Laterite
Laterite is an Amsterdam-headquartered data, research, and analytics firm that provides primary data collection, full-cycle evaluations, and AI/ML analytics to development organizations, governments, and foundations across Africa and Latin America through eight regional offices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersKigali, Rwanda
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Laterite does
Laterite is a data, research, and analytics firm headquartered in Amsterdam (operating as Laterite BV) with eight offices across East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda), West Africa (Sierra Leone), South America (Peru), and Europe (Netherlands). Founded in 2010, the firm provides three interconnected service lines to institutional clients: Data Collection Services (field teams, SurveyCTO-based survey administration, phone surveys, and qualitative gathering), Research Services (full-cycle evaluations, baseline/endline studies, longitudinal cohorts, and randomized controlled trials), and Analytics Services (AI, machine learning, and geospatial analysis). Its proprietary operational stack includes real-time data quality dashboards built on SurveyCTO-to-Google Sheets integrations and longitudinal participant-tracking systems that achieved an 11% attrition rate in a 1,006-woman maternal and newborn health cohort in Kenya. The firm also holds methodological IP in locally validated social norm scales and survey experiment designs (vignettes, list experiments, Pro-WEAI adaptations).
Laterite firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Laterite
- Legal name
- Laterite BV
- Website
- https://laterite.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Laterite is an Amsterdam-headquartered data, research, and analytics firm that provides primary data collection, full-cycle evaluations, and AI/ML analytics to development organizations, governments, and foundations across Africa and Latin America through eight regional offices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Laterite industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Development Research Services
- NAICS
- Administrative and Support Services (561)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Donor Coordination, Monitoring & Evaluation (MEL) Programs (BPADABAN)
Keywords
Where Laterite is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kigali
- HQ country
- Rwanda
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices8 records
Markets served
Laterite business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Research and evaluation services: Full-cycle evaluation projects and research engagements for development organizations, governments, and NGOs, covering study design, data collection, analysis, and reporting. Revenue is project-based, typically multi-year contracts with institutional clients.
- Data collection services: Primary data collection services including field team deployment, survey administration, phone surveys, and qualitative data gathering for third-party research projects. Billed as standalone or bundled with research services.
- Analytics and technical assistance: AI, machine learning, and geospatial analytics services; capacity-building and technical assistance for partner organizations. Often embedded within broader research or evaluation engagements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Bespoke project-based pricing for institutional clients |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Laterite product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Laterite provides primary data collection, research, and analytics services to development organizations, governments, and NGOs across Africa and Latin America. Its offerings span field-team-driven survey administration, full-cycle evaluation and impact studies, and AI/ML- and geospatial-enabled analytics. Engagements are delivered through eight offices and include study design, data collection, analysis, reporting, and partner capacity building.
Product overview
Laterite is a data, research, and analytics firm offering three interconnected service lines: Data Collection Services (providing field teams and infrastructure for primary data collection), Research Services (full-cycle evaluation and evidence generation), and Analytics Services (AI, machine learning, and geospatial analysis). The company operates across East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda), Sierra Leone, and Peru, with offices in Amsterdam. Projects span sectors including Agriculture, Education, Gender, Livelihoods, Public Health, and Climate & Energy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Data Collection Services Provides experienced field teams, equipment, and local knowledge to ensure high-quality primary data collection across East Africa, Sierra Leone, and Peru. Designed for development organizations, governments, NGOs, and research institutions needing rigorous survey and qualitative data collection in challenging local contexts.
- Research Services Delivers full-cycle evaluation projects and partners with organizations to bring evidence and learning to the center of decision making. Includes impact evaluations, baseline and endline studies, longitudinal cohort studies, and program assessments for development organizations, governments, and NGOs.
- Analytics Services Deploys artificial intelligence, machine learning, and geospatial data to make research more effective. Provides predictive analytics, anomaly detection on incoming survey data, and geospatial analysis layered on top of data collection and research engagements.
Quantifiable outcome
- 11% attrition rate achieved in a 1,006-participant longitudinal maternal and newborn health study in Kenya
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Laterite
Customer profileNamed customers34 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Laterite technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability3 records
Feature8 records
Laterite partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)coreLaterite is a key implementation partner for ADEA's Education and Skills Data Challenge (ESDC), a five-year, 30-country initiative. Rwanda was the first country to launch, with Laterite supporting a six-week training program that reached 8,159 school leaders (94.6% attendance, +10.6pp learning gain).
- Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL)coreCITL is co-funder and partner for the ESDC initiative alongside ADEA. CITL's Director Wariko Waita participated in Rwanda program supervision visits, emphasizing the link between data-driven education systems and learning outcomes for young Africans.
- TanagercoreTanager is the lead implementer of the IGNITE program (Impacting Gender & Nutrition through Innovative Technical Exchange in Agriculture), a five-year initiative. Laterite serves as the learning partner alongside 60 Decibels, providing MEL support, research design, and analysis across African agriculture institutions.
- 60 Decibelscore60 Decibels is a co-implementer of the IGNITE program alongside Tanager and Laterite, providing impact measurement and MEL support to African agricultural institutions integrating gender and nutrition.
- Imagine WorldwidecoreLaterite provides technical assistance to Imagine Worldwide including a rapid diagnostic of IW's data systems, followed by a tailored capacity-building program for program managers and executive leadership across IW's country operations in Malawi, Senegal, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone.
