Adam Smith Society
The Adam Smith Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs 33 MBA student chapters in the US and Israel, delivering free-market programming through speaker events, donor-funded operations, and its parent, the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersWest New York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Adam Smith Society does
The Adam Smith Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational community that serves MBA students at top business schools through a network of 33 student chapters in the United States and Israel. Headquartered at 52 Vanderbilt Avenue in New York City, it operates as a project of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and convenes programming around free-market capitalism, originally launched through the Marilyn G. Fedak Capitalism Project co-founded with Cliff Asness.
Its core product is in-person intellectual programming: speaker events, debates, and discussions featuring prominent figures from business, finance, and policy, supported by an advisory board that includes Kenneth Griffin, Carly Fiorina, Condoleezza Rice, Mark Cuban, and Jeff Yass. The organization maintains a Speakers Hall of Fame and a tiered donor base, while keeping membership free for students.
The business model is donor-funded and non-commercial: the society charges no fees to students and instead generates revenue through individual donations, event sponsorships, and a Capstone Donor Program for major givers. There is no proprietary technology platform — operations are delivered through volunteer-led chapters, with the society providing programming, speakers, and organizational infrastructure.
Adam Smith Society firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Adam Smith Society
- Legal name
- Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc.
- Website
- https://adamsmithsociety.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Adam Smith Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs 33 MBA student chapters in the US and Israel, delivering free-market programming through speaker events, donor-funded operations, and its parent, the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Adam Smith Society industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit educational community / professional association
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)
Keywords
Where Adam Smith Society is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Adam Smith Society business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations: Tax-deductible contributions from individuals, foundations, and business leaders who support the mission of informing and connecting MBA students and alumni about free markets and capitalism. EIN #13-2912529.
- Event Sponsorships: Sponsorship of events for students and alumni, including speaking, mentoring, or advising student and alumni members.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Student Chapter Participation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Adam Smith Society product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Adam Smith Society runs a network of free student chapters at 33 top business school campuses and hosts speaker events with industry, academic, and policy thought leaders to discuss free markets, capitalism, and business in society. The organization also offers supporter/donor membership programs that provide invitations to certain events and engagement opportunities, operating as a project of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
Product overview
The Adam Smith Society is a membership organization and educational platform, not a software technology product. It operates as a project of the Manhattan Institute, bringing together MBA students and business professionals to discuss free market principles through a network of student chapters at 33 business schools, speaker events featuring industry and thought leaders, and various membership programs including the Capstone Donor Program and the Empire/Metropolitan Society memberships. The organization offers no software products, applications, or developer tools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Student Chapter Network A network of free student chapters at 33 top business school campuses including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT Sloan, Kellogg, and Booth, providing forums for MBA students to learn about and discuss free market principles.
- Event Programming Speaker events featuring thought leaders from industry, academia, and the policy world, focused on key policy challenges facing the business community, including workforce training, inequality, corporate social responsibility, and Big Tech regulation.
- Adam Smith Society Membership Program
Companies that use Adam Smith Society
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Adam Smith Society technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Adam Smith Society partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Manhattan Institute for Policy ResearchcoreThe Adam Smith Society is a project of the Manhattan Institute, a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Manhattan Institute provides organizational infrastructure, staff (including Karl Abramson and Trinity Hamilton), program oversight, and funding through its sponsorship office. EIN #13-2912529.
- Marilyn G. Fedak Capitalism ProjectcoreFounded in 2011 in partnership with the Marilyn G. Fedak Capitalism Project. Marilyn Fedak, co-founder, is Vice Chair Emeritus of AllianceBernstein and founder of the Marilyn G. Fedak Capitalism Project. She is a member of the Advisory Board.
- Chapter Leaders and ParticipantscoreChapter Leaders are volunteers designated by Manhattan Institute to organize and manage campus chapter activities. Chapter Participants are volunteers who attend events and activities. All are governed by Volunteer Agreement.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Adam Smith Society competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI): Nonprofit that educates college students in the principles of free enterprise, limited government, and individual liberty through reading groups, lectures, and publications. Directly comparable mission and B-school-adjacent programming to Adam Smith Society.
- Students For Liberty: Student-led nonprofit promoting free-market and libertarian ideas through university chapters globally. Closely parallel to Adam Smith Society in mission, chapter-based distribution, donor funding model, and focus on developing next-generation free-market advocates.
- Federalist Society: Identified by Adam Smith Society itself as its institutional analogue. Both are nonprofit membership networks hosting student chapters at elite institutions, supported by donor funding and elite advisory boards, focused on cultivating a specific ideological framework (constitutionalism vs. free-market capitalism) within professional schools.
- Young Americans for Liberty (YAL): Libertarian student organization running campus chapters at hundreds of U.S. colleges. Comparable to Adam Smith Society in volunteer-led chapter model, donor-funded operation, and ideological positioning around free markets and limited government.
Broad incumbents
- Cato Institute: Libertarian public policy think tank producing research on free markets, limited government, and individual liberty. Comparable to Adam Smith Society's intellectual underpinnings, donor-funded nonprofit model, and engagement with student/professional audiences.
- Atlas Network: Global network connecting 500+ free-market think tanks and civil-society organizations across 90+ countries. Indirectly comparable to Adam Smith Society in free-market mission and grants/institutional support model, and offers a precedent for international chapter expansion.
- American Enterprise Institute (AEI): Major Washington, D.C. think tank promoting free enterprise, entrepreneurship, and limited government. Comparable to the Manhattan Institute parent and Adam Smith Society's policy-network position, though broader in research output and policy engagement.
- Heritage Foundation: Large conservative public policy think tank influencing policy debate and cultivating conservative leaders. Comparable to Adam Smith Society in donor-funded model, free-enterprise orientation, and the goal of cultivating the next generation of business and policy leaders.
- Hoover Institution: Stanford-based public policy think tank advancing free-market principles and individual liberty. Comparable institutional role to Manhattan Institute as Adam Smith Society's policy ecosystem peer and offers a Stanford-pipeline connection relevant to ASS chapters.
Emerging players
- Fund for American Studies (TFAS): Hosts educational programs for college students in free-market economics, political philosophy, and journalism. Overlaps with Adam Smith Society in donor-supported student programming and free-market intellectual content, though TFAS's delivery is primarily summer institutes rather than chapter-based.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Adam Smith Society social profiles
Digital presenceAdam Smith Society compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Adam Smith Society financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Adam Smith Society leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Adam Smith Society funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Adam Smith Society 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 Adam Smith Society
What does Adam Smith Society do?
The Adam Smith Society runs a network of free student chapters at 33 top business school campuses and hosts speaker events with industry, academic, and policy thought leaders to discuss free markets, capitalism, and business in society. The organization also offers supporter/donor membership programs that provide invitations to certain events and engagement opportunities, operating as a project of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
Is Adam Smith Society a public or private company?
Adam Smith Society is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Adam Smith Society founded?
Adam Smith Society was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Adam Smith Society based?
Adam Smith Society is headquartered in West New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Adam Smith Society make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are event Sponsorships.
Who are Adam Smith Society's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), Students For Liberty, Federalist Society and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL). Broad incumbents are Cato Institute, Atlas Network, American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Heritage Foundation and Hoover Institution. Fund for American Studies (TFAS) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Adam Smith Society have an API?
No public API is recorded for Adam Smith Society.
What industry is Adam Smith Society in?
Adam Smith Society's product category is Nonprofit educational community / professional association. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAGAK, Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums, with a secondary code of THAHAMAH, Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits. Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8600.