Inclusive Innovation

What Inclusive Innovation does

Inclusive Innovation is a privately held professional services company that designs and delivers facilitated collaborative workshops for organizations working on complex, cross-boundary challenges. Founded in 2016 as an initiative within US-based Knowinnovation and independently incorporated in Estonia in 2021, the company is headquartered in Barcelona and operates through a distributed team of 30+ facilitators and virtual producers across 6 continents, 27 countries, and 25+ languages.

Its offering is built around a codified, six-product workshop suite — Scoping Dialogues, Innovation Labs (the company’s Sandpit/Idea-Lab format), Inception Workshops, Peer Exchange Workshops, Strategic Team Retreats, and Collaborative Leadership Labs — supplemented by a live virtual conversation series ("Conversations at the Edge"). Core methodology elements include the Sandpit five-day intensive model (originally designed for scientific problems and adapted for development challenges) and the PPCo feedback framework for structured participant input. Engagements are custom-designed and delivered in-person, virtually, or in hybrid form.

The company sells primarily to international development organizations, research institutions and scientific consortia, NGOs, and foundations/philanthropic funders — paying clients have included the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, IDRC, Belmont Forum, IAI, UKRI, Patagonia's marine-biodidity coalition, Future Earth Asia, and Multilateral Investment Fund/IDB among others. Revenue is generated through professional-services contracts priced custom to scope, duration, and team composition (no public pricing); go-to-market combines a sales-led motion anchored on a "Book A Discovery Call" entry point, targeted conference participation (SRI, Global Knowledge Dialogues), and referral generation via case studies and co-development partnerships with anchor funders. The company has delivered 120+ workshops cumulatively and reports no external institutional investors in the source data.

Name

Inclusive Innovation

Legal name

Inclusive Innovation

Website

https://inclusiveinnovation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Inclusive Innovation is a private, Estonia-incorporated facilitation services firm that designs and delivers collaborative workshops for international development agencies, research institutions, NGOs, and foundations, leveraging a distributed team of 30+ facilitators across 27 countries and a productized suite of six workshop formats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Workshop Facilitation Services: Professional facilitation services for organizations seeking to collaborate across boundaries on complex challenges. Engagements are custom-designed for client objectives, ranging from single workshops to multi-session engagements spanning months. Revenue is generated through service contracts for facilitation, workshop design, and sometimes coaching.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Inclusive Innovation provides professional facilitation services for collaborative workshops designed to help organizations tackle complex global challenges through cross-boundary collaboration. They deliver a portfolio of six distinct workshop formats (Scoping Dialogues, Innovation Labs/Sandpits, Inception Workshops, Peer Exchange Workshops, Strategic Team Retreats, and Collaborative Leadership Labs) through a global team of 30+ facilitators and virtual producers spanning 6 continents and 27 countries. Engagements are custom-designed for client objectives and delivered in-person, virtually, or in hybrid formats.

Product overview

Inclusive Innovation offers a suite of six distinct workshop services designed to help people collaborate across boundaries. The core offerings include Scoping Dialogues (for problem definition), Innovation Labs (for solution creation), Inception Workshops (for initiative kickstarting), Peer Exchange Workshops (for knowledge sharing), Strategic Team Retreats (for team alignment), and Collaborative Leadership Labs (for leadership development). These are complemented by Conversations at the Edge, a supplementary virtual conversation series. The company operates as a facilitation services provider rather than a software platform, delivering interactive workshops both in-person and virtually through a global team of facilitators spanning 6 continents and 27 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scoping Dialogues Workshops
• Innovation Labs
• Inception Workshops
• Peer Exchange Workshops
• Strategic Team Retreats
• Collaborative Leadership Labs
• Conversations at the Edge

