Refugee Investment Network
Refugee Investment Network is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds the field of refugee lens investing by providing frameworks, digital platforms, and research to connect impact investors with refugee-supporting enterprises and policymakers across 30+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Refugee Investment Network does
Refugee Investment Network (RIN) is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 and headquartered in Washington, DC, that operates as the first impact investing and blended finance collaborative dedicated to creating long-term solutions to global forced migration. The organization is incubated by the Global Development Incubator (GDI) and serves three primary constituencies: impact investors seeking qualified deal flow, refugee-owned and refugee-supporting enterprises seeking investment readiness, and policymakers and development finance institutions seeking evidence-based research. RIN does not deploy capital itself; it explicitly disclaims being a venture fund, broker-dealer, or investment advisor, and instead functions as a field-building intermediary.
RIN's core technology is a portfolio of digital platforms and proprietary frameworks rather than a single product. The Refugee Lens Framework (R1-R6) is a proprietary classification system that defines and qualifies refugee investments; the Investment Opportunities Map is an interactive web platform filtering hundreds of opportunities by region, sector, SDG, and refugee lens category; the State of Refugee Lens Investing Tool (launched 2025) is a digital repository of deals, investors, and vehicles; the RLI Impact Measurement Tool is an Excel-based utility drawing on GIIN's IRIS+ metrics; and the Refugee Opportunity Index is a 45-sub-index policy benchmark developed with the Economist Intelligence Unit. The organization also integrates the Village Capital Abaca platform for investment readiness and operates the Anti-Trafficking Investment Network (ATIN) initiative.
RIN's revenue model is grant-dependent, with funding from foundations including IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, USA for UNHCR, Swiss SDC, JICA, UBS Optimus Foundation, and USAID, supplemented by donations and a Refugee Lens Consulting Services offering for investors and enterprises. Distribution is partnership-led across global development institutions (IFC, World Bank, IDB, UNOPS, Cities Alliance) and field-level convenings (e.g., innPactWeek in Colombia), with no publicly disclosed pricing or per-seat monetization.
Refugee Investment Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Refugee Investment Network
- Legal name
- Refugee Investment Network
- Website
- https://refugeeinvestments.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Refugee Investment Network is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds the field of refugee lens investing by providing frameworks, digital platforms, and research to connect impact investors with refugee-supporting enterprises and policymakers across 30+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Refugee Investment Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Impact Investing Advisory
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Refugee & Migrant Integration Enterprises (Livelihoods, Services) (BPAGALAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support (BPAGABAH), Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Immigrant & Refugee Workforce Integration Programs (EDAAAOAJ)
Keywords
Where Refugee Investment Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Refugee Investment Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Grant Funding: RIN operates as a non-profit organization incubated by the Global Development Incubator. They receive grant funding from foundations including IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, USA for UNHCR, Swiss SDC, and others to support their research, field-building, and initiative activities.
- Consulting Services: RIN offers Refugee Lens Consulting Services to help investors, enterprises, and ecosystem members apply the refugee lens to their work. This includes technical assistance programs like the RLI-TA Playbook.
- Donations: RIN accepts donations through their website to support their mission of creating long-term solutions to global forced migration through impact investing and blended finance.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Refugee Investment Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Refugee Investment Network operates a field-building impact investing collaborative that provides standardized frameworks, interactive digital tools, original research, and consulting services to enable refugee lens investing. Its core deliverables include the Refugee Lens Framework (R1–R6 classification), the Investment Opportunities Map, the State of RLI digital platform, and the RLI Impact Measurement Tool for investors, enterprises, and policymakers.
Product overview
RIN operates as a non-profit impact investing collaborative with a portfolio of interconnected products and services for the refugee lens investing ecosystem. The core offerings include the Investment Opportunities Map (interactive platform for browsing opportunities), the State of RLI Tool (data visualization platform for the broader movement), and the RLI Impact Measurement Tool (Excel-based impact assessment). These are supported by the Refugee Lens Framework (qualification standard with six categories from R1-R6), the Refugee Opportunity Index (policy benchmarking tool with EIU), and the Abaca Investment Readiness Tool (enterprise assessment via Village Capital partnership). RIN also publishes research including landscape assessments and playbooks, offers consulting services, and operates the Anti-Trafficking Investment Network (ATIN) initiative.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Refugee Opportunity Index (ROI): An index developed in partnership with the Economist Intelligence Unit to measure and incentivize policy reform for refugee economic freedom across countries.
