ComSciCon
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersCambridge, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What ComSciCon does
ComSciCon (the Communicating Science Conference Series) is a US-based nonprofit organization that operates a portfolio of workshops and educational programs focused on science communication training for graduate students. Founded in 2013 and fiscally sponsored by Community Initiatives, the organization is structured as a volunteer-led initiative with a small core team (7 staff/leadership), drawing organizers from leading research institutions including Harvard, MIT, Rockefeller University, HHMI, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Its core offerings consist of the annual Flagship Workshop (a competitive 50-participant program drawing 700-1,200 applicants from US and Canada), a network of regional Chapter Workshops across 15+ locations (including Houston, Triangle, Chicago, Atlanta, Michigan, PNW, Benin, and METU), the SEEDS initiative (a grant-funded program on ethics and societal engagement in science), and ComSciConversations (an editorial blog).
The organization operates a community-led, event-driven go-to-market model with no proprietary technology stack, no API, no app, and no software product. Its underlying delivery mechanism is in-person and virtual programming — workshops, webinars, panel discussions, and publications — supplemented by digital content distributed through YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and its website. ComSciCon does not charge attendees; all workshop participation is free with travel and accommodation subsidized through sponsor support. ComSciCon's revenue mechanics rest entirely on institutional sponsorships (rotating per event), foundation grants (Kavli Foundation and Rita Allen Foundation for SEEDS), and individual donations channeled through Community Initiatives' fiscal sponsorship structure. It serves a single primary persona — graduate students in STEM seeking communication training and cross-disciplinary networks — with secondary reach to early-career researchers and emerging science communication leaders.
ComSciCon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ComSciCon
- Legal name
- ComSciCon
- Website
- https://comscicon.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ComSciCon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Science Communication Training and Education
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE), Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses (MPACALAD)
Keywords
Where ComSciCon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
ComSciCon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Sponsorship and Grants: ComSciCon events are funded through institutional sponsorships and grant funding. The organization has received funding from the Kavli Foundation and Rita Allen Foundation for specific projects like SEEDS. Each ComSciCon event is sponsored by a different set of institutions.
- Donations: Individual donors contribute to support ComSciCon operations. The organization accepts donations through a dedicated donation page.
- Fiscal Sponsorship: ComSciCon is a nonprofit fiscally sponsored by Community Initiatives, which handles organizational finances.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free student attendance with full support |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
ComSciCon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ComSciCon (the Communicating Science Conference Series) is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization that runs a series of science communication workshops organized by and for graduate students. Its core offerings are the annual national Flagship Workshop, regional Chapter Workshops across North America and beyond, and the grant-funded SEEDS (Stories of Ethics, Engagement, and Dialogue in Science) project, which produces public webinars, case-study publications, and programming on the ethical and societal dimensions of research. All workshops are offered free of charge to student attendees thanks to institutional sponsorship.
Product overview
ComSciCon (Communicating Science Conference Series) is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of science communication workshops and educational programs. The core offerings include the annual Flagship Workshop—a national conference for graduate students—supplemented by regional Chapter Workshops across multiple locations. The SEEDS program (Stories of Ethics, Engagement, and Dialogue in Science) is a grant-funded initiative creating resources on ethical science engagement, featuring public webinars and publications. ComSciConversations serves as the organization's blog platform for science commentary. All programming is free for student attendees due to sponsor support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SEEDS: A grant-funded project funded by the Kavli Foundation and Rita Allen Foundation to create resources for researchers engaging with social and ethical implications of science
Products and services
- Flagship Workshop Annual national (and from 2026 international) workshop focused on science communication, organized by and for graduate students. Approximately 50 attendees are selected from 700-1,200 applicants each year to meet professional communicators, build cross-disciplinary networks, and publish original works. The workshop is free for attendees, with accommodations and travel subsidies provided through sponsor support.
- Chapter Workshops Local and regional workshops hosted by ComSciCon chapters that bring the same science communication training, networking, and professional mentor access of the Flagship workshop to graduate students in specific geographic areas. Chapters operate under a shared mission, structure, and toolkit maintained by the ComSciCon Leadership Team.
