Academia.edu is a digital platform designed for academics to share their research papers and connect with other researchers. Founded by Richard Price, the company emerged from his experience as a PhD student at Oxford, where he identified the need for a simple way to create a homepage and upload academic papers. The platform primarily serves academics, researchers, professionals, and students who are interested in accessing and disseminating scholarly work.

Operating in the academic and research market, Academia.edu has grown to host over 55 million papers and attracts 103 million users every month. The platform allows users to upload their research, share it with a global audience, and track the impact of their work through robust analytics. This helps researchers gain visibility and measure the influence of their contributions to their respective fields.

Academia.edu's business model is based on a freemium approach. While basic services such as uploading papers and accessing research are free, the company generates revenue through premium subscriptions. These subscriptions offer advanced features like enhanced analytics, the ability to see who is reading your work, and access to additional research tools. This model allows Academia.edu to cater to both casual users and those who require more in-depth services.

In summary, Academia.edu is a vital resource for the academic community, providing a platform for sharing research, discovering new studies, and tracking the impact of scholarly work. It operates on a freemium model, making money through premium subscriptions that offer advanced features.

Keywords: academic research, platform, researchers, papers, analytics, visibility, freemium, subscriptions, impact tracking, scholarly work.