- KEMRI Wellcome TrustcoreKEMRI Wellcome Trust and Laterite jointly led a Maternal and Newborn Health E-Cohort study in Kenya (mid-2023 to mid-2024), recruiting 1,006 women across Kiambu and Kitui counties. Laterite led the phone survey modules, achieving an 11% attrition rate.
- Lwala Community AlliancecoreLwala Community Alliance implements the Agonyora - Breaking the Shackling Power of Harmful Norms program in Kenya. Laterite conducts the program's evaluation, assessing changes in social norms among male and female role models related to family planning access for youth.
- CAREcoreLaterite partnered with CARE on a clustered RCT testing whether adding unpaid care work modules to CARE's Farmer Field and Business School in Tanzania's Iringa region can redistribute household tasks and shift gender norms. Study surveyed 1,892 spouses from 946 dual-adult households.
- SNVcoreLaterite served as MEL partner for SNV's Regenerative Agricultural Practices for Improved Livelihoods and Markets (REALMS) program, funded by the IKEA Foundation, conducting qualitative research on farmer adoption of regenerative agriculture practices in Kenya and Rwanda.
- TechnoServecoreLaterite has conducted evaluations of TechnoServe's coffee agronomy training programs in Uganda (large-scale RCT) and Ethiopia, and collaborated on the Kenya Yield Study testing AI feasibility for measuring coffee yields.
- Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA)coreThrough the IGNITE program, Laterite partnered with SAA to conduct mixed-methods research on gender-specific drivers of teff farming best practice adoption in Ethiopia's West Gojjam region (555 households surveyed, plus focus groups and key informant interviews).
- Digital GreencoreThrough IGNITE, Laterite collaborated with Digital Green to study whether women-only video extension groups lead to different household outcomes for wheat farmers in Ethiopia, including knowledge, best practice adoption, and decision-making power (1,620 individual interviews).
- International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)coreIFPRI led the SPIR (Strengthen PSNP4 Institutions and Resilience) evaluation, with Laterite Ethiopia conducting data collection for 4,300 rural households in some of the most remote areas of Ethiopia.
- Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion InternationalcoreThe Center for Financial Inclusion co-authored with Laterite on a study capturing Rwandans' perspectives and voices on digital financial services.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Laterite competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA): Global research and policy nonprofit that designs and evaluates programs in developing countries with field offices across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Closest comparable: same MEL/RCT service model, similar donor clients, overlapping geographies and methodological approach.
- 60 Decibels: Impact measurement and benchmarking firm providing lean impact evaluation services to social enterprises and funders. Already co-implements with Laterite on the IGNITE program; comparable footprint and customer base in development MEL.
- ID Insight: Data-focused decision support and impact evaluation organization serving social sector organizations across Africa and South Asia. Highly comparable: similar mission, RCT/MEL service delivery, and overlap in development funders.
- Oxford Policy Management: International development consultancy focused on social policy, governance, and evaluation in low- and middle-income countries. Closely competes for FCDO and donor-funded evaluation contracts in Africa and Asia.
Broad incumbents
- Mathematica Policy Research: Large US-headquartered research and evaluation firm serving government and foundation clients globally. Overlaps directly on MEL contracts with US federal agencies and large foundations, but offers a much broader portfolio than Laterite.
- Palladium: Global advisory firm implementing development programs and evaluations across multiple sectors. Competes with Laterite for USAID, FCDO, and other donor MEL/RFPs while also delivering broader program implementation services.
- NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research institution conducting survey, evaluation, and policy analysis for government and foundation clients. Competes for large-scale international evaluation contracts in education, health, and economic development.
- J-PAL (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab): Global research center at MIT running randomized evaluations of anti-poverty programs across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Overlaps on RCT methodology, donor relationships, and sector focus areas.
- Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International: Large nonprofit research institute delivering survey, evaluation, and program implementation services globally. Competes for USAID, FCDO, and other large donor MEL awards in education and health sectors.
Regional players
- Genesis Analytics: Africa-based management consulting and economic development advisory firm with deep presence in East and Southern Africa. Competes for donor-funded MEL and impact evaluation work with similar client roster.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Laterite social profiles
Digital presenceLaterite compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Laterite financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Laterite leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Laterite funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Laterite M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Laterite
What does Laterite do?
Laterite provides primary data collection, research, and analytics services to development organizations, governments, and NGOs across Africa and Latin America. Its offerings span field-team-driven survey administration, full-cycle evaluation and impact studies, and AI/ML- and geospatial-enabled analytics. Engagements are delivered through eight offices and include study design, data collection, analysis, reporting, and partner capacity building.
Is Laterite a public or private company?
Laterite is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Laterite founded?
Laterite was founded in 2010. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Laterite based?
Laterite is headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, in the Africa region.
How does Laterite make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Research and evaluation services are the primary driver. The others are data collection services and analytics and technical assistance.
Who are Laterite's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), 60 Decibels, ID Insight and Oxford Policy Management. Broad incumbents are Mathematica Policy Research, Palladium, NORC at the University of Chicago, J-PAL (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab) and Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International. Genesis Analytics is listed as a regional player.
Does Laterite have an API?
No public API is recorded for Laterite.
What industry is Laterite in?
Laterite's product category is Development Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADABAN, Donor Coordination, Monitoring & Evaluation (MEL) Programs. Its NAICS code is 561 and its SIC code is 8742.