FAI Farms, a team of farmers, scientists, and consultants creates things to solve sustainable agriculture and animal welfare problems. One of FAI Farms’ creations is BirdBox, a sensor-based system designed to improve animal welfare and provide a management tool for free-range egg-producers to take eggs from, well, bird to box. Over a 10-year period, FAI Farms had trialed BirdBox with the UK’s leading free-range egg producer. The results were phenomenal. FAI Farms, however, was having trouble figuring out what’s next? Over a 12-week collaboration, using WhiteLabel’s growth diagnostic framework, we were able to rapidly assess, and align on, BirdBox’s commercial opportunities and path to market. Transitioning to implementation, WhiteLabel led a market sounding exercise to find potential partners and investors. Additionally, WhiteLabel brought in a co-conspirator to redesign the sensor technology. Since our collaboration, BirdBox has increased client trials exponentially. “The WhiteLabel teams’ breadth and depth of knowledge makes them a go-to partner for us,” said CEO Oisten Thorsen. “They often joke that they are our Special Projects Office, but the title fits well.”

Yaupon Wellness Company, a social enterprise offering edible and personal care products derived from the Yaupon plant, had a well-established regional brand and was receiving great responses on several products. Yaupon, however, needed guidance on going nationwide. It turned to WhiteLabel. Over a year-long collaboration, WhiteLabel served as a comprehensive growth engine for Yaupon. Our work commenced with a thorough brand assessment, leading to a strategic refresh, solidifying Yaupon's identity in the wellness space. We investigated key products, distribution channel, and funding strategies, helping define Yaupon's target market, identifying the persona of its ideal customer, crafting a compelling value proposition, and a pricing and channel strategy. Yaupon is now growing from a local provider, into a firm with a regional presence, and the basis for a national brand. “WhiteLabel has been instrumental in defining our business strategy,” said CEO Lou Thomann. “The team has a unique ability to see the practical next steps to achieve growth, execute the plan, and solve the finance dilemma,”

Gen Z struggles with finding meaningful connections and comprehensive mental health support. Promly, a social enterprise, envisioned a world where young people have access to holistic support and resources. To achieve this, a WhiteLabel partner, first as a consultant, then as a fractional COO, embedded in Promly. As a hybrid organization, with both a non-profit (501(c)3) and Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), it can fundraise across the spectrum of capital, blending traditional grants with commercial investment matching its for-profit and non-profit work. WhiteLabel worked on finding the right fit for funding, creating compelling narratives tailored to a wide variety of investors and donors, often the same people. Understanding that lasting change requires systematic support, using their depth of experience in advocacy, WhiteLabel got Promly in front of advocacy and public affairs opportunities. WhiteLabel continues to partner with Promly. “They got our value proposition and helped us raise our brand awareness through a differentiated path — advocacy and public affairs. Operationally, they were able to upscale Promly’s business and organizational models, positioning us for sustainable, efficient growth. I could not recommend them higher,” said CEO Jen Libby.

The Center for Rural Innovation was growing rapidly. Within four years, its leadership had taken the firm from an idea to a multi-million-dollar enterprise with a non-profit, for-profit, and seed fund, all aimed at advancing economic prosperity in rural America. The firm’s growth was exceptional, but operations had not kept pace. After a Director of Finance resigned, WhiteLabel was brought in to diagnose issues and implement remediations. Initially, WhiteLabel helped stabilize the finance department, operating as interim CFO and controller. The initial tasks: harmonizing revenue lines, legal structure and guiding the company through its first audit. WhiteLabel also successfully led the recruitment of a new Director of Finance. WhiteLabel continued to support CORI through its transition, including leading the selection and implementation of enterprise-wide systems. “Being able to harness WhiteLabel's insight and experience has proven invaluable to me,” said Robin Kilfeather-Mackey, CORI’s Director of Finance and Operations. “The WhiteLabel diagnostic report I was handed upon my arrival allowed me to immediately zero in on the organization's pain points and direct my attention squarely where it was needed most in those early days.”

The United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) was just finding its feet. The nascent initiative lacked an operational foundation, a sustainable business model and a team to carry out its vital mission. A WhiteLabel partner was brought in as COO. Developing a scalable operational framework, a long-term strategic roadmap and a compelling go-to-market and global outreach campaign, which defined the value proposition around ESG and how the initiative was well-positioned to promote it, they were able to attract and engage potential members. The partner also identified and executed a transition to the initiative’s business model: moving it from voluntary donations to membership fees. Under his leadership, the firm tripled its membership, increased its revenues sevenfold and expanded staff by 12-fold. The UN PRI is one of the most powerful forces promoting responsible finance and ESG.

