Høst

What Høst does

Høst is a professional services consultancy founded in 2013 that operates as a global growth and sustainability partner for multilateral institutions, UN agencies, development banks, and government bodies. The firm organizes its work across four core disciplines: growth strategy, business transformation, product and experience design, and brand building. Høst's client roster includes the World Bank Group, IFC, IDB, UNCCD, UNICEF, UNFPA, WFP, ICAO, CDC, the World Resources Institute, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, with projects spanning climate resilience, education, health, aviation regulation, infrastructure, and cybersecurity.

Høst's underlying technology manifests as client-facing deliverables rather than a unified software product. Notable builds include the PPP Knowledge Lab — a centralized knowledge platform with a Ruby on Rails central API integrating multiple JavaScript front-ends to surface 1,390+ resources from 119 countries in seven languages — and offline-capable cross-platform applications built on Electron for low-bandwidth environments. The firm also produces geospatial data visualization tools, digital campaign platforms (e.g., the IDRA launch at COP27 that secured 32 country signatories), and learning resource catalogs (e.g., 2,200+ resources mapped to learning outcomes for IFC performance standards training).

The business model is project-based professional services with direct enterprise engagement as the sole GTM channel. Pricing is quote-driven and not publicly disclosed. The firm maintains offices in Washington DC, Boston, and Auckland, and signals global reach through project footprints in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific. No public revenue, funding events, or ownership structure are disclosed; the firm appears to be privately held.

Name

Høst

Legal name

Høst

Website

https://host-advisors.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Høst is a global growth and sustainability consultancy serving multilateral institutions, UN agencies, development banks, and governments across strategy, transformation, product design, and brand building. It operates project-based professional services with offices in Washington DC, Boston, and Auckland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management and Sustainability Consulting

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Systems Strengthening & Global Health Technical Assistance (BPADAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multilateral Global Health Partnerships (UN/WHO-led Initiatives) (HLAJAOAA), Health Workforce Development & Capacity-Building (HLAJAKAM), Digital Policy, Data Governance & Cybersecurity Standards Cooperation (BPADANAH)

Keywords

• Growth strategy consulting
• Business transformation advisory
• Brand building services
• Sustainability consulting
• Product experience design

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington, DC

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: Høst generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements with multilateral institutions, UN agencies, development banks, and government clients. Engagements span growth strategy, business transformation, product & experience design, and brand building disciplines. Projects are typically multi-year engagements with major international organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Høst is a global growth and sustainability consultancy that delivers project-based advisory services across four core disciplines: growth strategy, business transformation, product and experience design, and brand building. Its clients are multilateral institutions (World Bank Group, IFC, IDB, African and Asian Development Banks), UN agencies and conventions (UNCCD, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNEP, UNWomen, WMO, WHO), and government bodies, with engagements typically spanning multiple years and producing deliverables such as global initiative launches, digital platforms, brand identities, and policy campaigns.

Product overview

Høst is a global growth and sustainability consultancy, not a product company. The company offers professional services organized around four core disciplines: Growth strategy, Business transformation, Product & experience design, and Brand building. Their work manifests as client deliverables (brands, platforms, campaigns, strategies) rather than a unified software product or SaaS platform. The company works across sectors including climate, education, health, infrastructure, technology, and human rights, serving multilateral organizations, governments, and NGOs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Growth Strategy Advisory service focused on identifying paths to growth for multilateral institutions, UN agencies, development banks, and government clients. Helps organizations clarify strategic direction and unlock new opportunities.
• Business Transformation Consulting service for evolving organizations, supporting large institutional clients through operational, digital, and structural transformation initiatives.
• Product and Experience Design Service for redesigning digital products and user experiences for international organizations, including development of digital platforms, offline-capable applications, and geospatial data visualization tools.
• Brand Building Consulting service for reimagining brands for global organizations, including brand strategy, identity development, and campaign creation for institutional clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800+ users on launch day, 3,600+ page renders for Micronutrient Survey Toolkit
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MetaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Meta partnered with WRI's Land & Carbon Lab to develop a global map of tree canopy heights using AI at a precision scale that can identify individual trees.
• African Development BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnered with Høst on the PPP Knowledge Lab initiative. The African Development Bank was one of several multilateral development banks collaborating with the World Bank Group to create a centralized resource for public-private partnership knowledge.
• Asian Development BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnered with Høst on the PPP Knowledge Lab initiative. One of several multilateral development banks collaborating to centralize PPP resources and knowledge.
• European Bank for Reconstruction and DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018EBRD was one of the development bank partners in the PPP Knowledge Lab consortium, contributing to the centralized knowledge hub for public-private partnership resources.
• Islamic Development BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Part of the multilateral consortium that launched the PPP Knowledge Lab in partnership with Høst and the World Bank Group.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• IDEO: Design and innovation firm with a long-running social impact practice applying human-centered design to development, health, and climate challenges—comparable in the Product & Experience Design discipline for social-sector clients.

Broad incumbents

• Accenture Development Partnerships: Not-for-profit arm of Accenture delivering strategy, digital, and technology services to UN agencies, World Bank, and NGOs—directly competing for the same multilateral digital transformation mandates.
• McKinsey Social Sector Practice: Social-sector arm of McKinsey serving multilaterals, philanthropies, and NGOs on growth strategy and transformation—directly comparable in offering top-tier strategy advisory to international development institutions.
• Tetra Tech: Large consulting and engineering firm with a substantial international development practice serving USAID, World Bank, and ADB on infrastructure, water, and environment projects—comparable on multilateral client base and project-based delivery.
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Large consulting firm with a global development practice serving USAID, MCC, and international institutions—comparable in delivering digital, strategy, and program management services to multilateral clients.

Direct peers

• Cardno International Development: International development consulting firm delivering advisory and program services to ADB, World Bank, and DFAT—closely comparable in the multilateral-focused strategy and program design space.
• Palladium: Global impact firm operating across development, climate, and health with a heavy bilateral/multilateral client base; directly comparable in combining strategy advisory, program design, and digital transformation for international institutions.
• Dalberg Global Development Advisors: Strategy consulting firm focused exclusively on international development, social impact, and emerging markets—serving the same multilateral and foundation clients with similar mission-driven, senior-led engagements.
• FSG (now part of The Bridgespan Group): Mission-driven consultancy advising foundations, NGOs, and multilateral institutions on strategy and impact; comparable in blending strategy, transformation, and brand/communications work for social-sector clients.
• DAI (Development Alternatives, Inc.): Global development consultancy implementing programs for USAID, World Bank, and UN agencies; comparable in serving multilateral institutional clients and designing program strategy and digital platforms for development outcomes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hostadvisors
• Instagraminstagram.com/hostadvisors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Høst