United States Agency For International Development

What United States Agency For International Development does

The International Development Innovation Alliance (IDIA) is a nonprofit ecosystem founded in 2015 and hosted by a Secretariat at Results for Development (R4D) in Washington, D.C. It convenes six communities—Investors & Enablers, Government Innovation Fellows, Global Innovation Advisors, Million Lives Collective Innovators, Global Training Alumni, and Partner Networks—to translate innovation into impact in international development, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries.

IDIA's product surface centers on four interlocking assets: the Managing Innovation for Impact Global Training Programme, co-developed with Stanford PACS Global Innovation for Impact Lab (139 participants across 31 countries over six years); the Mountain Model for Public Sector Scaling framework, adopted by governments in Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia; the Capital Continuum approach with a prototype dashboard tracking funding flows across scaling stages; and the OASIS Toolkit, an open-source, AI-enabled capacity-building toolkit built with Frontier Technologies Hub. Knowledge and convening products include the Global Innovation Exchange database, the annual IDIA Global Summit (inaugural Nairobi edition December 2025 with 150 delegates from 20+ countries), and a substantial library of thought leadership.

The business model is a coalition-funded nonprofit. Revenue comes from equitable financial contributions by member agencies of the IDIA Executive Committee (IEC) on minimum two-year cycles, supplemented by project-based co-funding from specific members (e.g., Gates Foundation, Sida, DFAT) for training iterations and framework testing. IDIA does not sell commercial products, has no public pricing, and is governed by member agencies rather than external shareholders.

Name

United States Agency For International Development

Legal name

International Development Innovation Alliance

Website

https://idiainnovation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

IDIA is a nonprofit ecosystem founded in 2015, hosted by Results for Development, that convenes development funders, governments, experts, and entrepreneurs to translate innovation into impact through training, frameworks, and convenings serving low- and middle-income countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Innovation Services

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (55111)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Data, Analytics & AI Training (BI, Data Engineering, ML/GenAI) (BPAEANAH)

Keywords

• International development innovation
• Development ecosystem convening
• Innovation capacity building
• Public sector scaling
• Innovation financing frameworks

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington, D.C.

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Contributions: IDIA operates on a sustainable funding model where member agencies of the IDIA Executive Committee (IEC) provide equitable contributions to support the costs of running the IDIA platform. Each participating agency contributes financially for minimum two-year periods.
2. Additional Non-Core Support: Member agencies contribute additional financial and non-financial resources to advance activities aligned with their own missions and priorities, such as funding for the Managing Innovation for Impact Training Programme or testing of the Mountain Model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IDIA is an ecosystem of investors, entrepreneurs, government leaders, academic experts and partner networks that translates innovation into impact in international development. It operates the Managing Innovation for Impact Global Training Programme, demonstration frameworks such as the Mountain Model for Public Sector Scaling and the Capital Continuum, the OASIS AI-enabled toolkit, and the Global Innovation Exchange knowledge platform, and convenes global summits and ecosystem meetings.

