Current Projects
We recently launched the Unitus Ventures (formerly Unitus Seed Fund) with the goal of increasing innovation through startup social enterprises benefiting very low income populations.
In June 2011, we launched a new project for Creating Livelihood Opportunities for millions of people battling poverty in developing markets through a strategic partnership with Unitus Impact.
Unitus Labs has recently published case studies documenting our learnings from our Ultra-Poor Initiative project.
We have also recently published “open source” results from our four India Microfinance Innovations projects.
Overview
Unitus Labs’ mission is accomplished by taking on high-risk economic self-empowerment projects that have the potential for significant and sustained impact on reducing global poverty. We attempt to demonstrate powerful results and have a demonstration effect in underserved markets to attract financial capital and other support from lower-risk-tolerant philanthropists, investors, companies, governments and other ecosystem players who have the large amounts of resources and influence needed to scale and spread market-based solutions to global poverty.
To date, Unitus Labs is best known for its successful Microfinance Acceleration project that began in 2001 and started to wind-down in 2010. Microfinance Acceleration helped bring economic opportunities to the families of more than 12 million microfinance borrowers throughout the world.
Implementation
Unitus Labs implements its mission through partnerships with high-quality, on-the-ground management teams, financial professionals and innovative entrepreneurs. Unitus Labs provides and arranges critical financial capital, helps attract and secure assistance from professionals and organizations with expertise requested by our partners, and ensures that quality governance and incentives are in place. During the entire partnership, we empower our partners with the tools, freedom and flexibility to validate and scale their models in the manner that only a dedicated entrepreneur can.