Interspecies Internet

What Interspecies Internet does

Interspecies Internet is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity founded in 2013 in Delaware, USA, with parallel registered status as a UK charity (number 1195800). The organization serves a global, multidisciplinary community of approximately 4,500 scientists, technologists, philosophers, artists, and cultural leaders working on interspecies communication — defined as the decoding of and meaningful engagement with non-human animal communication systems spanning bioacoustics, cognition, AI/ML, conservation, welfare, and ethics. Its purpose is to provide shared infrastructure — ethical frameworks, technical standards, and a neutral convening forum — for a fragmented landscape of independent research initiatives attempting to communicate with or interpret non-human species including sperm whales, prairie dogs, corvids, humpback whales, elephants, orcas, great apes, octopuses, honeybees, wolves, bats, dogs, and dolphins.

The organization's program portfolio is structured around community convening rather than commercial product delivery. Ongoing offerings include the monthly Interspecies Conversations lecture series, a global Slack community for research collaboration, the Open Library of public learning resources, and the Hall of Fame recognition program for historical research contributions. Its most substantive intellectual output to date is the 'Animals in Translation' publication (2024), which followed a workshop co-hosted with the Santa Fe Institute and XPRIZE Biodiversity and Conservation, and which established first-of-kind field-wide criteria for demonstrating successful decoding of animal communication. The Interspecies Data Exchange, currently in design phase, represents the organization's most ambitious technical initiative: shared standards, ethical frameworks, and protocols enabling responsible cross-initiative data and interface sharing. Parallel work via the MOTH Program has produced the PEPP framework — co-developed ethical principles for animal data, AI, and interspecies research.

Interspecies Internet operates as a public-interest charity rather than a commercial enterprise. Funding derives from donations, philanthropic grants, and collaborative partnership support from the Jeremy Coller Foundation, Google, and MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms. All programs are offered free of charge, with no disclosed pricing model. Governance rests with a Board of Trustees chaired by Vint Cerf, with Peter Gabriel, Prof. Neil Gershenfeld, and Dr. Diana Reiss serving as founding trustees; day-to-day operations are led by Executive Director Kate Armstrong. The organization reports operating community and programming reach spanning more than 18 countries.

Name

Interspecies Internet

Legal name

Interspecies Internet

Website

https://interspecies.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Interspecies Internet is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that convenes a global community of 4,500+ scientists, technologists, philosophers, and artists to develop ethical frameworks, shared data standards, and convening forums for interspecies communication research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Research Community Convening

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK)

Keywords

• Interspecies communication research
• Animal cognition science
• Research community convening
• Bioacoustics research programs
• Ethical animal frameworks

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Support: The organization operates as a registered 501(c)(3) charity in Delaware, USA and UK charity 1195800, relying on donations and philanthropic support to fund operations and programs.
2. Partnership and Collaborative Funding: Funding from partners including Jeremy Coller Foundation, Google, and MIT to support workshops, research initiatives, and community programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Interspecies Internet is a registered 501(c)(3) charity that convenes a global community of scientists, technologists, philosophers, artists, and cultural leaders to advance interspecies communication research. It delivers this through the Interspecies Conversations monthly lecture series, workshops and conferences, the Open Library of accessible educational resources, the Animals in Translation digital publication, and ethical frameworks such as the PEPP framework developed through the MOTH Program. The organization does not sell products; it operates programs and shares open-source multispecies interface designs, algorithms, and protocols for responsible field-wide collaboration.

Product overview

Interspecies Internet is a registered charity 501(c)(3) organization that operates as a global research community and convening platform rather than a product company. The organization connects scientists, technologists, philosophers, artists, and cultural leaders to help shape the foundations of animal communication research. Its core offerings include: the Interspecies Conversations lecture series (ongoing monthly talks), the Open Library (learning resources), the Interspecies Data Exchange initiative (shared standards in design phase), and the Ethical Frameworks x MOTH Program. The organization publishes the Animals in Translation Report documenting workshop proceedings, hosts workshops (including the 2024 Animals in Translation Workshop), maintains a Slack Community for global collaboration, and runs a Hall of Fame recognition program. The organization is supported by the Jeremy Coller Foundation, Google, and MIT.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Interspecies Conversations Lecture Series An ongoing monthly lecture series featuring cutting-edge talks from leaders in technology, philosophy, cognitive science, ethics, and the arts, aimed at researchers, industry, and the general public interested in interspecies communication.
• Open Library Accessible learning resources for educators, families, and curious minds exploring animal communication, distributed through the organization's website as part of its ongoing programming.
• Animals in Translation Report A landmark multimedia digital publication documenting the proceedings and outcomes of the 2024 'Animals in Translation' Workshop, co-hosted with the Santa Fe Institute, establishing collaboratively developed criteria and frameworks for decoding animal communication for the field of interspecies research.