- SEEDS (Stories of Ethics, Engagement, and Dialogue in Science) Grant-funded initiative that produces resources for early-career scientists on engaging with the ethical and societal implications of research. Deliverables include public webinars, conference programming at ComSciCon Flagship, and a published collection of case-study stories developed by an editorial team of program leads, content developers, and editors.
Quantifiable outcome
- 70+ publications from 2020 Flagship partnership with Natural History magazine
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use ComSciCon
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ComSciCon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
ComSciCon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.
- Natural History MagazinenotableComSciCon partnered with Natural History magazine to create a special print edition featuring voices from ComSciCon affiliates. The September 2020 magazine featured articles written by six ComSciCon participants, including four from the 2020 Flagship.
- Community InitiativescoreNonprofit fiscal sponsor for ComSciCon. Handles organizational finances and administrative support for the volunteer-run nonprofit organization.
- Club SciWrinotableClub SciWri and ComSciConversations share a mission of making fascinating science accessible to everyone. Content collaborations include publishing comics developed at flagship conferences through Club SciWri's editorial process.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ComSciCon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- COMPASS: Direct peer: COMPASS runs science communication training, workshops, and resources for scientists, with similar mission to ComSciCon of building researcher capacity to engage public audiences.
- Science Talk: Direct peer: Annual conference and community for science communicators, with professional development programming closely paralleling ComSciCon's flagship workshop.
- Pint of Science: Direct peer: Global festival that trains and connects researchers with public audiences; operates through a decentralized chapter model analogous to ComSciCon's regional chapter workshops.
- Club SciWri: Direct peer: Network of science writers that publishes accessible science content and collaborates with ComSciCon on comics and editorial content; overlapping graduate-student audience.
Broad incumbents
- The Conversation: Broader incumbent: Major science communication publication platform that works directly with academics to produce accessible articles, overlapping with ComSciCon's publication-focused programming.
- Sigma Xi: Broader incumbent: Honor society running conferences, publications, and grants that support early-career scientists, partially overlapping with ComSciCon's networking and publishing mission.
- National Science Teaching Association: Broader incumbent: Major STEM education organization with conferences, publications, and teacher training; adjacent audience but parallel structure of member-driven professional development.
- AAAS: Broader incumbent: Runs the AAAS Annual Meeting and science communication programs targeted at researchers and the public, overlapping with ComSciCon's academic conference and training mission.
Emerging players
- 500 Women Scientists: Emerging peer: Grassroots organization running workshops, trainings, and events for scientists, with similar volunteer-led chapter structure to ComSciCon.
- Future of Research: Emerging peer: Nonprofit advocating for early-career researchers with conferences and policy engagement; overlaps with ComSciCon's graduate student and postdoctoral audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ComSciCon social profiles
Digital presenceComSciCon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ComSciCon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
ComSciCon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ComSciCon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ComSciCon
What does ComSciCon do?
ComSciCon (the Communicating Science Conference Series) is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization that runs a series of science communication workshops organized by and for graduate students. Its core offerings are the annual national Flagship Workshop, regional Chapter Workshops across North America and beyond, and the grant-funded SEEDS (Stories of Ethics, Engagement, and Dialogue in Science) project, which produces public webinars, case-study publications, and programming on the ethical and societal dimensions of research. All workshops are offered free of charge to student attendees thanks to institutional sponsorship.
Is ComSciCon a public or private company?
ComSciCon is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ComSciCon founded?
ComSciCon was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ComSciCon based?
ComSciCon is headquartered in Cambridge, United States, in the North America region.
How does ComSciCon make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Sponsorship and Grants are the primary driver. The others are donations and fiscal Sponsorship.
Who are ComSciCon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are COMPASS, Science Talk, Pint of Science and Club SciWri. Broad incumbents are The Conversation, Sigma Xi, National Science Teaching Association and AAAS. Emerging players are 500 Women Scientists and Future of Research.
Does ComSciCon have an API?
No public API is recorded for ComSciCon.
What industry is ComSciCon in?
ComSciCon's product category is Science Communication Training and Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAGAD, Academic & Scientific Conferences, with a secondary code of THAHACAE, Academic & Education Conference Organizers. Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8200.