The Emerging Sciences Foundation
The Emerging Sciences Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that conducts global survey-based research, develops validated psychometric instruments, and builds open-source R tools to study transcendent experiences and the Kundalini mechanism, funded by individual donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLakewood, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Emerging Sciences Foundation does
The Emerging Sciences Foundation (ESF) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) California non-profit founded in 2009 by Michael Molina, headquartered in Lakewood, California. The organization conducts research, education, and outreach on transcendent experiences and the biological mechanism described as Kundalini. Its mission is to build the world's most comprehensive empirical database of transcendent states through global survey-based research and to develop validated measurement instruments for consciousness studies.
ESF operates three core research assets: the Kundalini Experimental Project, a global research initiative collecting Spiritual Experience and Personal Background surveys administered through the Brilliano platform; the ITEC-18 (Integrated Transcendent Experience of Consciousness Scale), an 18-item validated psychometric instrument measuring five facets of transcendent experience; and Kundalini Discover, an open-source R framework published on GitHub that supports factor analysis, regularized SEM, predictive modeling, and machine learning for psychometric research. Research findings have been presented at Oxford University and published as pre-prints on OSF.
The foundation is funded entirely through individual donations (PayPal and Givebutter channels) and operates with 1-10 employees under a six-person volunteer Board of Directors. Its go-to-market is community-led: it recruits survey participants globally via YouTube, webinars, social media, and its website blog, then distributes free research tools and educational content as digital self-serve downloads. There is no commercial pricing, no institutional revenue, and no enterprise sales motion.
The Emerging Sciences Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Emerging Sciences Foundation
- Legal name
- Emerging Sciences Foundation
- Website
- https://emergingsciences.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Emerging Sciences Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that conducts global survey-based research, develops validated psychometric instruments, and builds open-source R tools to study transcendent experiences and the Kundalini mechanism, funded by individual donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Emerging Sciences Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consciousness Research Foundation
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols) (EDAGAGAG), Education, Research & Academic Congresses (THAHAJAD)
Keywords
Where The Emerging Sciences Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lakewood
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The Emerging Sciences Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: As a U.S. 501(c)(3) California non-profit organization founded in 2009, the Emerging Sciences Foundation relies primarily on donations from individuals to fund its research operations, outreach programs, and educational content development.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Emerging Sciences Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Emerging Sciences Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit research organization that conducts scientific research, education, and outreach on transcendent experiences and the Kundalini biological mechanism. It distributes the Kundalini Discover R framework (open-source psychometric analysis software), the ITEC-18 self-report measurement scale, and runs the Kundalini Experimental Project, a global survey-based research initiative hosted on the Brilliano platform.
Product overview
The Emerging Sciences Foundation offers a research-focused portfolio comprising the Kundalini Discover R framework for psychometric analysis, the ITEC-18 survey instrument for measuring transcendent experiences, and the Kundalini Experimental Project for global consciousness research. Kundalini Discover provides analytical tools (factor analysis, predictive modeling, machine learning) while ITEC-18 serves as the measurement scale for tracking transcendent consciousness states. The research project leverages the Brilliano platform for survey administration and data collection.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kundalini Experimental Project: A global research effort led by the Emerging Sciences Foundation to study transcendent states of consciousness and the biological mechanism behind them known as Kundalini. The ultimate goal is to voluntarily awaken this evolutionary mechanism in willing participants.
- ITEC-18 (Integrated Transcendent Experience of Consciousness Scale)
- Kundalini Discover Software
Products and services
- Kundalini Discover
- ITEC-18 (Integrated Transcendent Experience of Consciousness Scale)
- The Kundalini Experimental Project
Quantifiable outcome
- First empirical evidence of a hidden psychophysiological mechanism underlying transcendent experiences (Kundalini)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Emerging Sciences Foundation
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Emerging Sciences Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
The Emerging Sciences Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Kundalini Research ProjectminorThe Kundalini Research Project, led by Swami Mounamurti, presented a webinar on 'Balancing the Brain – Achieving a Healthy Kundalini Awakening' hosted on ESF's website. The project focuses on Kundalini research based in Sydney, Australia.
- BrillianocoreBrilliano serves as the platform hosting the Kundalini Experimental Project, providing the technical infrastructure for conducting surveys and collecting research data from participants worldwide. The Spiritual Experience Survey and Personal Background Survey are administered via the Brilliano app.