- State of Refugee Lens Investing
- Anti-Trafficking Investment Network (ATIN)
Products and services
- Investment Opportunities Map Interactive web-based platform enabling investors to explore and filter hundreds of refugee lens investment opportunities globally by region, sector, SDG, and Refugee Lens category (R1–R6), with detailed profiles for each opportunity.
- State of Refugee Lens Investing Tool Digital platform serving as an interactive repository of deals, investors, and investment vehicles across regions and sectors, designed to centralize, visualize, and scale the refugee lens investing movement for investors, enterprises, and ecosystem members.
- RLI Impact Measurement Tool Excel-based tool that helps investors and companies measure the refugee-specific social impact of a refugee lens investment by walking users through key impact measurement steps and drawing on GIIN's IRIS+ metrics.
- Refugee Lens Framework Proprietary investing framework that qualifies and tracks refugee investments over time, providing a standardized lens to assess prospective and historical deals as refugee investments across six categories (R1 Refugee-Owned through R6 Refugee Funds).
- Refugee Opportunity Index (ROI) Data-driven index developed with the Economist Intelligence Unit to measure and compare policies impacting refugees across countries, built on 45 sub-indices targeting refugee admissions policy, basic rights and services access, and employment conditions.
- Abaca Investment Readiness Tool Investment matchmaking platform partnership with Village Capital that enables refugee enterprises to assess their maturity (Venture Investment Level 1–9), build company profiles, and connect with impact investors.
- Refugee Lens Consulting Services Advisory service helping investors, enterprises, and ecosystem members apply the Refugee Lens framework to qualify investments, develop refugee-inclusive strategies, and access technical assistance programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- Hundreds of RLI opportunities mapped globally
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Refugee Investment Network
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Refugee Investment Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Refugee Investment Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Global Development Incubator (GDI)coreRIN is incubated by the Global Development Incubator (GDI), an organization that builds startups and partnerships for social impact around the world. GDI provides organizational support, access to data, and operational infrastructure for RIN.
- FSD KenyacoreRIN partnered with FSD Kenya to conduct a comprehensive market assessment evaluating the current state of financial inclusion for forcibly displaced populations in Kenya, mapping the transition from exception-based pilots to mainstream financial integration.
- Five One LabscoreFive One Labs organized innPactWeek in Barranquilla, Colombia with USAID support. RIN joined this event bringing together RLI entrepreneurs and impact investors from the U.S., Latin America, and Colombia to explore investment opportunities.
- Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)coreRIN partnered with the Economist Intelligence Unit to develop the Refugee Opportunity Index (ROI), an objective, scalable, and data-driven tool to measure and incentivize policy reform for refugees across countries.
- AcumencoreAcumen partnered with RIN and Hilton Foundation on the RLI-TA Playbook initiative, providing technical assistance to three locally-based private sector enterprises supporting refugees.
- International Finance Corporation (IFC)coreIFC commissioned RIN to conduct a market assessment on Refugee Lens Investing in Mafraq, Jordan to identify private sector investments supporting forcibly displaced and host communities.
- World BankcoreWorld Bank programs including Private Sector for Refugees collaborate with RIN on research and market assessments for refugee lens investing.
- UNOPScoreUNOPS collaborated with RIN on market analysis and strategy for secondary cities in Ethiopia and Uganda hosting refugee populations.
- Cities AlliancecoreCities Alliance partnered with RIN on RLI market analysis and strategy for secondary cities in Ethiopia and Uganda.
- bfa globalcorebfa global collaborated with RIN on the RLI Impact Measurement Tool, providing expertise in impact measurement drawing on IRIS+ metrics.
