Laterite

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).

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

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

• Development research services
• Primary data collection
• Impact evaluation
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Mixed methods research

Headquarters

HQ city

Kigali

HQ country

Rwanda

HQ region

Africa

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Named customers34 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Laterite 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCITL 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.
• TanagercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTanager 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 DecibelscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner60 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 WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaterite 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 TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKEMRI 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 AlliancecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLwala 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.
• CAREcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaterite 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.
• SNVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaterite 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.
• TechnoServecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaterite 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough 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 GreencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFPRI 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 InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/lateriteafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/laterite
• Facebookfacebook.com/Laterite

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Laterite