What Nasdaq Foundation does

The input data labels the entity as "Nasdaq Foundation" with a nonprofit firmographic profile, but the substantive evidence base describes Nasdaq, Inc., a publicly traded (NDAQ) financial market infrastructure and technology operator with 1,001-5,000 employees and a global office footprint spanning Rockville (headquarters), New York, Atlanta, Jersey City, Tacoma, London, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Sydney. The core operations span 18 markets, one clearinghouse, and four central securities depositories, with approximately 4,000 listings representing roughly $14 trillion in aggregate market value; the first half of 2026 alone produced a record $129.3 billion in capital raised from new listings.

The product architecture is organized into three layers. Investment Intelligence comprises Nasdaq eVestment (institutional manager research and analytics), Nasdaq Data Link (a cloud marketplace with 250+ datasets accessible via Python and Excel APIs), Nasdaq Solovis (multi-asset portfolio modeling), Nasdaq Global Indexes (including the Nasdaq-100), and the Fund Secondaries/Fund Network private-markets stack. Corporate Solutions bundles governance (Boardvantage, board/CEO evaluations, D&O and compliance questionnaires), sustainability and ESG (Metrio, Sustainable Lens AI, Climate Advisory), and investor relations intelligence (IR Insight, investor engagement and targeting, global perception studies, equity surveillance). Financial Technology includes AxiomSL (regulatory reporting and risk), Calypso (derivatives and post-trade), Eqlipse, and Trade Surveillance (anomaly detection for market abuse and insider trading).

The business model is multi-stream and largely enterprise. Transaction-based revenue flows from trading services, listing fees, and market data, while subscription/recurring revenue comes from Corporate Solutions software, Investment Intelligence platforms, and FinTech products serving banks, brokers, regulators, and the buy side. Pricing is quote-based, not publicly disclosed, with annual enterprise billing and dedicated field sales. Customer segments include corporate boards and governance professionals, sustainability/ESG teams, IR officers, institutional asset managers, public companies listing on the exchanges, and financial institutions consuming regulatory and surveillance technology. Corporate Solutions are used by 65%+ of Fortune 500 companies and over 270,000 software users globally, with an average NPS of 59 across solutions.

Name

Nasdaq Foundation

Legal name

Nasdaq, Inc.

Website

https://nasdaq.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Nasdaq Foundation is labeled as a nonprofit, but the supporting evidence describes Nasdaq, Inc., a global financial market infrastructure and enterprise technology operator running 18 exchanges, one clearinghouse, and four CSDs, serving corporate boards, institutional investors, and public companies with governance, ESG, IR, and fintech software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD), Capacity Building & Nonprofit Infrastructure Funders (BPAGAKAO)

Keywords

• Nonprofit foundation
• Community innovation
• Economic empowerment
• Entrepreneurship programs
• Social impact

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Trading & Market Services: Revenue from operating stock exchanges and trading venues, including transaction fees, listing fees, and market data services. Multi-asset trading covering 18 markets, one clearinghouse and four central depositories.
2. Listing Services: Fees from company listings on Nasdaq exchanges, including IPO execution, direct listings, and SPACs. First half of 2026 saw record-breaking $129.3 billion raised from new listings.
3. Corporate Solutions Subscriptions: Subscription-based revenue from governance, sustainability, and investor relations software platforms including Boardvantage, Metrio, and IR Insight.
4. Investment Intelligence: Revenue from Nasdaq eVestment, Data Link, and analytics platforms serving institutional investors, asset managers, and consultants.
5. Financial Technology: Revenue from mission-critical capital markets and regulatory technology solutions to banks, brokers, regulators, and buy-side firms.
6. Advertising: Digital advertising and sponsorship revenue from Nasdaq.com, including custom content, digital ad products, and out-of-home advertising on Nasdaq Tower in Times Square.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nasdaq Foundation is a nonprofit organization that advances economies and local communities through innovation. Founded in 1994, the Foundation supports mission-driven initiatives that connect capital-markets expertise with community economic development, including the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center and the Nasdaq Nordic Foundation.

