The Conversation
The Conversation is a nonprofit news organization founded in 2010 that publishes expert analysis articles written by 230,000+ academic researchers across 12 global editions, funded by reader donations, university memberships, and major foundation grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersMelbourne, Australia
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Conversation does
The Conversation is a nonprofit news organization founded in 2010 that publishes expert analysis articles written by academic researchers and scientists. It operates on a knowledge-brokering model in which credentialed academics contribute articles that are edited and published for general readers, then made available free to read and free to republish under a Creative Commons license. The platform draws on contributions from over 230,000 academics affiliated with 5,568+ institutions worldwide, positioning it as a structurally different supply chain from commercial journalism. It is headquartered in London and explicitly carries no advertising and no paywall.
The organization's core product is a web-based publishing platform with editorial workflows designed to surface expert commentary across political, scientific, cultural, and social topics. The platform is organized into 12 geographic editions — the US, UK, Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Indonesia, Spain, Europe, Global, and New Zealand — each operating with some local editorial autonomy. Product surface extends beyond text articles into podcasts, newsletters, and local/regional editions. The technology stack is a conventional CMS-based publishing system; no proprietary AI, data flywheel, or machine-learning capability is disclosed.
The business model is nonprofit and donor-funded rather than commercial. Revenue streams are diversified across three pillars: individual reader donations (1,746+ active monthly donors), institutional membership fees from a network of university partners (US founding partners include Boston University, University of Florida, Vanderbilt, Penn State, and University of Michigan), and multi-year grants from major philanthropic foundations. Named foundation funders include the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Sloan Foundation, Knight Foundation, Ford Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Distribution is amplified through the Creative Commons republishing network, which syndicates content into hundreds of partner newsrooms at effectively zero customer-acquisition cost.
The Conversation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Conversation
- Legal name
- The Conversation US, Inc.
- Website
- https://theconversation.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Conversation is a nonprofit news organization founded in 2010 that publishes expert analysis articles written by 230,000+ academic researchers across 12 global editions, funded by reader donations, university memberships, and major foundation grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Conversation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online News and Digital Journalism
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing (EDAGAFAL)
Keywords
Where The Conversation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melbourne
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Conversation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Reader Donations: Monthly and one-time donations from readers who support fact-based journalism. The platform reports over 1,746 monthly donors.
- Foundation and Institutional Funding: Funding from foundations (Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Sloan Foundation, Knight Foundation, Ford Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, etc.) and university member institutions that support the nonprofit journalism model.
- University Membership: Universities pay to become members/partners, gaining visibility for their academics and contributing to the platform's operational funding.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free access for all readers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
The Conversation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Conversation operates a nonprofit digital news platform where verified academic researchers and scientists from universities and research institutions author articles on current events, scientific findings, and public-interest topics. All articles, newsletters, and podcasts are free to read with no paywall, and content is freely republished under Creative Commons licensing. The platform operates 13+ regional editions globally and is funded by reader donations, foundation grants, and university membership fees rather than advertising.
Product overview
The Conversation is a single, unified nonprofit news platform that publishes articles written by academic researchers and scientists. The core product is the article publication platform, supplemented by Podcasts (audio content), Newsletters (email subscriptions), and Local Editions (geographic content variations). All offerings are free to read with no ads or paywalls, with content free to republish.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Conversation (News Platform) A nonprofit digital news platform that publishes articles written by academic researchers and scientists from universities and research institutions. Covers science, technology, health, politics, environment, business, education, arts, and world affairs. Content is free to read and free to republish under Creative Commons licensing, with no advertising or paywall.
- The Conversation Podcasts Audio podcast offerings covering various topics and current events, available as a standalone audio distribution alongside the written article platform. Targeted at general public listeners who prefer audio consumption of expert analysis.
- The Conversation Newsletters Email newsletter subscriptions delivering curated stories daily or weekly to subscribers' inboxes. Includes 'The Afternoon Story', science editor picks, topic-specific newsletters, and SMS/text messaging options. Free to subscribe.
- The Conversation Local Editions Geographic-specific content editions covering local news and perspectives for different regions, including U.S. local coverage. Provides region-targeted expert analysis beyond the global edition.
Quantifiable outcome
- 230,000+ academics from 5,568 institutions registered as authors
Companies that use The Conversation
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Conversation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Conversation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Boston UniversitycoreFounding partner university of The Conversation US. Supports the platform and gains visibility for its academic experts.
