So it is. This is where we begin, with the ground truths and facts of reality—how things are. Many of these realities are hard truths, of generational poverty, of genocide, of oppression, of violent violations of human rights. But, like the literary notation “[sīc]” allows, we acknowledge, but are not distracted by, the (symptomatic) flaw to then get at the core, in this case the root causes of debilitating societal issues. We believe that missing from current peacebuilding and development frameworks is a focused attention on the underlying economic, social, and cultural (ESC) dimensions at the sub-regional and local levels. In uplifting local economies comes sustainable global development; in deferring to local agency comes more equitable, holistic peacebuilding processes. With what currently is, we imagine what can be, alongside our neighbors in the affected communities. Only then can we as a global society move forward in an ever increasing global community to widespread prosperity and peace.

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We believe that there is a place for traditional development projects and humanitarian interventions. However, we also believe, that they, by nature of the work, can be overwhelmed by the constantly growing and unpredictable list of to-dos. Our work complements theirs. We work in tandem for more sustainable and equitable outcomes. With our outlook, we are preempting further conflicts and inequalities of the current cycles and trajectories. This begins with seeing how it is; but only with considered interventions can we later look back and see progress from how it was. Sīc erat.

We operate as a venture studio working in uncertain environments—deemed conflict zones or unstable (or emerging) markets—with local partners as co-founders. We are expressly committed to helping create a future defined by the local community through local ownership of impact initiatives.

With this model, we can ensure that our vision is fully aligned with that of the local community’s. Traditional investment approaches can amplify inequalities and power imbalances. And it does so with a risk calculus of an outsider perspective that is inclined to weigh profitability over positive impact. Our risk calculus considers the risk of having not taken action, thereby prioritizing the local stakeholder view.

As a venture studio, we seek partnerships that inform us of ground truths* that are then used to find opportunities for positive economic, social, or cultural impact. We establish a theory of change and then we iterate, rigorously testing our theories and assumptions. Taking this experimental approach gives space to being wrong—quickly helping us to realize when we might be wrong, to then quickly correct our course. We implement research initiatives alongside our ventures to measure our impact, formalize our learnings, and contribute to the literature around peacebuilding, transitional justice, and development economics.

Discover → Design → Develop