Lessons from 10 Years of Impact 

Amid the tumult of the development sector’s last few months, deeper and longer-term shifts have been taking shape. Across the community, we’ve noticed a move toward approaches that are more agile, more inclusive, and grounded in stronger collaboration. There’s a sharpened recognition of the need to deliver impact with greater creativity and care—and in ways that are more attuned to the complex realities of our world today.

We were founded on a belief in openness, curiosity, and the value of trusted partnerships—commitments we hold close today, and that feel more important than ever.

As we launch our refreshed brand, we’re doubling down on what has always guided us: that by seeing differently, we can empower our partners to reimagine what’s possible in delivering meaningful impact. Our clients continue to challenge us to raise the bar, and we’re proud to respond with fresh perspectives and rigor.

In this blog, our senior leadership team shares lessons from the past decade that continue to shape how we think, work, and lead.

Technologies (like phones, mobile money, and lately, AI) are tools, but they are not only tools. They are reflections of power that encourage some choices and restrict others. It is impossible to shape the future if we don’t see how the very nature of societies and economies is shaped and structured by the technologies we bring into the world. Systems thinking enables us and our partners to work across the never-ending cycle of new technologies, new adaptations, and new challenges.

The twin forces of climate change and digital transformation are reshaping our world—quickly. Addressing the intersection of these forces means embracing data not just as a tool, but also as a compass for smarter, more sustainable decision-making. Digital technologies like Earth Observation offer unprecedented visibility into environmental systems, tracking change, targeting resources, and adapting in real time. The lesson is clear: tackling climate challenges requires strategies that are both systems-aware and deeply grounded in evidence. By integrating data at every level, we can design interventions that are not only more responsive and efficient but also more equitable and enduring.

Over the years, we’ve learned that transformative insight rarely comes just from analysis or frameworks. It emerges in the quiet moments—the side conversations, the tensions people don’t articulate, the constraints they quietly navigate. We’ve always worked to generate strong answers, and these answers are getting better as we focus on asking better questions, anchoring our work in empathy, curiosity, and humility, including being honest about what we don’t know. By listening closely and designing alongside the people we aim to serve, we’re reminded that effective strategy lives at the intersection of structure and softness.

Whether working with satellite data or generative AI, the fundamentals of inclusion remain unchanged. Barriers like affordability, access, safety, and relevance persist—and with greater urgency as the pace and scale of innovation accelerates. AI, for example, presents vast potential for positive change, but also risks entrenching existing divides. The solution lies in staying grounded in context, ensuring that digital transformation builds toward equity, not away from it. It means ensuring that policies encourage fair technologies, understanding everyday uses, and documenting the impacts (both anticipated and unexpected) of technologies at scale.

Technology only delivers impact when people can see themselves in it. Technical tools must be communicated in human terms, designed for intuitive use, and justified through real-world value—not potential alone. We’ve learned to focus not just on innovation itself, but on the capacity of users, communication that is accessible rather than alienating, and cost-effectiveness that ensures new technologies are adopted and used. In the end, all technologies—even those powered by satellites in space—require ground-level trust.

No theory of change can succeed without a venture mindset. Pilots don’t scale on promise alone—they scale when the people building them are supported with the capital, care, and conditions they need to thrive. That means being founder-friendly from the start: funding the journey, not just the idea. It means backing bold visions with flexible, long-term support, including mentorship, investor readiness, technical assistance, and real pathways to scale. Startups aren’t NGOs, and we shouldn’t treat them like they are. If we want innovation that lasts, we need to meet founders where they are and design systems that work for the ways they really operate: fast, lean, and responsive. Development needs ventures to power the future—and ventures need us to show up differently.

In our advisory work, we often sit between bold donor ambitions and the operational realities of small, resource-constrained implementers. We’ve learned that this position carries responsibility—not just to translate, but to build trust, align incentives, and ensure the whole system functions more effectively. Whether we’re resolving tensions over data ownership or mapping where past efforts have fallen short, we know that thoughtful intermediation is a quiet but critical driver of lasting impact.

Behind every digital technology, system and infrastructure—from ID and payments to data systems—are structural and policy design choices that translate power and shape outcomes: who gets access, who gets excluded, who holds control and whose interests are represented. We’ve learned that governance isn’t an add-on. It’s central to determining whether systems are trusted, adopted, and aligned with public interest. From humanitarian transitions to cross-border data flows, effective governance means designing for consent, accountability, and interoperability from the start. It means recognising that governance isn’t just about control, but rather a continually negotiated shaping of the (re)distribution of power, risk, and responsibility.

Throughout our work in complex, fast-changing systems, one principle has guided us: see differently. This isn’t just about having a fresh perspective—it’s about bridging worlds. Whether connecting space tech with climate resilience or translating global funding ambitions into local outcomes, our role is to hold complexity with clarity. We aim to stay rigorous and bold, but also patient and precise—supporting partners to act not just faster, but wiser.

We’re operating adjacent to a sector that is undergoing profound disruption. The dismantling of USAID and significant cuts to European foreign aid have triggered a funding crisis and a human crisis, putting tens of thousands out of work and jeopardizing lives and progress across the globe. We are deeply aware of the cascading consequences of shifting donor priorities and a growing demand to deliver more with less. These are sobering times. Yet in this volatility, we see a validation of the path we’ve chosen. Agility, efficiency, and the ability to rethink legacy models are now imperatives. We know we must continue to act with care and caution, staying resilient while holding space for bold ideas. The sector is changing. We intend not only to weather that change, but to help shape what comes next.

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As we look to the future, these lessons ground us. They remind us that impact isn’t about perfection—it’s about persistence, partnership, and progress. Our refreshed brand marks not just a new chapter in how we present ourselves, but a deepened commitment to our ambition to build a more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable future.