Product overview

Nasdaq Foundation operates as a multi-segment financial technology and market infrastructure company offering an integrated platform of specialized solutions. The portfolio includes: Investment Intelligence products (Nasdaq eVestment for institutional market analytics, Nasdaq Data Link for cloud-based data marketplace with 250+ datasets, Nasdaq Solovis for portfolio management, Nasdaq Global Indexes, and Nasdaq Fund Secondaries/Network); Corporate Solutions encompassing ESG & Sustainability (Nasdaq Metrio, Sustainable Lens, Climate Advisory), Governance (Boardvantage, Board/CEO Evaluations, D&O Questionnaires), and Investor Relations Intelligence (IR Insight, Engagement Targeting, Perception Studies, Equity Surveillance); and Financial Technology offerings (Nasdaq AxiomSL, Calypso, Eqlipse, Trade Surveillance). The architecture combines a unified market infrastructure foundation with specialized software modules addressing specific enterprise needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nasdaq Nordic Foundation: Foundation associated with Nordic markets operations
• Nasdaq-100

Products and services

• Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center Innovation-enablement initiative associated with Nasdaq Foundation's mission of advancing economies and local communities through innovation, referenced as a Nasdaq Initiative on nasdaq.com.
• Nasdaq Nordic Foundation Regional foundation sub-brand associated with Nordic markets operations, supporting community and innovation initiatives in the Nordic region as part of the broader Nasdaq Foundation mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record-breaking $129.3 billion raised from new listings in first half 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• LiveRampminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLiveRamp is an advertising data partner. Nasdaq may share hashed and de-identified email addresses, IP address, and advertising identifiers with LiveRamp, which uses that information to enable interest-based and targeted advertising on Nasdaq.com.
• The Trade DeskminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Trade Desk is an advertising technology partner. Nasdaq shares pseudonymous data such as unique cookie and device identifiers, IP addresses, and hashed email addresses to enable interest-based and targeted advertising.
• 33Across (Lexicon)minorGTM or Marketing Partner33Across provides browser session cookies and persistent cookies in Nasdaq products and on the website to provide, monitor, analyze, and improve services.
• CriteominorGTM or Marketing PartnerCriteo helps brands and advertisers promote their products and services through tailored advertising campaigns on Nasdaq.com.
• Lotame PanoramaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLotame is a global data technology company that provides customer data management and analytics services to Nasdaq.
• PubCommonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPubCommon collects personal information that users voluntarily provide when expressing interest in Nasdaq products or services.
• Yahoo ConnectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYahoo Connect provides advertising and data services. Certain categories of information collected by Yahoo are used in connection with Nasdaq services.
• Nexxen (Unruly)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNexxen (Unruly) serves targeted advertisements when visitors come to Nasdaq.com. They may use aggregated information about visits to provide relevant advertising.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Knight Foundation: Major U.S. foundation funding journalism, arts, and economic mobility in cities; comparable in combining community focus with innovation-oriented grantmaking.
• NYSE Foundation: Foundation of the other major U.S. stock exchange; closest direct peer in mission, scope, and association with a publicly listed exchange operator.
• Google.org: Corporate foundation of a large publicly listed technology company focused on innovation and community impact; a benchmark for how tech-adjacent corporate foundations deploy capital.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Large corporate foundation tied to a financial-information and capital-markets firm, with global scope; highly comparable in tying financial-industry wealth to community impact.
• CBOE Foundation: Corporate foundation affiliated with Cboe Global Markets, another major exchange operator; highly comparable structure and capital-markets-community mission.
• CME Group Foundation: Foundation tied to CME Group (derivatives exchange), focused on math, financial education, and economic empowerment; a strong direct peer in exchange-affiliated philanthropy.

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: One of the largest U.S. foundations, focused on inequality and economic opportunity; sets the bar for institutional grantmaking standards and impact measurement that Nasdaq Foundation would be measured against.

Emerging players

• Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Note: this duplicates the prior peer; the Kauffman Foundation (above) is the correct entry. Omitted to avoid double-counting and to keep the list to genuinely distinct comparables.
• Kauffman Foundation: Foundation focused on entrepreneurship and economic growth through education and innovation; a thematic peer given the Nasdaq Foundation's \"innovation\" framing.

Regional players

• Robin Hood Foundation: New York City-focused poverty-fighting foundation tied to the financial services industry; a strong regional/industry peer given Nasdaq's NYC base and the financial-services philanthropic community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Nasdaq Foundation