the co-intelligence institute

What the co-intelligence institute does

The Co-Intelligence Institute is a Eugene, Oregon-based nonprofit research and public service organization founded in 1996 by Tom Atlee and Karen Mercer. It operates primarily online through co-intelligence.org and a newer co-intelligence.institute site, with no disclosed physical office beyond a virtual/US footprint. Its mission is to research, publish, and advocate for 'co-intelligence' — the capacity of diverse people to work together intelligently — across democracy, economics, organizational development, and conscious evolution. The Institute produces theoretical frameworks (e.g., co-intelligence, wise democracy, holistic intelligence), a content library of 600+ pages of articles, four to five books authored by Tom Atlee (including 'The Tao of Democracy,' 'Empowering Public Wisdom,' 'Participatory Sustainability,' 'Reflections on Evolutionary Activism,' and a March 2024 release), and applied programs such as the Wise Democracy Project and Citizen Deliberative Councils, plus a Community Process Toolbox of 40+ facilitation methodologies. It does not sell software or technology products; its core technology is the body of written work and facilitation frameworks.

The organization monetizes through two streams: donations solicited from website visitors, and book sales through Amazon and direct channels (pricing $3.50–$15). Its go-to-market is community-led: thought-leadership content, four founder-maintained blogs, email subscriptions, and referrals from adjacent networks such as the National Coalition on Dialogue and Deliberation. Endorsements from figures including William Ury, Frances Moore Lappé, and Paul H. Ray function as credibility assets rather than as revenue relationships. Customer segments are non-paying civic activists, democratic reform researchers, community organizers, and conscious-evolution practitioners — all reached horizontally through content rather than through segmented sales motion. The Institute has no disclosed headcount, no funding rounds, no parents or subsidiaries, and no institutional investors; ownership commentary indicates it is founder-controlled.

Name

the co-intelligence institute

Legal name

The Co-Intelligence Institute

Website

https://co-intelligence.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Co-Intelligence Institute is a 1996-founded US nonprofit that researches, publishes, and advocates for collective wisdom, wise democracy, and co-intelligence through books, a 600+ page content library, and citizen deliberation programs serving civic activists, researchers, and community organizers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education and Democratic Innovation Research

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Collective intelligence research
• Deliberative democracy frameworks
• Collaborative governance methods
• Public wisdom publications
• Conscious evolution studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Eugene

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The organization actively solicits donations from supporters and visitors through dedicated donation pages. Being a non-profit, donations are likely a primary revenue stream.
2. Book Sales: The organization publishes and sells books through Amazon and direct channels, including 'The Tao of Democracy', 'Empowering Public Wisdom', 'Reflections on Evolutionary Activism', and 'Participatory Sustainability'. Prices range from $8.50 to $15 for paperback editions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Co-Intelligence Institute is a nonprofit research and public service organization that researches, publishes, and disseminates frameworks, articles, books, and project work on co-intelligence, deliberative democracy, collaborative governance, and conscious evolution. Its core deliverables are a 600+ page online resource hub, multiple authored books, the Wise Democracy Project, and a Community Process Toolbox of facilitation methodologies offered to civic activists, researchers, and community organizers.

Product overview

The Co-Intelligence Institute is a non-profit educational organization (not a software company) that provides a comprehensive resource hub offering books, articles, and frameworks on co-intelligence theory and practice. Its portfolio includes four published books by founder Tom Atlee (The Tao of Democracy, Empowering Public Wisdom, Participatory Sustainability, Reflections on Evolutionary Activism, and a 2024 release), the Wise Democracy Project promoting citizen deliberative councils, and a community process toolbox featuring 40+ collaborative methodologies including Open Space Technology, World Cafe, Future Search conferences, and Dynamic Facilitation. The institute functions primarily as a knowledge-sharing and advocacy organization rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wise Democracy Project: A project focused on developing wise democratic practices and citizen deliberation

Products and services

• The Tao of Democracy

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of articles and references describing proven methods and practical visions for collaborative processes
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 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

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD): A nonprofit coalition advancing the use of dialogue and deliberation across sectors; directly comparable to CII in mission and audience (civic facilitators, deliberative democracy practitioners), with overlapping references between the two organizations.
• Kettering Foundation: A research foundation focused on deliberative democracy and citizen-centered governance; a direct peer that conducts and disseminates research on how citizens can shape public life, mirroring CII's core intellectual agenda.
• Public Agenda: A nonprofit research and public engagement organization working on democratic deliberation and citizen voice; operates in the same deliberative-democracy thought-leadership space as CII, with similar donor-supported research outputs.
• AmericaSpeaks: Pioneered large-scale citizen deliberation initiatives in the U.S.; a direct peer focused on convening citizens for collective decision-making, conceptually aligned with CII's Wise Democracy Project.
• Healthy Democracy: Designs and runs deliberative democracy programs including citizens' initiative reviews and panels; comparable in operating model (nonprofit delivering deliberative programs) and target beneficiaries (engaged citizens and communities).
• Jefferson Center: A nonprofit that pioneered Citizens Juries and other deliberative formats; comparable in advancing citizen-led governance and developing reusable methodologies, mirroring CII's Community Process Toolbox.

Broad incumbents

• International IDEA: An intergovernmental organization supporting democratic governance globally; a broader incumbent in the deliberative democracy space, providing institutional heft and funding that CII lacks but addressing overlapping themes.
• New America Foundation: A large think tank covering democracy, governance, and political reform; a broader incumbent whose civic participation work overlaps thematically with CII, though New America operates at much greater scale and funding levels.

Emerging players

• World Café Community of Practice: A community of practice around the World Café method for collaborative dialogue; an emerging peer with significant overlap to the Community Process Toolbox, both curating and disseminating collaborative methodologies.
• International Association for Public Participation (IAP2): A member association for public participation practitioners; an emerging peer that supports training and standards for engagement professionals, overlapping with CII's facilitator and organizer audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about the co-intelligence institute