ICOIA

What ICOIA does

ICOIA (International Community of Iranian Academics) is a volunteer-run, Canada-registered nonprofit founded in October 2022 by Iranian academics in North America, Europe, and Australasia. It was established in response to the September 2022 death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini and the subsequent "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement. The organization serves academics of Iranian heritage worldwide, with a primary focus on those facing persecution inside Iran. Constituents include Iranian academics and students inside and outside Iran, scholars at risk who have been expelled, suspended, or arrested, and supporters of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. It claims to be the first Iranian organization in 46 years to systematically document academic freedom violations at Iranian universities post-Mahsa Amini.

ICOIA delivers an integrated portfolio of non-technology services: a mentorship and volunteering program connecting students with experienced academics; an Online School offering free Farsi-language courses in research methods, academic writing, and biostatistics with R programming for students from Iran and Afghanistan; podcasts and webinars on academic freedom and the movement; human rights documentation and reporting tools with submission channels feeding into the UN Human Rights Council; a Scholars-at-Risk Support Network providing support letters and referrals; and a Free Internet Project addressing digital-access restrictions. The technology stack is conventional web tooling — Google Sites, Google Forms, Google Drive, and social media — with no proprietary software products or APIs.

The organization operates as a decentralized network with members across at least nine countries (US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, and Iran). All activities are conducted entirely by volunteers and the organization explicitly declines external financial support to preserve independence. Membership and all services are free, governance is democratic through an elected executive board, and the only indirect financial conduit is individual members' access to international academic funds for collaboration and joint publications.

Name

ICOIA

Legal name

International Community of Iranian Academics

Website

https://icoia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ICOIA is a volunteer-run Canadian-registered nonprofit that supports Iranian academics and students worldwide through mentorship, free Farsi-language online education, advocacy, human rights documentation, and a scholars-at-risk referral network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Freedom Advocacy and Scholar Support

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAN

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYEDAIAGAO

Volunteer Program Funding, Scholarships & Fundraising Support

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Service Learning, Volunteering & Gap Year Programs

Keywords

• Academic freedom advocacy
• Scholar support services
• Academic mentorship programs
• Human rights documentation
• Higher education community

Headquarters

HQ city

Global (Decentralized)

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Volunteer-driven operations: ICOIA operates entirely through volunteer contributions. All activities are undertaken by volunteers, and no external financial support has been received. ICOIA members have access to international academic funds that enable individual support for Iranian academics through education and research collaboration, conferences, joint publications, and various research opportunities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ICOIA is a volunteer-run, member-driven non-profit network that provides advocacy, mentorship, free educational programming, human rights documentation, and international referral services for Iranian academics and students worldwide. It operates an online school, podcasts, webinars, and a scholars-at-risk support network that links at-risk scholars with global partner organizations and universities. All programs are offered free of charge, and the organization is funded and operated entirely by volunteers without external financial support.

