Context:

The client, one of India’s pioneering social enterprise incubators, sought to understand how three of its tech-led early-stage portfolio start-ups could scale-up. In particular it sought to understand what the founders of the three start-ups should be focusing their energies on, over the next few months, to effect the scale-up. 

Collaboration with LagomWorks:

The project had us working in three steps. Firstly, we carried out research on scale-up priorities in the social or development sector (late stage start-ups, incubators, funding organisations, social enterprises and academia) to zero in on what scaling means for social enterprises and understand early stage strategic priorities, pitfalls during transitions in the journey, and what helps transcend them.

Next, we sought to understand the three portfolio start-ups’ strategic focus areas, outcomes, driving factors and challenges, through ethnographic research and 360-degree surveys on the founders.

Finally, we carried out ideation sprints with each of the in-scope incubatee companies, funders and mentors to play back research in the form of how-might-we problem statements, generate ideas, prioritise and evaluate them, and move ahead with interventions.