessen. We are constantly learning from our readers and improving our offer,” adds Paul Maibach, Head of Product, who is also responsible for technology. “Over time, we can recommend content that is better suited to everyone’s reading preferences, while still providing veritable surprise and thought-provoking discoveries.””Technology has to serve humanity,” concludes Adler. “We incorporate AI where it enables what was previously impossible, but we always retain the human touch. That’s why our media partners see us as pioneers for digital transformation, as well as for their own international growth.”For example, Jago Kosolosky, chief editor of MO* from Belgium, says: “Joining the kompreno network was a very easy decision. Not only do we offer our unique reporting to new readers who don’t know MO* yet, but we also created a promising new revenue stream. On top of that, our efforts regarding multilingual publishing are being multiplied through kompreno.”For eastwest.eu, the geopolitical magazine based in Italy, Fabrizia Falzetti, editorial coordinator, adds: “We are very pleased to make our articles available for more readers in more languages. kompreno offers a very innovative platform and business model to help us reach a larger audience.”With its interdisciplinary team, spread throughout the continent, and a broad network of experienced partners and advisors, the young company spent two years preparing the launch of its product, which is fair and ad-free. The locally rooted start-up is independently financed and managed with a principled stance by the owner. It was founded in Frankfurt during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Contact / Interviews

kompreno GmbH, Jochen Adler, Schleusenstr. 15, 60327 Frankfurt.
https://kompreno.eu, +49.69.870063980, office@kompreno.eu.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/komprenoeu
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KomprenoEu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kompreno.eu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kompreno.eu

Le Monde successfully launched its own English-language digital edition only recently. From now on, the internationally renowned publishing group is making further editorial content from several brands available across Europe via kompreno — in exclusive translation — initially in German, Spanish and Italian, in addition to English.

“We are now bringing the ‘Grande Nation’ even closer to our subscribers,” says Jochen Adler, kompreno’s founder and CEO. “Like Le Monde itself, L’Obs is an institution in France. Le HuffPost France was the first edition of the legendary Huffington Post in a non-English-speaking country. And that was back in 2012! Such pioneer spirit is a perfect fit for us.”

“Le Monde has long been a beacon in France and throughout the French-speaking world, including with our special editions, such as Le Monde Afrique. Since this year, Le Monde in English also brings our unique French and European perspective on current events to the wider world,” adds Eleonora Pizzi, Syndication Manager of Groupe Le Monde, in her statement on the enhanced partnership.

Mrs. Pizzi further states: “Consequently, we also support kompreno, the continental network for quality journalism without language barriers, with a selection of our exclusive content. With high-quality partners and a cosmopolitan audience – in Germany and the Benelux countries, Scandinavia, Italy and Spain, as well as around the world – kompreno adds another feature to our portfolio and will also provide insights for our own international content and brand strategy.”

kompreno’s editorial partner network is constantly expanding, and is based on an open, partnership-based business model. In addition to Le Monde, the network already includes national lighthouse media such as Independent and DIE ZEIT, as well as specialised magazines like brand eins from Germany, MO* Magazine from Belgium, Economic from Bulgaria, Eastwest from Italy, Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik, and Prospect Magazine. Moreover, it features the unique, often award-winning reporting of digital community media such as Euromaidan Press from Ukraine, Deine Korrespondentin from Germany, L’Ultimo Uomo and Frontiere News from Italy, or Baggrund from Denmark.

With a sleek digital design and innovative language technology, the Frankfurt-based start-up provides a barrier-free reading experience, appealingly translated and intelligently personalised, but without echo chambers and algorithmic filter bubbles. Particularly sought-after kompreno topics include climate change and sustainability, digital society and innovation, international business and politics, social justice and human rights. These provide insights into a globalised, networked world – but always founded on European values. This unique mix ensures endless diversity and infinite discoveries on smartphone, tablet or desktop. 100% fair, 100% ad-free: the most relevant analysis, commentary and reporting from a variety of trusted sources across the European continent.

With its interdisciplinary team, which is spread throughout the continent, and a broad network of experienced partners and advisors, the young company spent two years preparing its market launch. The locally based start-up is independently financed and managed with a principled stance by the owner. It was founded in Frankfurt during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Contact / Interviews

kompreno GmbH, Jochen Adler, Schleusenstr. 15, 60327 Frankfurt.
https://kompreno.eu, +49.69.870063980, office@kompreno.eu.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/komprenoeu
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KomprenoEu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kompreno.eu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kompreno.eu

In partnership with these and other renowned media brands from across all of Europe, kompreno makes the continent’s most valuable texts available in five languages: English, Spanish, German, French and Italian. The ever-evolving diversity is fed by national flagship media (such as The Independent or Le Monde), specialised magazines (like MO* Magazine from Belgium, brand eins from Germany, or Prospect Magazine from the UK) and innovative online publications (for example Frontiere News from Italy or Deine Korrespondentin from Germany).

State-of-the-art language technology not only ensures fluent translations, but also tailors the reading to subscribers’ interests, by topics and places, without creating the ‘filter bubbles’ or ‘echo chambers’ that social media like Facebook are often criticised for. Thus, kompreno offers a unique variety of high-quality reporting and analysis on international politics and economics, climate and sustainability, digital society, migration and social justice in a single subscription.

As Head of Content, Giuseppe Menditto is responsible for guiding this selection: “Every day, we grow the diversity and plurality of our offering. Our readers stay in touch with current events around the world, but always with the necessary distance and from different, unique perspectives. Local solutions with global impact, long-lasting material instead of ‘hot news’: these are the standards by which we curate our content. To bring such fantastic writing to an even wider audience is a wonderful mandate for our team.”

“The removal of language barriers creates a whole new marketplace for quality journalism. We are very proud to be able to open up foreign language audiences to each and every publication when they entrust us with their valuable content. Most importantly, we are also enabling direct cooperation between publishing houses and are growing into an open, collaborative content network. This will hopefully lead to a completely new public sphere, and strengthen European identity in an increasingly networked, complex, digitalised world.” This is how Jochen Adler, who initiated the project in 2020, describes the mission and his personal hopes.

Above all, kompreno has paid the utmost attention to a unique reading experience on every digital device from the very beginning. Here, Paul Maibach is responsible, as CTO and Head of Product: “Our offer is simple and beautiful, the content speaks for itself. We are not interested in advertising or data brokerage. Instead, our readers can rely on the often surprising, but always stimulating and cleverly personalised reading recommendations presented by our language technology. A healthy diet of information from a variety of high-quality sources, endless discoveries and new perspectives without language barriers: Some of our first subscribers have already called it ‘magical’ – and there really is no better way to describe the experience.”

With its small interdisciplinary team spread across the continent, and a broad network of specialised partners and consultants, the young company spent two years preparing the market launch of its first subscription. The locally rooted start-up was founded in Frankfurt during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Contact / Interviews

kompreno GmbH, Jochen Adler, Schleusenstr. 15, 60327 Frankfurt.
https://kompreno.eu, +49.69.870063980, office@kompreno.eu.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/komprenoeu
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KomprenoEu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kompreno.eu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kompreno.eu