Product overview

ICOIA (International Community of Iranian Academics) is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization offering an integrated suite of programs supporting Iranian academics and students. The portfolio includes mentorship and volunteering services connecting students with academic mentors, an online school providing free educational courses (research methods, academic writing, biostatistics with R), podcasts and webinars on academic freedom, human rights documentation and reporting tools, a scholars-at-risk support network, and a free internet project. The organization also publishes comprehensive reports and statements on academic oppression in Iran. This is not a technology product company but a member-driven advocacy and educational support organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mentorship and Volunteering Program Office-hour mentorship matching experienced Iranian academics with students and early-career researchers for guidance on CVs, graduate school applications, and professional development, alongside volunteer coordination to support at-risk students.
• Online School Virtual educational platform providing free online seminars and courses in academic writing, scientific research methods, and biostatistics with R programming, targeted at Farsi-speaking students from Iran and Afghanistan.
• Podcasts Audio content on academic freedom in Iran, the Women Life Freedom movement, student resistance, and educational rights, distributed via Spotify.
• Webinars Educational webinars in Persian and English covering political developments in Iran, academic freedom, and related topics, hosted on YouTube.
• Free Internet Project Project focused on addressing internet restrictions and promoting digital access for Iranian academics and students.
• Human Rights Documentation and Reporting Program monitoring, documenting, and reporting human rights violations in Iranian universities through secure submission channels (Google Forms and email), with reports submitted to human rights organizations including the UN Human Rights Council.
• Scholars at Risk Support Network Program connecting at-risk Iranian scholars with international support organizations (Scholars at Risk Network, IIE Scholar Rescue Fund, Philipp Schwartz-Initiative), providing support letters, consolidating special fund opportunities, and linking suspended and expelled students with international universities.
• Academic Oppression Reports Comprehensive reports documenting government crackdowns on university students and academics, IRGC interference in universities, chemical attacks against students, and identified academic oppressors in Iranian institutions.
• Statements and Open Letters Official statements, open letters, and urgent appeals addressing human rights issues, executions, academic freedom, and advocacy directed at university presidents and international organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 804+ students documented as arrested from September 2022 to March 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Scholars at Risk NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICOIA works with Scholars at Risk Network to support threatened scholars facing persecution. The partnership helps connect Iranian scholars at risk with placement opportunities at partner institutions worldwide. ICOIA can provide support letters and recommendations to this organization.
• IIE Scholar Rescue FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund arranges, funds, and supports fellowships for threatened and displaced scholars. ICOIA connects Iranian scholars at risk with this organization and can provide recommendations for applicants.
• Refugee & Migrant Education NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA global network of universities and non-profit organizations aiming to overcome pressing needs for access to education among refugees and migrants. ICOIA collaborates on advocacy and awareness.
• The Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and ImmigrationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn alliance of American college and university presidents working to increase understanding of how immigration policies impact students and campuses. ICOIA works with them on advocacy for Iranian students.
• Higher Ed Immigration PortalminorOthersProvides regular updates on policy and effective practices related to education of refugees. ICOIA refers scholars to this resource for immigration-related information.
• Welcome.USminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA national initiative aiming to support refugees in the U.S. ICOIA connects at-risk Iranian scholars with this organization for support services.
• World LearningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn organization with exchange programs connecting emerging leaders for change. ICOIA refers scholars to their programs for professional development opportunities.
• Embo Solidarity GrantsminorOthersEMBO offers one-year stipends for researchers to start, continue or finish PhD thesis work, and for post-doctoral researchers. ICOIA shares information about these opportunities with Iranian scholars at risk.
• Philipp Schwartz-Initiative (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman program that supports threatened researchers with research fellowships at German institutions. ICOIA connects eligible Iranian scholars with this opportunity.
• University Support Network (Multiple Universities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICOIA liaises with universities worldwide to encourage fee waivers for Iranian students. Universities including York University, University of Toronto, Cornell, Columbia, Boston University, and 30+ others have offered application fee waivers and other support for Iranian applicants.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Scholars Against the War on Iran: A coalition of academics opposing military intervention and advocating for academic engagement with Iran. Closely comparable to ICOIA in the academic-community-and-Iran advocacy niche, though narrower in operational scope.
• Scholars at Risk Network: An international network of universities and institutions that protects scholars at risk and promotes academic freedom worldwide. ICOIA partners directly with them and offers an overlapping scholar-rescue mandate, but with a specific Iranian diaspora focus.
• PEN America: Promotes freedom of expression and defends writers, journalists, and academics at risk internationally. Comparable in advocacy and protect-the-writers-scholar mission, though broader in scope beyond academia and Iran.
• Scholars Without Borders: Volunteer-driven network supporting persecuted scholars and students globally with mentorship, relocation, and advocacy. Closely comparable to ICOIA in both mission and volunteer-led operating model.
• Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA): UK-based nonprofit that provides support and fellowships for academics forced to flee their home countries. Closely comparable to ICOIA's scholars-at-risk support work but with a longer history (founded 1933) and broader geographic remit.
• IIE Scholar Rescue Fund: Institute of International Education program that arranges, funds, and supports fellowships for threatened and displaced scholars globally. ICOIA directly refers at-risk Iranian scholars to this organization; comparable in scholar-rescue mission but with a more funding-centric model.

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch: Global human rights organization that investigates and reports on rights violations, including Iran. Comparable in advocacy and documentation of Iranian human rights abuses, but with a broader country coverage and a paid-staff model.
• National Coalition Against Censorship: US-based alliance of organizations dedicated to defending First Amendment and academic freedom rights. Comparable in academic freedom advocacy mandate but US-centric and serves a broader free-expression agenda than ICOIA's Iran-focused mission.
• Amnesty International: World's largest grassroots human rights organization that accepts and acts on human rights documentation submissions. ICOIA's reports are submitted to UN bodies alongside Amnesty's work; comparable in advocacy for Iranian prisoners but operates at vastly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Scholars in Exile: Smaller, emerging network focused on exile scholars and academic freedom. Comparable in mission and target community but with broader geographic and thematic scope than ICOIA's Iran-focused mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ICOIA_Official
• GitHubgithub.com/icoia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@icoia_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icoia-official
• Instagraminstagram.com/icoia_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ICOIA