American Compass

What American Compass does

American Compass is a non-profit think tank founded in 2020 and headquartered in Washington, United States. The organization operates in the public-policy space, producing economic-policy research and commentary centered on themes including domestic manufacturing and industry-education partnerships, with executive director Oren Cass serving as the principal public voice. Source data describes it as a "business, law, and public policy company," and its public output includes keynote remarks at external summits where the leadership advances its policy positions to broader audiences.

Operationally, American Compass is a small organization with 1-10 employees and no disclosed products, technology platforms, APIs, or commercial offerings. There is no pricing model, no customer or donor list, no partnerships, no certifications, no patents, and no funding rounds disclosed in the available data. Its distribution footprint is primarily digital via its website (americancompass.org), and its activities appear to combine written research, media commentary, and public-speaking engagements typical of a boutique policy think tank.

Because American Compass is structured as a non-profit, its revenue mechanics would presumably rely on philanthropic donations and grants rather than commercial sales, though no such funding data is available in the input. Ownership, investor, and parent-company information is also undisclosed, and no mergers, acquisitions, or structural transactions are on record. The organization appears to remain actively operating, as evidenced by a 2025 keynote appearance by its executive director.

Name

American Compass

Website

https://americancompass.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

American Compass is a non-profit think tank founded in 2020, based in Washington, that produces economic-policy research and commentary led by executive director Oren Cass.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research / Think Tank

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

Keywords

• Public policy research
• Economic policy analysis
• Conservative think tank
• Domestic manufacturing policy
• Industry education partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

American Compass is a non-profit think tank that conducts research, publishing, and advocacy on business, law, and public policy issues, with a particular emphasis on promoting domestic manufacturing and industry-education partnerships in the United States. Its work is delivered through written policy analysis, reports, and public commentary disseminated via its website and speaking engagements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Policy research and commentary

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves2 records

Direct peers

• Niskanen Center: Moderate-to-conservative think tank working on economic and technology policy. Comparable as a similarly sized, ideologically focused policy shop with strong economics-research output.
• Third Way: US think tank focused on center-left economic and industrial policy innovation. Comparable as a similarly sized policy shop trying to reshape economic-policy debate from an ideologically distinct but structurally parallel position.
• Manhattan Institute: US policy research organization focused on economic growth, opportunity, and urban/industrial policy. Comparable in size and focus on applied economic-policy research aimed at shifting the conservative policy agenda.
• R Street Institute: US-based free-market think tank focused on limited-government and economic-policy issues. Comparable as a niche policy-research organization with similar scale, funding model, and engagement with economic-policy debates.
• Information Technology and Innovation Foundation: US think tank focused on innovation, manufacturing competitiveness, and industrial policy. Highly comparable given its specific focus on domestic manufacturing economics and policy advocacy — the same niche American Compass targets.

Broad incumbents

• American Manufacturing Council advocacy ecosystem (NAM): National Association of Manufacturers is the leading US trade association advocating for domestic manufacturing policy. Comparable as a US organization promoting the same industrial-policy agenda American Compass addresses.
• Bipartisan Policy Center: US policy organization producing research across economic, energy, and infrastructure issues with cross-party engagement. Comparable as a Washington-based policy-research outfit whose industrial and economic work overlaps with American Compass's agenda.
• Hoover Institution: Stanford-affiliated policy research center covering economic, foreign, and domestic policy. Comparable as an institutional generator of conservative-leaning economic-policy ideas with similar intellectual positioning on industrial policy.
• Heritage Foundation: Large, well-funded conservative think tank producing policy research across many domains. Directly comparable as a US policy-research organization operating in the same ideological and donor ecosystem, though with much broader scope and scale than American Compass.
• American Enterprise Institute: Established center-right think tank with deep economics and public-policy bench. Comparable as a US economic-policy research organization that influences conservative policy debates, including on trade and industrial policy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-compass

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about American Compass