ASOF

What ASOF does

ASOF (the Armenian Society of Fellows), legally The Armenian Society of Fellows, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in April 2021 to help raise Armenia's educational and research institutions to world-class standards and to network diaspora scholars globally. It operates as an international scholarly network of approximately 390 members across 35 countries and 126 areas of expertise, including Nobel Laureates Daron Acemoglu (MIT) and Dork Sahagian (Lehigh), Nvidia VP Rev Lebaredian, and senior academics from Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and NASA. ASOF delivers its mission through committees and programs: ARCS-ai (computational sciences and AI), ArCH/Armenian Cultural Heritage (with operational arm SIREH in Armenia), the EU-funded ETICA ethics project, and a Seismic Safety Program with five government task forces. Annual conferences rotate across Venice, Dilijan, Yerevan, and Los Angeles (including a 2025 USC satellite and the 2026 Dilijan edition), and serve as the primary convening mechanism alongside a member portal.

The organization is registered as a 501(c)(3) in the United States (EIN 87-4083852, headquartered in Pasadena, CA), as a foundation (հիմնադրամ, registration 222.160.1253511) in Armenia, and as a non-profit association (Société Savante Arménienne) in France (Bibliothèque Nubar, Paris). It has no proprietary technology products, APIs, or patents; the portal.asof.am member portal is the primary digital surface. Revenue comes exclusively from tax-deductible donations and project-specific fundraising, with no commercial products or services sold. Operations are volunteer-driven with very low overhead, led by Chair Mary Papazian (former SJSU president) and board members including Adam Kablanian, Oshin Peroomian, and Nina Hovnanian.

Strategic partners include the American Concrete Institute (seismic MOU, 2025), Gituzh (Science Week, 2024), the Hovnanian Foundation (fellowships), and the EU Horizon Europe program (ETICA, €2.5M). The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven rather than commercial: ASOF recruits members from diaspora academic institutions and channels expert volunteer time into Armenian institutional development, seismic policy advisory, cultural-heritage preservation, and computational-sciences programs.

Name

ASOF

Legal name

The Armenian Society of Fellows

Website

https://asof.am

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ASOF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit scholarly network founded in 2021 that mobilizes 390 diaspora Armenian experts across 35 countries to support Armenia's education, research, cultural heritage, seismic safety, and AI initiatives through volunteer committees, annual conferences, and grant-funded programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Scholarly Network Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAIAAAK

Study Abroad Provider Networks, Consortia & Membership Organizations

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/Study Abroad Program Providers (Multi-Country & Multi-Discipline)

SECONDARYBPADANAB

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Standards, Policy & Regulatory Cooperation

Keywords

• Scholarly network
• Academic collaboration
• Research programs
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Educational advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: ASOF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on donations. The organization accepts one-time and monthly recurring donations to support its operational budget, ARCS.ai initiative, and ArCH (Armenian Cultural Heritage) projects. EIN: 87-4083852 (US), Registration: 222.160.1253511 (Armenia).
2. Project-Specific Fundraising: Dedicated fundraising campaigns for specific projects including ARCS.ai (AI, robotics, bioinformatics, aerospace engineering education) and ArCH (Armenian Cultural Heritage protection and promotion), with separate donation mechanisms for each initiative.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ASOF (Armenian Society of Fellows) operates as an international network of 390 scholars and experts across 35 countries, connecting the Armenian diaspora with educational and research institutions in Armenia. The organization runs programs and projects including ARCS-ai (computational sciences and AI), ArCH (Armenian Cultural Heritage preservation), ETICA (ethics research), and a Seismic Safety Program, and hosts annual conferences and task forces that advise Armenian government agencies on institutional reform.

Product overview

ASOF (Armenian Society of Fellows) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that functions as an international network of scholars and experts, not a technology product company. The organization operates several programs and projects: ARCS-ai (Advanced Research in Computational Sciences & AI) for computational sciences development, ArCH (Armenian Cultural Heritage) for cultural preservation, ETICA for ethics research, and a Seismic Safety Program for infrastructure advising. ASOF organizes annual conferences and maintains a member portal. These are organizational programs, not commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARCS-ai: Advanced Research in Computational Sciences & AI - a committee dedicated to developing Armenia's potential in computational sciences, AI, robotics, bioinformatics, and aerospace engineering
• ArCH
• ETICA
• SIREH

Products and services

• ARCS-ai (Advanced Research in Computational Sciences & AI)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Concrete InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2025ASOF and the American Concrete Institute signed an MOU to collaborate on seismic safety initiatives, building code development, and inspection standards for Armenia. The partnership leverages ACI's technical expertise in concrete structures and construction standards.
• GituzhcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 October 2024ASOF partnered with Gituzh to organize Science Week in Yerevan from October 1-7, 2024. The week-long event was attended by thousands of young people and adults, featuring science education and outreach activities aimed at engaging Armenian youth in research and innovation.
• Hovnanian FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHovnanian Foundation partners with ASOF to support Armenian fellowships and educational programs. The foundation provides funding and support for academic initiatives that connect diaspora scholars with Armenian institutions.
• SIREH FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIREH (registered in Armenia) was established to support the execution and supervision of ArCH (Armenian Cultural Heritage) projects endorsed by ASOF. SIREH complements ASOF's advisory role with operational capacity for cultural heritage initiatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR): NAASR is a US-based membership scholarly association dedicated to Armenian studies, research, and publications. It shares ASOF's positioning as a membership-driven academic network promoting Armenian scholarship, conferences, and research dissemination.
• Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society: Hamazkayin is a global Armenian educational and cultural society operating schools, scout programs, and cultural projects across the diaspora. Like ASOF, it is organized as an international federation advancing Armenian identity through education and culture.
• Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC): ANEC coordinates Armenian diaspora supplementary education through affiliated schools worldwide. It is a comparable membership-organized diaspora educational body focused on curricular standards and cultural transmission, similar to ASOF's ARCS-ai and ArCH education initiatives.
• AGBU (Armenian General Benevolent Union): AGBU is the world's largest Armenian diaspora organization, operating education, scholarship, cultural, and youth programs globally. It directly parallels ASOF's model of channeling diaspora intellectual capital into Armenian institutional development via scholarships, fellowships, and cultural initiatives.
• Ayb Foundation: Ayb Foundation is an Armenian education-focused nonprofit running schools and programs in Armenia. ASOF board member Aram Pakhchanian is its co-founder and chairman, making Ayb an institutional peer with overlapping mission on Armenian educational reform and diaspora-engaged programming.

Broad incumbents

• American University of Armenia (AUA): AUA is a leading Armenian higher education and research institution in Yerevan, collaborating with ASOF on the EU-funded ETICA Center for Ethics in Public Affairs. AUA operates as a broader institutional counterpart in Armenian academic capacity-building that ASOF complements through a diaspora advisory/grant-routing role.
• Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation: The Gulbenkian Foundation is a major international philanthropic institution supporting arts, education, science, and Armenian cultural heritage. It is broadly comparable to ASOF for its blend of cultural-heritage protection, science programming, and diaspora community stewardship, but at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-armenian-society-of-fellows

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ASOF