The Conversation

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.

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

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

• Nonprofit journalism
• Academic content publishing
• Expert news analysis
• Online news media
• Evidence-based reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Reader Donations: Monthly and one-time donations from readers who support fact-based journalism. The platform reports over 1,746 monthly donors.
2. 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.
3. University Membership: Universities pay to become members/partners, gaining visibility for their academics and contributing to the platform's operational funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Boston UniversitycoreOthersFounding partner university of The Conversation US. Supports the platform and gains visibility for its academic experts.
• University of FloridacoreOthersFounding partner university providing institutional support and hosting academics who contribute articles.
• Vanderbilt UniversitycoreOthersFounding partner university supporting the platform's mission to democratize knowledge.
• Penn StatecoreOthersFounding partner university providing institutional funding and hosting academic contributors.
• University of MichigancoreOthersFounding partner university supporting the platform.
• Smithsonian InstitutioncoreOthersMember institution contributing academic experts to write for the platform.
• Harvard Kennedy SchoolcoreOthersMember institution providing academic contributors and institutional support.
• University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaigncoreOthersMember institution contributing academic experts across multiple disciplines.
• Arizona State UniversitycoreOthersMember university supporting the platform with academic contributors.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/login
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheConversationUS
• Facebookfacebook.com/ConversationEDU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conversationus
• Instagraminstagram.com/theconversation.us
• TikToktiktok.com/@theconversation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Conversation