Development Innovation Ventures: Portfolio Assessment

Date

November 2021

Location

Global

Sectors

Economic Growth

Contract

Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) is USAID’s open innovation program that tests and scales creative solutions to any global development challenge. DIV provides grant funding to innovators and researchers to test new ideas, take strategic risks, build evidence of what works, and advance the best solutions. By investing in breakthrough innovations driven by rigorous evidence, USAID impacts millions of lives at a fraction of the usual cost.

This Assessment aimed to create a deeper understanding of what engenders and hinders funded innovations from reaching their target scale and sustaining impact and to incorporate that knowledge into DIVs Results Framework and operations to enable more innovative investments. This Integra team combined rigorous assessment methods with an agnostic approach to findings, akin to formative research, letting the data lead the investigation.

Due to the desire for co-creation and the unique approach of this Activity, LEAP III proposed that this work be done in stages, incorporating learnings and DIV consultation from each stage informing the next, allowing some methodology flexibility. By elucidating patterns in design or approach that trend towards success (Scale, Sustainability, Financial Viability) within the DIV portfolio, the final product assisted DIV with making more informed decisions when selecting funding applications and sharing these lessons with USAID, sector stakeholders, and the wider development community to guide similar investments globally.

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