The Roots of Progress

What The Roots of Progress does

The Roots of Progress Institute is a 501(c)(3) public educational charity founded in 2017 by Jason Crawford, operating from Berkeley, California with a team of 1-10. The organization pursues an explicit mission to establish a new 21st-century philosophy of progress through original scholarship, community convening, and educational programming. Its core product surface consists of an extensive essay archive and Substack newsletter (blog.rootsofprogress.org, newsletter.rootsofprogress.org) covering the history of technology, industrial literacy, and philosophy of progress; the annual Progress Conference in Berkeley, CA (a four-day event co-presented with seven partner organizations in 2026) that has scaled from 200+ attendees in 2024 to an expected ~400 in 2026; the Roots of Progress Fellowship, a 2-4 year career accelerator program that invests in individual writers to build personal brands and produce a thematically unified body of work on progress studies; and Progress in Medicine, a hybrid online/in-residency summer career exploration program for high school students launched in 2025 with a four-day in-person component hosted at Stanford University. A book, The Techno-Humanist Manifesto by Crawford, is forthcoming with MIT Press in 2026.

The organization is funded through a diversified mix of small-dollar individual donations and monthly Patreon support, paid program fees ($2,000 per student for Progress in Medicine, with scholarships available), ticket revenue from the annual conference, and corporate and individual sponsorships (Jane Street, Cato Institute, Astera Institute, Freethink, Future of Life Institute, 1517 Fund, Coefficient Giving, and others). Its customer base spans four primary segments: intellectual entrepreneurs and writers (fellowship), the broader progress-movement community (conference), high school students interested in medicine and biotech (Progress in Medicine), and tech founders, investors, academics, and policymakers (event attendees and ecosystem partners). The technology stack is deliberately light — content distribution via web and Substack, Slack for community, Zoom for live instruction, and Typeform for applications — reflecting a people-and-ideas model rather than a software-platform model.

Name

The Roots of Progress

Legal name

The Roots of Progress

Website

https://rootsofprogress.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Roots of Progress Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops a 21st-century philosophy of progress through essays, a fellowship for writers, an annual conference, and a Stanford-based summer program for high school students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Nonprofit / Progress Studies Think Tank

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (61171), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

Keywords

• Progress studies research
• Philosophy of progress
• Educational nonprofit programs
• Intellectual fellowship programs
• Thought leadership publishing

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual donations and Patreon: Monthly support through Patreon and one-time PayPal donations from individual supporters who believe in the mission of advancing progress studies and a culture of progress.
2. Program fees: Progress in Medicine summer program for high school students charges $2,000 program fee covering instruction, Stanford dorm lodging, meals, and local transportation during in-residency portion.
3. Conference revenue: Annual Progress Conference generates ticket revenue from attendees. Conference sold out in June 2025, five months before the event.
4. Corporate sponsorships: Conference sponsorships from companies and organizations including Jane Street, Cato Institute, Astera Institute, Freethink, Future of Life Institute, 1517 Fund, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Roots of Progress Institute publishes essays and a newsletter on the philosophy of progress and history of technology, and operates three structured programs: the annual four-day Progress Conference in Berkeley, CA; the Roots of Progress Fellowship, a 2-4 year career accelerator that helps writers build personal brands and create thematically unified bodies of work on progress studies; and Progress in Medicine, a hybrid online/in-person summer career exploration program for high school students featuring a four-day residency at Stanford University. Content is offered free; programs are fee- or ticket-based with scholarships available.

Product overview

The Roots of Progress Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization building a culture of progress for the 21st century. Its portfolio includes the annual Progress Conference (connecting progress movement members), the Progress in Medicine summer career exploration program for high school students, the Roots of Progress Fellowship (a career accelerator for writers), an extensive essays and blog writing platform, a Substack newsletter, and The Techno-Humanist Manifesto book forthcoming from MIT Press. These offerings work together to study, advocate for, and inspire technological and economic progress.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Progress Conference: Annual four-day conference connecting people and ideas in the progress movement, held annually in Berkeley, CA.
• Roots of Progress Fellowship
• Progress in Medicine

Products and services

• Progress Conference Annual four-day conference connecting people and ideas in the progress movement, featuring keynote speakers, panel discussions, unconference sessions, and networking. Held together with co-presenting organizations Abundance Institute, Foresight Institute, Foundation for American Innovation, Human Progress, Institute for Progress, Institute for Humane Studies, and Works in Progress.
• Progress in Medicine Summer career exploration program for high school students exploring careers in medicine, biotech, health policy, and longevity. Six-week hybrid program with five weeks of live online sessions (2 hours/day, 4 days/week), expert mentors, near-peer mentors, and a four-day in-person residency at Stanford University including tours of research labs (Snyder Lab, Goodman Surgical Education Center) and Bay Area biotech companies (Multiply Labs).
• Roots of Progress Fellowship