Quantifiable outcome

• First landmark publication on criteria and frameworks for decoding animal communication published in 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Santa Fe InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-hosted the 2024 'Animals in Translation' workshop with Interspecies Internet, bringing together 40 thought leaders from diverse fields to develop criteria for decoding animal communication.
• XPRIZE Biodiversity and ConservationstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024XPRIZE team participated in the 2024 workshop to co-develop a prize concept for animal translation based on criteria developed at the workshop.
• MIT Center for Bits and AtomscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Co-host of workshops including the 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024 events. Neil Gershenfeld, Director of MIT CBA, serves as a founding trustee of Interspecies Internet.
• Project CETIstrategicOthersNon-profit listening project attempting to decipher sperm whale communication. Key initiative in the field that Interspecies Internet provides a forum to encourage interconnection and convergence with other initiatives.
• Earth Species ProjectstrategicOthersApplies machine learning to decode animal vocalizations, creating open-source models. Interspecies Internet provides a forum to encourage interconnection with other initiatives working on animal communication.
• The MOTH ProgramstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted a virtual workshop with the research community to advance dialogue on the 'Listening To Our Animal Kin' report and deepen engagement with the PEPP framework for ethical animal communication research.
• Whale-SETI GroupstrategicOthersSETI Institute team applying astrobiological frameworks to explore whale communication as an analog for extraterrestrial intelligence. Connected to Interspecies Internet through research community and lecture series.
• Grizzly SystemsminorOthersDevelops real-time behaviour recognition for wildlife encounters, helping humans and animals coexist safely. Mentioned as one of the initiatives in the field connected through Interspecies Internet.
• FluentPetminorOthersEnables dogs to use soundboard-style interfaces to express needs, emotions and preferences. Mentioned as initiative in the interspecies communication field.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• XPRIZE Foundation: Nonprofit that runs large incentive competitions to drive breakthrough innovation. Directly involved via XPRIZE Biodiversity and Conservation participating in the 2024 Animals in Translation workshop to co-develop a prize concept, sharing the convening and standards-setting role.
• The MOTH Program: Program advancing dialogue on animal communication research including the PEPP ethical framework. Direct convening peer with overlapping mission and explicit partnership listed by Interspecies Internet.
• Earth Species Project: Nonprofit applying machine learning to decode animal vocalizations and building open-source models for interspecies communication. Direct peer operating in the same emerging field and explicitly cited as a partner-initiative in Interspecies Internet's network.
• SETI Institute: Research organization exploring signal detection and communication frameworks, including the Whale-SETI program applying astrobiological methods to whale communication. Closely comparable cross-disciplinary research and convening mission.
• Santa Fe Institute: Independent research center studying complex systems. Co-hosted the 2024 Animals in Translation workshop and shares the convening-body role for interdisciplinary research at the intersection of biology, computation, and ethics.
• Project CETI: Nonprofit research initiative using AI and underwater robotics to decode sperm whale communication. Direct peer in the interspecies communication field and explicitly connected through Interspecies Internet's convening network.

Broad incumbents

• Jane Goodall Institute: Established nonprofit focused on wildlife research, conservation, and education. Comparable as a large-scale mission-driven organization driving public engagement with animal cognition and conservation, though much broader in scope than interspecies communication specifically.

Emerging players

• Whale-SETI: SETI Institute program applying astrobiological and signal-processing frameworks to humpback whale communication. Overlapping research methodology and explicit field-connection listed by Interspecies Internet as a partner-initiative.
• Grizzly Systems: Startup developing real-time behavior recognition for wildlife encounters to help humans and animals coexist safely. Listed as a connected initiative in Interspecies Internet's field network.
• FluentPet: Consumer-facing company enabling dogs to use soundboard-style interfaces to express needs and emotions. Adjacent in interspecies communication technology and explicitly listed as a connected initiative.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=WkiLLliriIY&t=2s
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/interspecies-i-o

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Interspecies Internet