Humanitarian Venture Lab: Web3 solutions for problems that traditional aid can’t fix
Gaza. Myanmar. Haiti. Ukraine. Sudan. Afghanistan. Syria. These are just a few of the humanitarian crisis contexts challenging the traditional models of humanitarian aid delivery and, in some cases, the humanitarian aid system itself. If we know that there are a growing number of people in critical need, in places where conventional approaches to humanitarian assistance are either unavailable, don’t work, or aren’t being implemented effectively, isn’t there a humanitarian imperative to think and act differently? To use new channels and tools to ensure that people living through crises can meet their most basic needs for survival, at worst, or rebuild a livelihood, at best? To ensure that they can earn an income, and save and build wealth for future generations of survivors of some of the world’s most acute crises? The answer: Yes.
Despite the hard-earned lessons and work of humanitarian organizations, local startups, and other innovators using blockchain technology and crypto (stablecoins) in emerging markets over past years, there are still significant gaps in information and few spaces where these players can gather to explore the questions of where, why, and how this technology may or may not add value within the complex operating environments where humanitarian programs are implemented. There is no central landing point, learning platform, or marketplace for solutions, and no spaces for critical discussion to correctly identify the problems this technology can concretely solve (and for whom).
After years of venture investing at the frontier of locally-led and impact-focused innovation for emerging markets, Mercy Corps Ventures is launching its Humanitarian Venture Lab to pilot test innovative solutions in partnership with aid organizations and technology partners.
The Venture Lab provides a unique offering to humanitarian partners, bringing a suite of resources to responsibly design, de-risk, and pilot new tools in a low-risk, ring-fenced context to produce measurable results. Having a collective space to innovate is especially important for the humanitarian sector, where teams are constantly constrained by the urgency of responding to crises and the frequent restrictions on funding intended for this purpose.
To start, the Humanitarian Venture Lab will focus on the deployment of blockchain and crypto in humanitarian settings, eventually expanding to other innovative right-fit technologies. Our team has built a strong track record including 10 equity investments in high-impact crypto startups, over 15 pilots launched through the Crypto for Good Fund, and over seven partnerships with leading crypto foundations and protocols to support this work.
Leveraging this experience, the HVL will test, learn, and advance partnerships to improve aid delivery where appropriate. This will be done in tandem with humanitarian actors and the crypto community through a series of collaborative learning and action-oriented interventions:
- We’ll co-design and implement pilots and programs with humanitarian and technology partners to test and scale crypto solutions, building off industry best practices.
- We’ll provide grant funding and mentorship to technology partners and aid organizations addressing humanitarian needs, increasing their chances of success and scale.
- We’ll generate and share action-oriented research, insights, and learning to advance the entire humanitarian sector.
We’re adopting an iterative, action-oriented approach, beginning with several humanitarian pilots that illustrate a variety of use cases. All demonstrate the importance of prioritizing partnership with local tech companies familiar with especially challenging humanitarian contexts.
Through strong collaboration between the Humanitarian Venture Lab, Mercy Corps Country Offices, and other humanitarian partners, we’ve also established a pipeline for several upcoming pilot projects designed for complex humanitarian operating environments across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the Caribbean regions.
As we move through 2024, we’ll continue to reach out to humanitarian partners, local innovators, and blockchain industry leaders to build out each area of focus, and establish a public digital learning and action network open to all stakeholders. We encourage you to reach out if you’re interested in learning more or getting involved.
Watch this space!
