Institut de philosophie Aurora

What Institut de philosophie Aurora does

The Aurora Philosophy Institute (Institut de philosophie Aurora) is a federally incorporated Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to philosophical research and public education, headquartered in Aurora, Ontario. Its stated objectives are to initiate communications, community outreach, educational, public policy, and research activities addressing philosophical issues; to develop international connections for these purposes; to provide educational opportunities in both on-site and online formats; to contribute to public-policy debate, particularly in political economy; and to conduct research and publish the results. The institute is led by a three-person executive team: Alla Marchenko (President & Executive Director), John Smithin (Research Director), and John Cummins (Vice President and Community Affairs Director), who also serves as Owner of Cummins Hydraulics, the institute's core financial partner.

The institute's product surface consists of seven core offerings: a Philosophy Discussion Group structured around lectures and debates; the API Journal (published scholarly articles); API Research Papers covering political-economy topics including Modern Money Theory, Keynes, Marx, and Schopenhauer; API Videos (lecture recordings on epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, and political philosophy); the API Youth Chapter; the Philosophy Cafe (informal discussion sessions); and the Philosophy Project for Seniors (PPS). Distribution runs through a self-serve global online channel (website theapi.ca, YouTube channel AURORAPHILOSOPHYINSTITUTE, RSS feed, and Zoom) plus regional in-person events hosted at the Aurora Public Library at 15145 Yonge Street. No proprietary technology is developed; the platform stack is standard web, video, and conferencing tooling.

The institute is funded entirely through donations and contributions. There are no paid products, services, or pricing tiers. Donation instructions are routed via email ([email protected]) and Canadian e-transfer ([email protected]). The disclosed supporter base comprises Cummins Hydraulics (core financial partner), the Royal Bank of Canada (acknowledged donor), and the Town of Aurora (municipal support). The organization is operating and has scheduled programming extending into September 2026.

Name

Institut de philosophie Aurora

Legal name

Aurora Philosophy Institute

Website

https://theapi.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Aurora Philosophy Institute is a Canadian non-profit in Aurora, Ontario that conducts and disseminates philosophical research — particularly in political economy — through lectures, journals, videos, and discussion programs, serving the general public, youth, seniors, and academic audiences via online and in-person channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philosophy Education and Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADADAD

Education Policy Evaluation & Impact Assessment Organizations

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Policy, Research & Think Tanks

Keywords

• Philosophical research services
• Philosophy education programs
• Political economy research
• Community philosophy discussions
• Philosophy publications

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Aurora Philosophy Institute is a federally incorporated Canadian non-profit that initiates communications, community outreach, educational, public-policy and research activities addressing philosophical issues. It delivers its work through structured discussion programs (Philosophy Discussion Group, Philosophy Cafe), published scholarly outputs (API Journal, API Research Papers, API Videos), and audience-targeted programs (API Youth Chapter, Philosophy Project for Seniors), offered both on-site at the Aurora Public Library and online via website, YouTube, and Zoom.

Product overview

The Aurora Philosophy Institute (API) is a non-profit philosophical research organization offering a portfolio of educational and research products including the Philosophy Discussion Group (a structured presentation and debate program), API Journal (published scholarly journals), API Research Papers (research publications on philosophy and political economy), API Videos (video presentations on philosophical topics), the API Youth Chapter (youth philosophical education), Philosophy Cafe (informal discussion sessions), and the Philosophy Project for Seniors (educational program for seniors). These offerings are provided both on-site and online, with the institute serving as a platform for philosophical research dissemination and public education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Philosophy Discussion Group (Philosophy Discussion Program) A structured discussion program featuring presentations and debates on various philosophical topics, including episodes on reality, virtue ethics, political economy, and metaphysical realism, delivered both on-site and online.
• API Journal Published journals containing philosophical research and scholarly articles by associates and guest contributors, made publicly available through the institute's website.
• API Research Papers Published research papers covering philosophical and political economy topics including Modern Money Theory, Keynes's General Theory, Marx, Schopenhauer, and various philosophical trends, made publicly available.
• API Videos Video presentations and discussions on philosophical topics including epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, determinism, materialism, idealism, and political philosophy, hosted via the institute's YouTube channel.
• API Youth Chapter Youth-focused philosophical education and engagement program for younger members, hosted through the institute's website.
• Philosophy Cafe Informal philosophical discussion sessions covering topics such as existentialism, economic inequality, and philosophical foundations, delivered on-site and via Zoom.
• Philosophy Project for Seniors (PPS) Educational program designed for seniors covering philosophical concepts and discussions, with a dedicated curriculum document published by the institute.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Town of AuroraminorOthersThe Town of Aurora has provided support to the organization as part of their community engagement.
• Aurora Public LibrarycoreOthersAurora Public Library has hosted events for the Aurora Philosophy Institute, providing venue access for philosophical discussions and presentations.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Institute for New Economic Thinking: Non-profit research and education organization supporting scholarship on political economy, monetary theory, and economic policy. Directly comparable to API's stated focus on political economy research and public policy contribution.
• Royal Institute of Philosophy: UK-registered charity promoting philosophical research, discussion, and public education through lectures, journals, and events. Comparable to API as a non-profit philosophical-research and public-discourse organization with publications and programming.
• Ayn Rand Institute: US-based non-profit dedicated to philosophical research and education, publishing books, hosting lectures, and producing online content on political philosophy. Comparable to API as a mission-driven philosophy institute producing research, public events, and digital media for general and academic audiences.
• The Philosophy Foundation: UK-based non-profit that delivers philosophy education and community programs, including work with youth and the public. Comparable to API through its non-profit philosophy-education mission, community programming, and multi-format delivery (in-person and online).

Broad incumbents

• Santa Fe Institute: Independent, non-profit research institute producing scholarly research and public programming on complex systems questions. Comparable to API in its non-profit, research-and-public-discourse model, though focused on complexity science rather than philosophy.
• Mercatus Center: University-affiliated think tank producing policy research in political economy, with publications, events, and an online media presence. Comparable to API through its political-economy research and public-policy-debate mission, though at much greater scale.
• Berggruen Institute: Think-and-do tank focused on governance, political economy, and large-scale philosophical questions, producing publications, events, and research. Comparable to API through its non-profit research and public-policy-debate orientation, though it operates at significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• Institute of Economic Affairs: UK-based think tank producing free-market economics and political-economy research, publications, and public events. Comparable to API through its research-and-education focus on political economy and public policy debate.

Emerging players

• Philosophy Now: Independent philosophy magazine and online publication producing accessible philosophy content and distributing to a broad general audience. Comparable to API as a non-academic publisher of philosophy content with an online distribution model targeting general readers.
• Public Philosophy Network: Network of scholars and educators promoting philosophy for general audiences through public events, journalism, and pedagogy. Comparable to API as a public-facing philosophy organization focused on accessible philosophical discourse and education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AURORAPHILOSOPHYINSTITUTE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/allavm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 →

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