Product overview

IDIA (International Development Innovation Alliance) is an ecosystem of investors, entrepreneurs, government leaders, academic experts and partner networks. The organization offers multiple interconnected programs including the Managing Innovation for Impact Global Training Programme (in partnership with Stanford PACS), the Mountain Model for Public Sector Scaling framework, the Capital Continuum approach for innovation financing, and the OASIS Toolkit of AI-enabled tools. These products work together to translate innovation into impact through capacity development, thought leadership, demonstration models, and ecosystem convenings. IDIA also maintains the Global Innovation Exchange as a knowledge platform and organizes the annual IDIA Global Summit as its flagship event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IDIA Managing Innovation for Impact Global Training Programme In-person training programme developed in partnership with Stanford PACS GIIL that equips innovation funders, practitioners and decision-makers with skills, tools and mindsets to translate innovation into impact at scale.
• Mountain Model for Public Sector Scaling A facilitated framework for supporting governments in designing and institutionalising activities to integrate health innovations within their public health systems, in use by governments in Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
• Capital Continuum A structured approach through which various types of capital from IDIA member agencies are sequenced and connected to provide a smoother, faster pathway to impact for innovators, supported by a prototype dashboard built by Briter.
• OASIS Toolkit Open-source, AI-enabled toolkit developed in collaboration with the Frontier Technologies Hub to build institutional capacity of funders and governments in innovation.
• Global Innovation Exchange Knowledge platform described as the world's largest database of development solutions, used by IDIA for aggregating and curating innovations within its innovation pipeline.
• IDIA Global Summit Annual global summit bringing together ecosystem members for keynote presentations, panel discussions and workshops focused on advancing shared tools and frameworks.
• Ecosystem Convenings In-person and online convenings connecting investors, entrepreneurs, government leaders, academic experts and partner networks to drive collective action in development innovation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 139 participants trained across 31 countries over 6 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Results for Development (R4D)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015R4D hosts the IDIA Secretariat team that manages day-to-day operations of the coalition. This is the foundational hosting arrangement that enables IDIA's existence.
• Global Innovation for Impact Lab (GIIL) at Stanford PACScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped the Managing Innovation for Impact training programme in partnership with IDIA. Provides academic expertise and credibility to the training curriculum delivered by innovation experts from leading development agencies.
• BritersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected through a competitive process in 2025 to lead the design and development of the IDIA Capital Continuum. Conducted analysis of current funding ecosystem and co-design workshops, and built the prototype dashboard.
• Kenya Innovation Ecosystem Funders Forum (KIEFF)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Partner Network of IDIA that commissioned an iteration of the Capital Continuum dashboard to specifically track funding flows and gaps in Kenya.
• iHUB NairobisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted the IDIA Global Summit 2025 venue in Nairobi, Kenya. Represents Kenya's innovation ecosystem infrastructure.
• Villgro AfricasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner Network collaborating on innovation ecosystem activities. CEO Wilfred Njagi provided positive commentary on the 2025 Global Summit.
• Growth AfricasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutive Director Ian Lorenzen provided feedback on the IDIA Global Summit. Represents East African innovation ecosystem.
• Wadhwani AIsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with IDIA for the 2025 training programme focused on responsible application of AI to enhance sustainable development outcomes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Economic Forum (WEF): WEF is a much larger global convening platform that runs an annual summit and a network of multi-stakeholder initiatives. It is comparable to IDIA at a vastly broader scale and serves as a model for the kind of recurring convening power IDIA's Global Summit aspires to build.
• Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: The Global Fund is a large multilateral financing mechanism that pools government and private contributions to scale programmes. It is comparable in operating model (multi-donor, equitable contributions, performance-based) but vastly larger in scale and focused on three diseases.
• Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: Gavi is a long-established public-private partnership pooling donor funding to scale health interventions in low-income countries. While specialised to immunisation, it shares IDIA's public-private alliance model and equitable-contribution governance approach.
• Ashoka: Ashoka is a global network identifying and supporting leading social entrepreneurs, with country-level operations and a fellowship model. It is comparable in cultivating a network of mission-aligned social innovators and providing ecosystem support, though at a much larger and more established scale.
• Skoll Foundation: Skoll Foundation is a major social- entrepreneurship funder that invests in, convenes, and elevates social entrepreneurs tackling systemic issues. It is comparable to IDIA at a much larger scale, particularly around storytelling, summits (Skoll World Forum), and ecosystem convening for impact.

Direct peers

• Grand Challenges Canada: Grand Challenges Canada is a member of IDIA's Investors & Enablers community and operates integrated innovation funding programmes for global health and development. It shares IDIA's blended approach of funding plus capacity-building for innovators in low- and middle-income countries.
• Results for Development (R4D): R4D hosts the IDIA Secretariat and is a global nonprofit focused on health, education, and nutrition systems. As IDIA's operational backbone and a fellow ecosystem builder in international development, R4D is the closest organisational analogue.
• Global Innovation Fund (GIF): GIF is a global nonprofit fund that invests in innovative solutions for development. Like IDIA it is a member of IDIA's own Investors & Enablers community, but operates as a direct funder rather than a convener — the most direct comparator on the funding side of the development innovation stack.
• African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA): AVPA is itself an IDIA Partner Network and convenes African funders and social investors to grow the impact-investing ecosystem. It is a near-direct regional analogue: a coalition-of-funders model applying equitable-contribution and knowledge-sharing principles across Africa.

Emerging players

• Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) at USAID: DIV was USAID's tiered-evidence grant programme for innovative development solutions and is a direct functional analogue to the kind of innovation funding IDIA's ecosystem channels. The dissolution of USAID referenced in IDIA's history creates both a risk and a potential opportunity for IDIA to absorb some of DIV's convening role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@IDIAinnovation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-states-agency-for-international-development

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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