- University of FloridacoreFounding partner university providing institutional support and hosting academics who contribute articles.
- Vanderbilt UniversitycoreFounding partner university supporting the platform's mission to democratize knowledge.
- Penn StatecoreFounding partner university providing institutional funding and hosting academic contributors.
- University of MichigancoreFounding partner university supporting the platform.
- Smithsonian InstitutioncoreMember institution contributing academic experts to write for the platform.
- Harvard Kennedy SchoolcoreMember institution providing academic contributors and institutional support.
- University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaigncoreMember institution contributing academic experts across multiple disciplines.
- Arizona State UniversitycoreMember university supporting the platform with academic contributors.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Conversation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- STAT News: STAT News is a health and science news site covering medical research with expert sources. It overlaps directly with The Conversation's science and health editorial verticals and similarly targets readers seeking expert-authored, evidence-based journalism outside traditional academic journals.
- The Intercept: The Intercept operates as a nonprofit news outlet funded by foundations and readers, publishing investigative and explanatory journalism. It shares The Conversation's nonprofit funding model and editorial independence from advertisers, with overlapping target audiences seeking non-corporate media.
- Science Magazine (AAAS): Science Magazine, published by AAAS, is a peer-reviewed academic journal that also produces accessible science journalism for broader audiences. It overlaps with The Conversation's mission of bridging academic research and public understanding, particularly in the science vertical.
- ProPublica: ProPublica is a US nonprofit investigative newsroom funded by foundations and individual donors with no paywall. It shares The Conversation's nonprofit, donation- and grant-funded model and evidence-based journalism positioning, though it focuses on investigative reporting rather than expert-authored explainers.
- Quanta Magazine: Quanta Magazine is a nonprofit editorially independent publication covering science and mathematics research, funded by the Simons Foundation. It directly parallels The Conversation's model of translating academic research for public audiences and uses expert-authored explanatory journalism.
- The Marshall Project: The Marshall Project is a nonprofit newsroom covering criminal justice, funded by foundations and donors. While narrower in topic, it shares The Conversation's nonprofit operating model, foundation funding structure, and editorial independence from advertisers.
- PLOS (Public Library of Science): PLOS is a nonprofit open-access scientific publisher using Creative Commons licensing and supported by foundations and authors. It overlaps with The Conversation's academic-author publishing model and open-access ethos, though PLOS focuses on peer-reviewed journals while The Conversation produces journalistic articles.
Broad incumbents
- Vox: Vox is a large digital media outlet known for explanatory journalism that frequently draws on academic research and expert sources. It overlaps with The Conversation's editorial mission of making expert knowledge accessible, but Vox is a for-profit subsidiary of Vox Media with advertising revenue and substantially larger reach.
- The Guardian (US operations): The Guardian operates a major nonprofit news outlet (owned by the Scott Trust) with global reach and an ad-light, reader-funded model. It is a broader incumbent covering the same general-public news space as The Conversation but with a far larger editorial operation, audience, and brand.
- NPR: NPR is a US nonprofit news organization funded by member stations, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations. It shares The Conversation's nonprofit model and editorial independence but is a broad incumbent with substantially larger scale, broadcast infrastructure, and audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Conversation social profiles
Digital presenceThe Conversation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Conversation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Conversation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Conversation 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 The Conversation
What does The Conversation do?
The Conversation operates a nonprofit digital news platform where verified academic researchers and scientists from universities and research institutions author articles on current events, scientific findings, and public-interest topics. All articles, newsletters, and podcasts are free to read with no paywall, and content is freely republished under Creative Commons licensing. The platform operates 13+ regional editions globally and is funded by reader donations, foundation grants, and university membership fees rather than advertising.
Is The Conversation a public or private company?
The Conversation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Conversation founded?
The Conversation was founded in 2010. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Conversation based?
The Conversation is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does The Conversation make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Reader Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation and Institutional Funding and university Membership.
Who are The Conversation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are STAT News, The Intercept, Science Magazine (AAAS), ProPublica, Quanta Magazine, The Marshall Project and PLOS (Public Library of Science). Broad incumbents are Vox, The Guardian (US operations) and NPR.
Does The Conversation have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Conversation.
What industry is The Conversation in?
The Conversation's product category is Online News and Digital Journalism. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJABAC, Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed), with a secondary code of EDAGAFAL, Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing. Its NAICS code is 516210 and its SIC code is 2721.