Ukraine has a thriving cadre of startups – several have become household names (think Grammarly). Ukraine, however, lacks a thriving venture capital sector. Trying to remediate, the USAID-sponsored Competitive Economic Project wanted to launch a Ukraine-based early-stage investment fund. To facilitate the launch, it hired WhiteLabel to conduct a feasibility study. WhiteLabel investigated Ukraine’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, meeting with hundreds of start-ups, investors, incubators, tech-transfer-teams, and legal professionals. The initial results were not good: with a potential war with Russia on the horizon and a poor regulatory environment, no investors wanted to invest in a Ukraine-based entity. There was, however, substantial interest in the startups, and supporting them. WhiteLabel suggested that the program pivot, focusing on technical support, and partnering with other donor agencies already funding Ukraine’s high-growth business sector, including introducing the team to an eventual partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. “In addition to being some of the smartest people I have ever had the pleasure of working with, WhiteLabel brings an extraordinary level of client service,” said Program Lead Deborah Fairlamb.

Three non-profit organizations faced a sudden influx of over $60 million in federal grants. While this is the kind of high-quality problem most organizations dream of having, it was anticipated that there might be operational challenges in managing these grants. The organizations turned to WhiteLabel to run an Operational Diagnostic. Over a three-month period, WhiteLabel investigated the firms to find strength and weaknesses in human capital, processes, and systems, interviewing stakeholders, combing through financial documents, and benchmarking the firms against best practices. Presented to the executive directors and boards, the diagnostics highlighted issues, and detailed remediations, necessary to effectively manage growth and the grants. For the largest grant winner, WhiteLabel stayed on to help the firm implement outlined recommendations, coach senior executives, and help redesign the finance department, which was already struggling trying to manage an organization that had more than a half-dozen non-profit and for-profit entities, and help and select an enterprise-wide risk management system. An added bonus: WhiteLabel was able to pay for itself by negotiating highly favorable terms on the ERP system.

A wise innovator once told us, “Finding product market fit solves 100 percent of 50 percent of the problem–you have to build something that fits the organization’s strengths.” We found this sagacious advice while working with the Munathara Initiative, an award-winning non-profit championing free speech in the Arab world. Recognizing that donor priorities change, and sometimes radically so, The Munathara Initiative wanted to diversify its funding streams to include impact and commercial sponsors. The firm’s executive director, however, needed help learning about, and developing a product to transition into the world of for-profit social enterprise. Through interviews, on-the-ground research, business modeling and financial forecasting, WhiteLabel was able to identify a niche that fit the market’s needs and the organization’s unique capabilities and resources: The Munathara Creative Labs, a studio dedicated to fostering creative businesses, fueling democracy, and empowering civil society across the MENA region.

BNNT, an advanced materials company with revolutionary potential, was struggling with the question of how do you raise capital for a company that has a world-changing product, tremendous promise, great research, and development partnerships, but was still in the product testing phase, and required much more patient capital than a traditional VC provides? Over two years, a WhiteLabel partner worked closely with BNNT's CEO on refining BNNT’s commercialization strategy and creating a disciplined fundraising plan. We started by defining our initial list of targets, focusing on firms and investors that would understand the sector, the company’s potential, and the time it needed to succeed. WhiteLabel and BNNT refined the story, building marketing materials and financial models, which also served a control function for the firm, beyond the capital raise. We tested assumptions through practice pitches with friendlies WhiteLabel brought in from our network. We launched a systematic outreach campaign. We worked on setting terms for firms that expressed an early interest. BNNT emerged with a clearer corporate strategy, a well-defined capital raising plan, and a more confident CEO.

Like a lot of countries around the world, Jordan had caught the start-up bug. And, why not? It seems a powerful way to empower entrepreneurship and grow the economy. Jordan also wanted to attract investment. Looking to learn more about impact investment and private equity, the government turned to Expectation State, a development consulting firm, which turned to WhiteLabel. WhiteLabel launched a study, focusing on the intersection of private capital, impact investment and where investor wants might meet Jordan’s needs. WhiteLabel presented the findings to Jordan’s Ministry of Finance. As a follow-on activity, WhiteLabel was asked to lead an innovation sprint, working with first-time fund managers on developing investment theses and the operational skills needed to successfully raise capital and manage a fund. “WhiteLabel blends rich experience with an ability to deliver pragmatically in a consultancy setting, for a range of host government and international donor clients,” said Expectation State’s CEO Raymond Asfour. “And, they are a lot of fun to work with.”