- London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)coreLCCI partnered with RIN on the report 'Employing Refugees: Measuring business attitudes in London' surveying businesses on refugee employment barriers and opportunities.
- Village CapitalcoreRIN partnered with Village Capital to provide refugee enterprises access to the Abaca investment matchmaking platform, enabling enterprises to calculate investment readiness levels and connect with investors.
- Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)coreIDB hosted RIN's ROI Expert Panel discussion at IDB Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and collaborates on policy research for refugee economic integration.
- Outcomes AcceleratorminorOutcomes Accelerator partners with RIN on initiatives supporting measurable outcomes for refugee lens investments.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Refugee Investment Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kiva: Operates a refugee lending platform that has mobilized $13M+ to 15,000+ refugee entrepreneurs. Direct comparable as an impact-investing/lending platform serving displaced populations, and a featured partner enterprise on RIN's map.
- Village Capital: Operates the Abaca investment matchmaking platform that RIN partners with to serve refugee enterprises. Direct peer in investment-readiness tooling for early-stage impact ventures.
- Acumen: Impact investing pioneer working with refugee-supporting enterprises; partnered with RIN and Hilton on the RLI-TA Playbook. Direct peer in the impact-investing field-building space and a close collaborator.
- bfa global: Consultancy partnering with RIN on the RLI Impact Measurement Tool using IRIS+ metrics; closely comparable in financial-inclusion expertise for vulnerable populations.
- Tent Foundation: Foundation focused on mobilizing business and capital to support refugees; directly comparable in mission and approach to RIN's refugee lens investing model.
Regional players
- FSD Kenya (Financial Sector Deepening Kenya): Partnered with RIN on the Kenya refugee financial inclusion landscape assessment; comparable in financial-inclusion field-building for refugee populations, with regional focus on East Africa.
Broad incumbents
- GIIN (Global Impact Investing Network): The leading industry body for impact investing; RIN's RLI Impact Measurement Tool explicitly draws on GIIN's IRIS+ metrics. Broader incumbent that sets standards RIN aligns with.
- Open Society Foundations: Large foundation with significant programming in refugee economic inclusion and migration policy. Broader incumbent funder and ecosystem actor in the same field.
- Global Development Incubator (GDI): GDI is RIN's incubator and parent-like sponsor; it builds and supports impact-focused organizations including RIN. Highly relevant as both a strategic enabler and a potential broader-incumbent that could subsume or replicate RIN's mandate.
- Refugees International: Established refugee-focused nonprofit that advocates for displaced populations and shapes policy. Adjacent peer in the broader refugee humanitarian/advocacy ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Refugee Investment Network social profiles
Digital presenceRefugee Investment Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Refugee Investment Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Refugee Investment Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Refugee Investment Network 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 Refugee Investment Network
What does Refugee Investment Network do?
Refugee Investment Network operates a field-building impact investing collaborative that provides standardized frameworks, interactive digital tools, original research, and consulting services to enable refugee lens investing. Its core deliverables include the Refugee Lens Framework (R1–R6 classification), the Investment Opportunities Map, the State of RLI digital platform, and the RLI Impact Measurement Tool for investors, enterprises, and policymakers.
Is Refugee Investment Network a public or private company?
Refugee Investment Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Refugee Investment Network founded?
Refugee Investment Network was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Refugee Investment Network based?
Refugee Investment Network is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Refugee Investment Network make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Grant Funding is the primary driver. The others are consulting Services and donations.
Who are Refugee Investment Network's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kiva, Village Capital, Acumen, bfa global and Tent Foundation. FSD Kenya (Financial Sector Deepening Kenya) is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are GIIN (Global Impact Investing Network), Open Society Foundations, Global Development Incubator (GDI) and Refugees International.
Does Refugee Investment Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for Refugee Investment Network.
What industry is Refugee Investment Network in?
Refugee Investment Network's product category is Impact Investing Advisory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAN, Refugee & Migrant Integration Enterprises (Livelihoods, Services), with a secondary code of BPAGABAH, Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support. Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8300.