Clayton Christensen Institute
The Clayton Christensen Institute is a nonprofit research organization that applies five Clayton Christensen theories — Disruptive Innovation, Jobs to Be Done, Business Model, Modularity, and Tools of Cooperation — to stubborn problems in education, healthcare, and global prosperity, serving leaders, policymakers, and practitioners through publications, Executive Learning programs, and a membership community.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersSan Mateo, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Clayton Christensen Institute does
The Clayton Christensen Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization founded in 2008 by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen and Michael B. Horn, headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts. It carries forward Christensen's intellectual legacy through five core theories — Disruptive Innovation, Jobs to Be Done, Business Model, Modularity, and Tools of Cooperation — applied across three primary research verticals: Education, Healthcare, and Global Prosperity, with an additional 'Emerging' research strand. The institute produces research publications, blog posts, podcasts, and video content distributed through a resource library, and applies those frameworks to real-world problems via paid Executive Learning programs, a subscription membership offering live monthly roundtables, and grant-funded pilot initiatives such as the Networked Guidance Pilot Fund. There is no proprietary software platform; the 'technology' of the organization is its codified theoretical frameworks and the practitioner community that surrounds them.
The institute operates with a small staff in the 11–50 employee band, governed by a board, and earns revenue through three principal streams: subscription membership fees, Executive Learning course registration payments, and grants/philanthropy. Distribution is direct — its website functions as the primary channel for free research access, while membership and programs are sold direct to professionals and enterprise audiences. The institute tracks impact metrics including earned media mentions, newsletter subscribers, and social followers, with regular features in top-tier outlets (NPR, NYT, WSJ, CNBC, The Economist, The Boston Globe, TechCrunch, PBS) signaling category leadership in innovation theory.
Recent activity indicates deliberate expansion of grantmaking capability (Networked Guidance Pilot Fund, December 2025), growing Global Prosperity research capacity, and ongoing thought-leadership publication cadence. The organization is structured to blend rigorous theory-based research with a practitioner community, positioning it less as a transactional research vendor and more as a category-defining intellectual brand in disruptive innovation.
Clayton Christensen Institute firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Clayton Christensen Institute
- Legal name
- The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, Inc.
- Website
- https://christenseninstitute.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Clayton Christensen Institute is a nonprofit research organization that applies five Clayton Christensen theories — Disruptive Innovation, Jobs to Be Done, Business Model, Modularity, and Tools of Cooperation — to stubborn problems in education, healthcare, and global prosperity, serving leaders, policymakers, and practitioners through publications, Executive Learning programs, and a membership community.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Clayton Christensen Institute industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Policy Research and Think Tank Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), Education Equity, Access & Inclusion Policy Research (EDADADAF)
Keywords
Where Clayton Christensen Institute is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Mateo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Clayton Christensen Institute business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Membership Program: The Institute operates a membership program offering live monthly roundtables, exclusive archives, and connection with leaders navigating disruption. Members test, question, and apply research frameworks.
- Executive Learning Programs: The Institute offers Executive Learning courses and programs where participants register and pay for educational content delivery. The Terms of Service references processing payments for program registrations.
- Grant Programs: The Institute administers grant programs such as the Networked Guidance Pilot Fund, providing funding to organizations developing innovations aligned with their research focus areas.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Clayton Christensen Institute product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Clayton Christensen Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that produces theory-based research and educational programs grounded in five frameworks—Disruptive Innovation, Jobs to Be Done, Business Model, Modularity, and Tools of Cooperation theories—applied to education, healthcare, and global prosperity. It monetizes this research through membership subscriptions, paid executive learning courses, grant-funded programs, and donations.
Product overview
The Clayton Christensen Institute is a nonprofit research organization (not a software product company) that provides theory-based research and educational programs. The institute's offering consists of five core theories (Disruptive Innovation, Jobs to Be Done, Business Models, Modularity, and Tools of Cooperation), which are delivered through research publications, Executive Learning programs, and a membership community. These frameworks help leaders across education, healthcare, and global prosperity sectors understand and solve complex challenges through the lens of innovation theory. Additional offerings include a Resource Library, the Networked Guidance Pilot Fund grant program, and a Theory Finder Tool.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Executive Learning Programs Paid in-person and virtual courses that teach participants how to apply Christensen Institute theories (Disruptive Innovation, Jobs to Be Done, Business Model, Modularity, Tools of Cooperation) to real-world business and organizational challenges. Participants register and pay for the educational content delivery.
- Membership Program A subscription-based membership offering live monthly roundtables, exclusive research archives, and networking opportunities with leaders applying the Institute's disruption frameworks. Members test, question, and apply the Institute's research.
