A more equitable future is not just possible—but full of potential.
At IDEO Last Mile Money, we’re transforming digital financial services globally through a design-driven lens, reaching the most underserved users and accelerating the businesses of tomorrow.
A program by:
HOW WE WORKWe’re experts in the last mile—and we do more than research and design.
We partner with organizations at every step of the innovation cycle to ensure our work reaches users, accelerating ideas from insight to impact.
Explore New Market Opportunities
With our global network of partners, we’re always spotting opportunities, unpacking tough challenges, and testing new ideas—all grounded in the needs of last-mile users.
Build & De-Risk
We rapidly prototype to de-risk new opportunities. We run Product Audits based on what last-mile users need. We run agile sprints and lean pilots to validate in market.
Pilot & Scale
Our work makes a measurable impact. We partner to launch pilots that reach thousands of users. We invest in validated solutions with human and financial capital.
OUR FOCUS AREAS
Empowering Entrepreneurs
MSMEs process $19.8 trillion in global payments annually, but these entrepreneurs are vastly underserved by formal financial services. We’re exploring novel ways to activate business owners to drive additional network value.
Increasing Gender Equity
Women are also underserved by financial products on a global scale. We’re focused on closing the gender gap by partnering with and investing in companies doing meaningful work with women at the last mile—and beyond.
Growing Digital Confidence
Teams building products for the last mile are eager to connect with customers, but don’t always know how. We bring a wealth of knowledge to our work with partners, and are sharing our learnings for anyone to learn and apply.
Over the past few years, our work with partners has reached…
11 million
end users
8 million
micro-entrepreneurs
4.3 million
mobile money agents
Our work has real-world impact
1 in 4
idea-stage prototypes we work on go to pilot
20 solutions
independently in market around the world
>$1 million
in coinvestment capital secured from the private sector
>$5 million
of direct follow-on capital to our partners, not counting human capital investment
THE COMPANY WE KEEPWe work with everyone interested in building and advancing digital financial services at the last mile, from NGOs to the private sector, and beyond.
