Summary of phases, timing, and status: Initial market expansion

Phase > Market Analysis Market Selection Network Development Pipeline Development Investment & Experimentation
Status > Complete Complete In progress In progress Not started
Inputs Weighted macro data and rankings Research and market assessment Outreach, meetings and CRM tracking Additional research, in-country site visits, and local advisory supports Initial grantee cohorts, measurement related to learning questions & hypotheses
Outcomes Top 10 countries 2 regions of interest and 2 initial target countries Trusted network of potential partners (funders and local NGOs) Prospective grantee pipeline, market-based learning questions Increased lifetime earnings, learning & research outcomes, co-funding opportunities, updated hypotheses
Timeline Dec-Feb March March > ongoing May > ongoing July > ongoing

Phase 1: Market analysis: Completed data-driven screen of 145 countries across 29 data sets such as the Gini coefficient, operating environment, NGO and funder activity, stability and rule of law, and the Social Progress Index, which elevated a subset of countries with wide and persistent economic mobility challenges and yet stable enough environments for us to have a reasonable likelihood of success in the medium term.

Phase 2: Market selection: Five of the top ten countries were selected for further in-depth analysis. Based on this desk research and on promising early relationships and networks, two regions of focus (Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa) and two initial markets (Colombia and Kenya) were selected. These countries will be our first non-US markets to help us test initial grantmaking strategy and outcomes.

Phase 3: Network development: We are currently establishing relationships and partnerships with stakeholders in our target markets, including with local NGOs and other philanthropic organizations. This will help us navigate the existing ecosystem of organizations, unique opportunities and challenges, and cultural nuances of each market.

Colombia Kenya
Discussions with active funders include:
• Global Green Growth Institute
• Conrad Hilton Foundation
• Inter-American Development Bank
• Kiva
• Microsoft Philanthropies
• Reach Capital
• Velez Reyes Foundation
• World Bank Discussions with active funders include:
• Mastercard Foundation
• Conrad Hilton Foundation
• Microsoft Philanthropies
• Livelihood Impact Fund
• Catholic Relief Services
• Rockefeller Foundation 
• Social Finance

Phase 4: Pipeline development: Conducting site visits and establishing local advisors will help us generate leads and develop hypotheses on the most impactful ways to deliver on our North Star.

  1. Site Visits
  2. Advisory and portfolio management capacity:  We are considering how we might best partner with local funders, NGO/nonprofit organizations, emerging leaders or entrepreneurs, or experts and advisors in each market to ensure we have proper capacity to find, vet, and support our grantee portfolio.

Phase 5: Investment & experimentation: Learning questions ****and hypotheses relevant to the local market will drive Phase 5 investments. These may include topics such as leveraging the remote learning and work transformations, increasing outcomes of gig work on platforms like UpWork/Fiverr (such as our Generation Kenya investment), and tactics on how to increase training and employment program outcomes in each cultural and economic context. We will likely ****begin with small-scale pilot projects to quickly test and learn; this will help us understand the local context and make informed decisions about future investments.