The Global Institute on Innovation Districts

What The Global Institute on Innovation Districts does

The Global Institute on Innovation Districts (GIID) is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2018 and registered in New York, USA (Tax ID 84-1811424). GIID's purpose is to advance the growth and impact of innovation districts worldwide through independent research, a peer-to-peer Global Network spanning more than 50 countries and 15 global regions, and tailored on-the-ground advisory support. The organization explicitly defines innovation districts as urban hubs integrating research, startups, and public spaces to drive collaboration and growth, and positions itself as a knowledge intermediary among districts, anchor institutions (universities and medical institutions), governments, companies, and investors.

GIID's product surface is organized around five offerings: the GIID Research Review (a subscription-based continuous intelligence service benchmarking funding, governance, anchor engagement, infrastructure, and competitiveness), the Global Network (a membership-based peer community), Empirical Research (practice-oriented studies with visual analysis such as maps, network graphs, and infographics), On-the-ground Support (tailored strategic advisory engagements), and the Global Summit (an annual convening inaugurated in Monterrey, Mexico in April 2025). Distribution is direct-to-enterprise via memberships and advisory engagements, supplemented by owned media (website, newsletter, research publications) and the annual summit.

GIID is funded through multi-year strategic partner contributions and supporting partnerships (Lendlease as Strategic Partner; ZGF Architects and TEConomy as Supporting Partners) along with Global Network memberships and Research Review subscriptions. Headcount is reported at 1-10 employees. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors, a Steering Committee, and Strategic Advisors; research leadership is held by Chad Shearer as Director of Research. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and no parent company, subsidiaries, or acquisitions are identified in the available material.

Name

The Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Legal name

The Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Website

https://giid.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Global Institute on Innovation Districts (GIID) is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides research, peer networking, and advisory services to innovation districts, anchor institutions, governments, companies, and investors across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation District Research and Advisory

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

akta.pro primary industry

Open-Source & Developer Communities (BPAMABAM)

Keywords

• Innovation district research
• Urban innovation advisory
• Peer learning networks
• District benchmarking service
• Nonprofit policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership and Partnership Contributions: GIID operates as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization supported by strategic partners and supporting members who make multi-year contributions to fund independent research activities and global network operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GIID is an independent, global not-for-profit organization that advances the growth and impact of innovation districts worldwide through empirical research, a peer-to-peer Global Network spanning 50+ countries, a subscription-based Research Review continuous intelligence service, and tailored on-the-ground strategic support. Its offerings include Research Review, Global Network membership, Empirical Research, On-the-ground Support, and the Global Summit event.

Product overview

The Global Institute on Innovation Districts (GIID) is an independent not-for-profit organization that operates as a research and advisory organization rather than a technology product company. Its offerings include the GIID Research Review (a subscription-based continuous intelligence service), the Global Network (a peer-to-peer membership network spanning 50+ countries), Empirical Research services, On-the-ground strategic advisory support, and the annual Global Summit event. These services work together to help innovation districts advance their impact through research, peer learning, and tailored consultation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GIID Research Review A continuous intelligence subscription service for district leaders providing curated research, benchmarking on funding, governance, anchor engagement, infrastructure, and competitiveness, with practical frameworks and executive-ready visuals.
• Global Network A peer-to-peer membership network connecting innovation districts worldwide, spanning 50+ countries and 15 global regions, enabling peer learning, benchmarking, and collaboration on shared district challenges.
• Empirical Research Practice-oriented research service that identifies R&D strengths and develops impact agendas for innovation districts, delivered through rigorous visual analysis including maps, network graphs, and infographics.
• On-the-ground Support Tailored strategic advisory support to advance individual innovation districts, including direct engagement with specific districts and regions to translate research insights into action.
• Global Summit Annual international summit that convenes innovation district leaders, practitioners, and stakeholders for networking, learning, and knowledge sharing. The inaugural edition was held in Monterrey, Mexico in April 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research Review provides benchmarking on funding, governance, anchor engagement, infrastructure, and competitiveness
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and supporting.

• LendleasestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerLendlease is a multinational real estate and construction company serving as a Strategic Partner of GIID. The company makes significant multi-year contributions to develop and advance the organization's mission of growing innovation districts worldwide.
• ZGF ArchitectssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerZGF Architects is a Supporting Partner of GIID, contributing to the organization's independent research activities and global network development for innovation district advancement.
• TEConomysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEConomy is a Supporting Partner of GIID, participating in the organization's mission to advance innovation districts globally through multi-year contributions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CoreNet Global: Professional association for corporate real estate executives, with research and programming on innovation hubs, workplace strategy, and place-based innovation. Comparable audience of corporate site selectors and innovation district occupants.
• Startup Genome: Global research and advisory organization building the world's largest startup ecosystem database with reports benchmarking innovation hubs. Closely comparable business model: research subscription, global network, and ecosystem advisory.
• Urban Land Institute: Global research and education organization focused on land use and real estate development, with active programming on innovation districts and place-based economic strategy. Directly comparable as a membership-driven research and advisory organization serving real estate, government, and academic stakeholders.
• Global Entrepreneurship Network: Global network connecting entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and policymakers across 170+ countries to build healthier entrepreneurship ecosystems. Highly comparable community-led, multi-country operating model.
• Smart Cities Council: Global coalition of companies, governments, and researchers advancing smart city and urban innovation practice. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder network and advisory body serving district and city leaders.
• Brookings Institution: Major US-based think tank whose Metropolitan Policy Program has produced foundational research on innovation districts and urban economic development. Highly comparable as a non-partisan research and advisory organization publishing practice-oriented policy work.
• International Economic Development Council: Largest membership organization for economic development professionals in the US, producing research and providing training/advisory on place-based economic strategy. Comparable audience overlap with GIID's government and investor members.
• OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities: International policy organization producing comparative research on innovation, regional development, and city economies. Comparable to GIID in cross-national benchmarking on district and cluster policy.

Broad incumbents

• World Economic Forum: Large-scale international organization convening leaders across sectors and publishing flagship research on innovation, cities, and economic development. Overlaps with GIID in stakeholder convening and urban innovation research but at much greater scope and scale.
• McKinsey Global Institute: McKinsey's research arm producing influential reports on economic geography, innovation clusters, and urban productivity. Competes for executive mindshare on innovation district strategy but operates within a broader commercial consulting context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Global Institute on Innovation Districts