Case Story: Our grantee Tsüri

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“I wanted to remain a journalist and became an entrepreneur.”

The founding story

Simon Jacoby was, you could say, head over heels in love with journalism. After a three-month internship at Watson in Zurich, he felt he had seen enough. He told his editors, “Either you hire me, or I'm leaving.” It didn’t end well. Whether for Jacoby or for Watson is something everyone can judge for themselves today. In any case, he suddenly had enough time to work with his friend Conradin Zellweger on a concept for a new medium – one that aimed to counter the cliché that “young people aren’t interested in politics anyway.” It was the era of cat videos. That’s how Tsüri was born: a local outlet for young people in Zurich who felt neither represented nor served by established local media, advertising papers, or regional radio and television.

Jacoby and Zellweger started with a WordPress site, a Facebook page, and Google Drive docs. They simply wanted to give it a try. “In the beginning, it was a kind of guerrilla journalism, a self-help group for aspiring journalists,” Jacoby says. “No one was waiting for us.” They set themselves a goal: after two years, they wanted to reach 10,000 people. “After a month, we had 25,000. That made us want more.”

What problem does Tsüri want to solve – and for which target group?

Tsüri aims to provide young people between 20 and 40 with serious, solid local journalism about Zurich. Half of the city’s population falls into this age group – an attractive segment for advertisers, which was important to the founders from the start. They wanted to offer journalism free of charge and reach as many people as possible. It was clear early on that the content would include “hard news,” not just entertainment and nightlife tips. But unlike traditional media, the editorial team pays close attention to striking the right tone and using the platforms where these generations actually are. That sounds simple but is challenging. Research shows the importance of communicating clearly without underestimating the audience and presenting content in an easily consumable way without pandering or trying too hard to be funny. It helps that the Tsüri team is itself young – yet old enough to hit the right note.

What the founders did: A development in phases

Phase 1: Exploration It all began in 2015. The founders experimented with content and formats. There was no real organization – just the WordPress site, Facebook, and Google Docs. Jacoby calls it “the anarchist phase.” Around ten aspiring journalists wrote articles on a volunteer basis.

Phase 2: Getting serious After a few months, Jacoby realized he had to decide: grow or shut down. The latter felt too big a loss. So he dropped out of university, left other jobs, and looked for funding. A foundation agreed to invest 60,000 Swiss francs – on the condition that another 60,000 francs be raised privately. At that time, Tsüri published three to five articles a week, “of varying quality, from very poor to very good,” Jacoby recalls. The vision, concept, and product were evidently convincing enough that private investors were willing to contribute 100,000 francs – but only if they received a say in the company. This made the creation of a public limited company necessary, leading the foundation to withdraw its offer. “In this way, the foundation forced us to finance it ourselves,” Jacoby says.

Phase 3: Something is working In 2016, Tsüri launched a crowdfunding campaign, gained its first 500 paying members, and created the first two positions. From September onward, the founders were able to pay themselves modest salaries, with the rest going into IT. After roughly a year and a half, it became clear that local journalism and online publishing alone weren’t enough—a physical community also needed to be built.

Phase 4: Building a community The idea of civic media was born in 2017, two years after the company was founded. The editorial team settled on three key topics particularly relevant to the target group: housing, health, and mobility. They organized events around these topics, which remain part of the business model today. “In our best years, we organized 30 events,” says Jacoby. Tsüri hired a managing director, and event management – including sponsor acquisition – became a core task. Half of the income from event sponsorship remained with the company and supported the editorial team. However, the effort required was considerable, and the model proved not very scalable. Events still contribute to the business, but their share has shrunk proportionally.

Phase 5: Gradual growth – with setbacks Each year, Tsüri was able to create one additional job. Salaries were standardized, though still well below the Zurich average. Jacoby cites one key principle for today’s success: for every editorial position, there is a corresponding position on the publishing side. “Others always think of journalism first.” Not everything went smoothly. The company faced financial ruin several times, pushing Jacoby to his limits. Normal things happened in the normal course of business: key colleagues fell ill or resigned. In 2021, he realized: “I want to share the responsibility. The way things were wasn’t good for me.” The team then consisted of ten people, including him. He asked whether anyone wanted to join the company and take on more responsibility. Two of his nine colleagues stepped up. “Then things started to look up.”

Phase 6: Professionals at work The new three-person management team shares responsibilities, complementing each other with strengths in both editorial and what Jacoby calls “growth hacking.” With a more professional structure, revenue has steadily increased. Sales doubled from 500,000 Swiss francs in 2022 to 1 million in 2025, and the team grew accordingly. Since October 2025, Tsüri has had 20 employees – the equivalent of 14 full-time positions. Workflows have also changed: instead of a weekly editorial meeting, there is now a daily one. You could say Tsüri has grown up.

What does Tsüri offer in terms of journalism?

Over the years, Tsüri has become more focused. While it began as a “surprise box” (Jacoby) with a random mix of topics, after about five years the team decided to focus strictly on issues that matter most to Zurich residents: mobility and housing, equality, and climate. “We don’t do anything else anymore.” Later, with a larger team, topics like culture and local politics reemerged. The editorial team is guided by classic journalistic values. They want to challenge those in power and practice “advocacy journalism” on behalf of their audience. Social justice matters, and “we don’t just tell people what they want to hear.”

Which platforms are used – and why?

The central goal for the business model is to collect email addresses and build direct relationships with users. This creates a solid foundation, even in the age of AI. They now have 30,000 addresses. The daily newsletter has 25,000 subscribers and an open rate of 50–60 percent. A newsletter on housing alone is subscribed to by nearly 5,000 Zurich residents. Advertising, however, generates the most revenue – and Tsüri achieves something that inspires nostalgia in many other publishers: “We are sold out for months at a time.” The website is becoming less important, currently reaching around 100,000 unique users per month. Facebook has also declined in relevance.

What has the team learned from its successes and mistakes?

According to Simon Jacoby:

• Thematic focus matters: if you can only produce a small output, it has to be relevant.
• The entrepreneurial side must always be part of the equation. It can’t be delegated; the founding team must tackle it.
• Persistence is essential. Crises are inevitable; you have to get through them.
• Strong team cohesion is crucial – especially in a company that pays below-average wages and lacks job security. At Tsüri, everyone takes turns cooking lunch, so everyone takes responsibility for one another from time to time.
• When hiring, the first question is whether someone is a good fit for the team. The human aspect comes first; formal education is secondary. You can learn most things.

What surprised the team the most?

That it is possible to build a company against the industry trend. While others are cutting jobs and budgets, Tsüri continues to grow. The project has become a flagship, Jacoby says – and that still surprises him.

Most important tip for other founders

Focus on the entrepreneurial side. Jacoby: “I wanted to remain a journalist and became an entrepreneur.” The editorial side can be adjusted.

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Author: Alexandra Borchardt, independent media researcher, journalist, and strategy consultant
Photo: Media Forward Fund / Ivo von Mühlenen
Film: Sympathiefilm

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Last updated: November 28, 2025