- Institute for Consciousness Research (ICR)coreICR has focused research on Kundalini since the 1990s and has gathered much scientifically verifiable data in this direction. ESF board member Michael Bradford has been Director of Publications for ICR since its founding. Both organizations share the mission of investigating consciousness and Kundalini.
- Central Institute for Kundalini ResearchminorFounded and directed by the late Pandit Gopi Krishna, this institute was the pioneering organization for Kundalini research. ESF board member Michael Bradford served as a volunteer worker for the institute in India from 1977-1983, carrying forward Gopi Krishna's legacy of research.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Emerging Sciences Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Center for Consciousness Studies (University of Arizona): An interdisciplinary academic research center that investigates consciousness across philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. Comparable to ESF in research focus on consciousness phenomena, though operating as an academic center within a university rather than as an independent non-profit.
- Fetzer Institute: A private non-profit foundation that funds and conducts research on consciousness, mind, spirit, and the intersection of science and spirituality. Comparable to ESF as a similarly-structured research-grantmaking non-profit studying transcendent/spiritual experience, though with a broader grantmaking model.
- Mind & Life Institute: A non-profit that bridges contemplative traditions (including Tibetan Buddhist traditions) with modern science through research, dialogues, and education. Comparable to ESF in operating at the intersection of contemplative experience, neuroscience, and scientific research, though with broader scope and larger institutional footprint.
- Institute for Consciousness Research (ICR): A research organization focused specifically on Kundalini since the 1990s and an active ESF partner. Directly comparable as it pursues the same Kundalini research thesis with shared board members (Michael Bradford), making it the closest direct peer in mission and historical lineage.
- Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS): A non-profit scientific research foundation that investigates consciousness, psi phenomena, and the mind-body relationship. Highly comparable to ESF as another consciousness-research non-profit with a similar donation-funded model, global community-driven research, and emphasis on scientific study of transcendent/anomalous experiences.
- Kundalini Research Network: A research network specifically focused on Kundalini, with prior board members overlapping with ESF (Myrna Filman, Michael Bradford). Directly comparable as a peer organization in the niche Kundalini research community.
- Spiritual Emergence Network: A network supporting individuals undergoing spiritual awakenings and Kundalini-like experiences — the same population ESF explicitly serves. Comparable to ESF in mission focus on individuals experiencing non-ordinary states of consciousness and the lack of mainstream medical support for them.
Broad incumbents
- Maharishi International University (Maharishi Foundation): An accredited university and broader movement founded on the study of consciousness via Transcendental Meditation, with substantial research output on meditation-induced transcendent states. Comparable to ESF as a longer-established, better-funded organization conducting scientific research on consciousness and transcendent experience, though operating as an educational institution rather than a pure research foundation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Emerging Sciences Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceThe Emerging Sciences Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Emerging Sciences Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
The Emerging Sciences Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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The Emerging Sciences Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about The Emerging Sciences Foundation
What does The Emerging Sciences Foundation do?
The Emerging Sciences Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit research organization that conducts scientific research, education, and outreach on transcendent experiences and the Kundalini biological mechanism. It distributes the Kundalini Discover R framework (open-source psychometric analysis software), the ITEC-18 self-report measurement scale, and runs the Kundalini Experimental Project, a global survey-based research initiative hosted on the Brilliano platform.
Is The Emerging Sciences Foundation a public or private company?
The Emerging Sciences Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Emerging Sciences Foundation founded?
The Emerging Sciences Foundation was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Emerging Sciences Foundation based?
The Emerging Sciences Foundation is headquartered in Lakewood, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Emerging Sciences Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations.
Who are The Emerging Sciences Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Center for Consciousness Studies (University of Arizona), Fetzer Institute, Mind & Life Institute, Institute for Consciousness Research (ICR), Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), Kundalini Research Network and Spiritual Emergence Network. Maharishi International University (Maharishi Foundation) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Emerging Sciences Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Emerging Sciences Foundation.
What industry is The Emerging Sciences Foundation in?
The Emerging Sciences Foundation's product category is Consciousness Research Foundation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAI, Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of EDAGAGAG, Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols). Its NAICS code is 5417 and its SIC code is 8731.