- Networked Guidance Pilot Fund A grant program that funds external organizations developing AI-powered digital ecosystems to enhance social capital and guidance for students. Includes grant disbursements to recipient organizations.
Companies that use Clayton Christensen Institute
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Clayton Christensen Institute technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Clayton Christensen Institute partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- InScribe EducationminorInScribe Education received a grant from the Clayton Christensen Institute's Networked Guidance Pilot Fund to develop AI-powered digital ecosystems that enhance social capital for students. The initiative aims to help students build meaningful relationships supporting academic and career opportunities.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Clayton Christensen Institute competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Harvard Business School - Christensen Academic Programs: The academic home of Clayton Christensen where Disruptive Innovation and Jobs-to-Be-Done were originally developed and taught. A non-commercial academic affiliate that anchors the Institute's intellectual provenance and credentialing pipeline rather than a direct competitor.
Broad incumbents
- RAND Corporation: Large, established nonprofit research institution producing applied research across education, healthcare, and economic policy. Significantly larger scale and broader research remit, but similar nonprofit policy-research operating model with grant funding and public-interest output.
- Brookings Institution: Major nonpartisan think tank producing policy research across multiple sectors including education, healthcare, and economic development. Overlapping multi-vertical research positioning and nonprofit funding model, with a much larger staff and media footprint.
- McKinsey Global Institute: Research arm of McKinsey & Company producing applied economic and business research consumed by executives and policymakers. Comparable function of producing influential, accessible research that shapes executive thinking, but with much deeper enterprise distribution and much larger staff.
- Pew Research Center: Nonpartisan, non-advocacy research organization producing empirical analysis on social, demographic, and policy trends. Comparable nonprofit research positioning, though driven by data rather than theory and without a paid membership program.
- Council on Foreign Relations: Membership-based think tank that combines policy research with an exclusive member community and programming. Closely comparable membership-plus-research business model to the Christensen Institute, but focused on international affairs rather than innovation.
Direct peers
- IDEO: Global design and innovation firm applying human-centered design and innovation frameworks to business and social-sector clients. Comparable theory-and-methodology-led approach to applied innovation, although delivered through consulting and design engagements rather than nonprofit publishing.
- Innosight: Innovation strategy consultancy co-founded by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen and Mark Johnson, applying Jobs to Be Done and Disruptive Innovation frameworks to enterprise clients. Closely aligned intellectual lineage and overlapping practitioner community with the Christensen Institute.
- Aspen Institute: Nonpartisan think tank that combines policy research with executive-style leadership programs, membership communities, and convenings. Highly analogous operating model - research-driven, nonprofit, multi-vertical, with paid program revenue layered on top of thought leadership.
Emerging players
- Strategyn: Consulting firm founded by Tony Ulwick that pioneered Outcome-Driven Innovation and Jobs-to-Be-Done methodology, a core Christensen framework. Comparable intellectual lineage with a much narrower commercial consulting focus rather than multi-vertical research.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Clayton Christensen Institute social profiles
Digital presenceClayton Christensen Institute financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Clayton Christensen Institute leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Clayton Christensen Institute funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Clayton Christensen Institute M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Clayton Christensen Institute
What does Clayton Christensen Institute do?
The Clayton Christensen Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that produces theory-based research and educational programs grounded in five frameworks—Disruptive Innovation, Jobs to Be Done, Business Model, Modularity, and Tools of Cooperation theories—applied to education, healthcare, and global prosperity. It monetizes this research through membership subscriptions, paid executive learning courses, grant-funded programs, and donations.
Is Clayton Christensen Institute a public or private company?
Clayton Christensen Institute is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Clayton Christensen Institute founded?
Clayton Christensen Institute was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Clayton Christensen Institute based?
Clayton Christensen Institute is headquartered in San Mateo, United States, in the North America region.
How does Clayton Christensen Institute make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Program is the primary driver. The others are executive Learning Programs and grant Programs.
Who are Clayton Christensen Institute's main competitors?
Harvard Business School - Christensen Academic Programs is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, McKinsey Global Institute, Pew Research Center and Council on Foreign Relations. Direct peers are IDEO, Innosight and Aspen Institute. Strategyn is listed as an emerging player.
Does Clayton Christensen Institute have an API?
No public API is recorded for Clayton Christensen Institute.
What industry is Clayton Christensen Institute in?
Clayton Christensen Institute's product category is Policy Research and Think Tank Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAO, Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes, with a secondary code of EDADADAA, Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks. Its NAICS code is 54172 and its SIC code is 8700.