Quantifiable outcome

• 240+ participants engaged in a single virtual forum event (CLARExchange 2023)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PSL University TERRAEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Grand Research Programme bringing together 150+ researchers from 13 PSL institutions. Inclusive Innovation supports emergence forums and co-creation workshops for transdisciplinary research projects on socio-ecological transitions.
• Future Earth AsiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership to develop Asia Science Mission for Sustainability proposal. Inclusive Innovation designed and facilitated three workshops (inception, co-design, consolidation) resulting in the official launch of ASM.
• Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Client and initiator of Innovation Lab Series on Social Protection for Migrant Workers. SDC provided strategic leadership and funding for nine-session virtual initiative.
• KnowinnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS-based sister company specializing in accelerating scientific innovation. Inclusive Innovation was developed as an initiative exploring the intersection of science and sustainability within Knowinnovation. The two companies share methodologies and collaborate on workshops.
• Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative on Transdisciplinary Coordination with Belmont Forum and NSF support. Inclusive Innovation facilitated co-creation workshop in Helsinki and continues to support IAI and Belmont Forum on the Advancing Leadership Programme.
• Belmont ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on TD Coordination Initiative and Advancing Leadership Programme. Inclusive Innovation co-designs and facilitates the ALP cohort program, building collaborative leadership capacity for transdisciplinary researchers.
• US National Science Foundation (NSF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the Transdisciplinary Coordination Initiative alongside Belmont Forum and IAI.
• Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner for Asia Science Mission for Sustainability alongside Future Earth Asia, APN, and ANU Fenner School.
• Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner for Asia Science Mission for Sustainability.
• Fenner School of Environment and Society, ANUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner for Asia Science Mission for Sustainability.
• International Labour Organization (ILO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator in SDC Innovation Lab Series, contributing expertise on social protection standards and policy frameworks.
• UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator in SDC Innovation Lab Series, focusing on financial resilience and inclusion for migrant workers.
• Migrants Forum in Asia (MFA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator in SDC Innovation Lab Series, advocating for migrant workers' rights and grassroots engagement.
• Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) - Inter-American Development BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganized Innovation Lab (Sandpit) in Guadalajara in partnership with Jalisco state and Imeplan planning agency. MIF provided funding with up to $3M available for winning proposals.
• Imeplan (Guadalajara)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic planning agency for Guadalajara, local partner for Innovation Lab on transforming marginalized barrios.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Grove: Pioneer in visual facilitation and collaborative leadership methodologies founded by David Sibbet. Directly comparable offering in facilitation training, leadership retreats, and organizational collaboration workshops.
• Knowinnovation: US-based sister company from which Inclusive Innovation was incubated. Both design and deliver multi-day scientific innovation workshops (Sandpits/Ideas Labs) using shared methodologies; direct collaboration on workshops makes them the closest operational peer.
• Reos Partners: Global social innovation consultancy that designs and facilitates multi-stakeholder processes for systems change on complex social and sustainability challenges. Highly comparable offering, methodology, and client base (UN agencies, foundations, governments).
• Presencing Institute: Founded on Otto Scharmer's Theory U framework, the Presencing Institute runs leadership labs and innovation labs for systems transformation across global stakeholders. Overlapping methodology in deep cross-boundary facilitation and leadership development.
• Brink: Innovation and facilitation consultancy that designs and runs innovation labs, leadership development, and cross-sector convenings. Comparable in methodology (sandpit-style intensive workshops) and cross-boundary facilitation work.
• The Crowd: UK-based facilitation, design, and convening firm that designs multi-stakeholder events and strategic workshops for social enterprises, governments, and purpose-led organizations. Comparable in facilitation-as-service model and event-driven GTM.

Broad incumbents

• FSG: Social impact strategy consulting firm advising foundations, nonprofits, and companies on strategy, evaluation, and collective impact. Overlaps with II in serving foundations and development funders, though FSG is broader and strategy-led rather than workshop-led.
• IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy with practices in social innovation, sustainability, and human-centered design facilitation. Comparable in facilitating cross-disciplinary collaboration for complex challenges, though IDEO operates at much larger scale and across commercial and social sectors.
• Ashoka: Global network supporting leading social entrepreneurs with convening, fellowship, and collaborative leadership programs. Comparable in mission (systems change through cross-sector collaboration) and in working with foundations and development funders, though Ashoka is a much larger nonprofit network rather than a service firm.

Emerging players

• InWithForward: Social innovation consultancy using ethnographic and co-design methods to tackle complex social challenges, often with marginalized communities. Overlaps with II's inclusive design and stakeholder convening work, though at smaller scale and with more design-research orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inclusive-innovation
• Xx.com/inclusive_inno

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Inclusive Innovation