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• Abundance InstituteflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 April 2026Co-presenting organization for Progress Conference 2026. One of seven partner organizations collaborating to host the annual progress conference bringing together leaders across tech, policy, and culture.
• Foresight InstituteflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 April 2026Co-presenting organization for Progress Conference 2026. Foresight Institute focuses on transformative technologies and partners with RPI on annual conference.
• Foundation for American InnovationflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 April 2026Co-presenting organization for Progress Conference 2026.
• Human ProgressflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 April 2026Co-presenting organization for Progress Conference 2026.
• Institute for ProgressflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 April 2026Co-presenting organization for Progress Conference 2026.
• Institute for Humane StudiesflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 April 2026Co-presenting organization for Progress Conference 2026.
• Works in ProgressflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 April 2026Co-presenting organization for Progress Conference 2026.
• Snyder Lab at StanfordminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2025Research lab conducting research on connection between genes, cells, and diseases. Students will attend talk by lab leaders and tour facilities.
• Goodman Surgical Education CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2025Stanford facility using surgical simulation to equip surgeons and medical students with skills. Students tour center and practice hands-on technical skills on surgical simulators.
• Multiply LabsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2025Bay Area biotech company building robotic future of biomanufacturing. Students tour lab to see robots in action and meet team members.
• Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2025Nonpartisan economic policy research institute. Director Neale Mahoney (former Obama and Biden administration) will host Q&A on healthcare markets and economics of health.
• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025Host institution for Progress in Medicine in-residency program. Students stay in Stanford dorms and tour labs including Snyder Lab and Goodman Surgical Education Center.
• FreethinkminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2024Conference sponsor that recorded key speaker sessions. Provided video production for conference content.
• Lighthaven CampuscoreOthers · 1 October 2024Primary venue for Progress Conference. Located in Berkeley, CA. Venue described as perfect for connecting interesting people with lounge areas, garden spaces, and auditorium for plenary sessions. Third consecutive year hosting.
• The Institute (Salesforce Tower)minorOthers · 1 October 2024VIP and speaker reception venue for Progress Conference 2024. Located in Salesforce Tower, San Francisco.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Foresight Institute: Foresight Institute focuses on transformative technologies and is a co-presenting partner for Progress Conference 2026. Both organizations target intellectually engaged audiences interested in technological progress, host conferences, and operate within the same progress-advocacy ecosystem.
• Institute for Progress: Institute for Progress conducts policy research on innovation, economic growth, and technology policy. It is a co-presenting partner for Progress Conference 2026 and shares overlapping audiences (founders, policymakers, academics) with Roots of Progress.
• Abundance Institute: Abundance Institute advocates for technology-enabled abundance and is a co-presenting organization for Progress Conference 2026. Both organizations build intellectual infrastructure around techno-optimism and progress advocacy.
• Works in Progress: Works in Progress is a publication and co-presenting partner for Progress Conference 2026. Both organizations publish long-form essays on progress studies, history of technology, and economic growth targeting similar intellectual audiences.
• Human Progress (Cato Institute): Human Progress is a co-presenting organization for Progress Conference 2026. Both publish content on the history and philosophy of progress, share editorial overlap on innovation and economic advancement, and serve overlapping intellectually-oriented audiences.
• Institute for Humane Studies: IHS is a co-presenting partner for Progress Conference 2026. Both organizations develop intellectual infrastructure around liberty, human flourishing, and progress through fellowships, publications, and convenings.
• Foundation for American Innovation: FAI is a co-presenting partner for Progress Conference 2026. Both organizations operate as think tanks convening founders, technologists, and policymakers around innovation and progress-oriented policy.

Broad incumbents

• Big Think: Big Think is a larger content and events platform that has featured Roots of Progress content and speakers. It serves a similar intellectual audience on topics including technology, philosophy, and progress but with broader editorial scope.

Emerging players

• Astera Institute: Astera Institute is a research and funding organization supporting progress-adjacent work and is a sponsor of Progress Conference. It has overlapping interests in longevity, science, and technological progress with Roots of Progress.

Others

• 1517 Fund: 1517 Fund is a venture fund supporting young founders and is a sponsor and speaker source for Progress Conference. While primarily a fund rather than a think tank, it shares the progress/techno-optimist orientation and engages the same founder-audience segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/follow
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@rootsofprogress
• Facebookfacebook.com/therootsofprogress
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rootsofprogress

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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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 Roots of Progress