Clayton Christensen Institute

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.

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

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

• Nonprofit research
• Innovation theory
• Policy think tank
• Executive education
• Research publications

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Core 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.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• InScribe EducationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025InScribe 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

Others

• 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

• Xx.com/ChristensenInst
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@christenseninstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clayton-christensen-institute
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChristensenInstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Clayton Christensen Institute