Leadership at the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative's Positive Impact Initiative proposed a pioneering and holistic vision for impact finance, solving some of the field’s more complex issues for commercial actors. But it needed to gain traction in a crowded space of international organizations, financial institutions, and standard setters. Its message needed to break through the noise. A WhiteLabel partner developed and implemented a new communications strategy that shifted the focus away from the initiative itself and onto its unique value proposition. This content-driven approach emphasized the insights and tools offered by the Positive Impact Initiative. The partner also facilitated key partnerships, strategically positioning Positive Impact alongside international organizations and standard setters. This strategic pivot resonated strongly. UNEP FI's Positive Impact initiative gained visibility and solidified its positioning as a crucial and unique resource among the international impact investing standard-setter community.

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), the convening body for impact investing, was growing quickly. It needed to expand its membership base and fortify its operational capacity. Additionally, it aimed to become less reliant on grants by diversifying its funding model. A WhiteLabel partner stepped in to take charge of GIIN's membership programs. They supported staff in expanding programming and driving global membership growth. Further, the partner played a pivotal role in organizing GIIN's first global conference for impact investors. They also spearheaded a biannual update of the IRIS impact measurement standards. These efforts bolstered the GIIN's position, expanding its membership base and programs, thus diversifying its revenue streams, with non-grant resources delivering a third of the annual organizational budget.

USAID was having trouble structuring an investment program to further entrepreneurial growth in the Middle East. Uncertain of fund structure, regulatory landscape, and the right folks to partner with to propel nascent entrepreneurial ecosystems in Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon, it turned to WhiteLabel. Starting in DC, we worked with senior members of the USAID team on correcting some issues in the initial structure. WhiteLabel then designed what became a much-replicated assessment framework. For more than three months in-country, WhiteLabel implemented the assessment, meeting with hundreds of companies, investors, government officials, mentors and managers of incubators, and legal and regulatory professionals. The team was able to broaden the initiative’s focus, define the investment terms and fund structure, and find the best-suited professionals for USAID to partner with, to make the initiative a success. As one senior USAID official said, “One of the best processes I have experienced at USAID, from design to execution–creative and professional. These folks are sharp.”

One Earth Rising wants to change the way gaming works: It wants to turn the Metaverse into the Purposeverse. Given that gaming is the most popular activity on the planet, gaming and gamers should have a greater vision of how gaming engages with the planet. Looking to achieve that greater vision, One Earth Rising turned to WhiteLabel. Recognizing the potential, WhiteLabel proposed a pivot from developing games to becoming a platform for socially conscious game developers. Working with One Earth Rising, WhiteLabel helped the firm sharpen its long-term strategy, develop a streamlined operational structure, and create, and lead, a fundraising campaign, targeting socially responsible investors. To facilitate the structural changes, a WhiteLabel founding partner embedded in One Earth Rising, as COO. He liked the gig so much, he stayed.

The pandemic was not kind to Sched, an event scheduling software company. With social distancing, came an end to social events. Sched, which had been growing steadily, saw its revenues collapse. Seeking help with financial management and cost-cutting, Sched partnered with WhiteLabel to develop a turnaround strategy. “WhiteLabel helped us evaluate and make a variety of strategic decisions during our time together. They provided useful insights, systems, and resources during a period when we needed it the most,” said Marvin McTaw, the company’s CEO. “The most important part of this really comes from their ability to ask great questions that bring underlying assumptions and meaningful considerations to light. Their questions and collaborative thinking ultimately helped us make better decisions to chart our company's path forward.” Part of that path forward was identifying the need to take sole operational burden off the CEO’s shoulders, identifying that the firm needed a strong operational second to the CEO’s visionary leadership style. Creating and leading the search, WhiteLabel was able to help Sched source, and, ultimately, hire some exceptionally qualified talent. Today, Sched is thriving and continues to partner with WhiteLabel.

A leader in financial data caught the sustainability bug. Figuring it was a powerful market, from a financial and social perspective, it wanted to create a division focused on sustainable finance data. Problem was, it did not really understand the sustainability market, the regulatory landscape, and it almost completely lacked a framework or bedrock of knowledge to judge the risks and rewards. It reached out to a WhiteLabel partner, who was a pioneer in the space. After an initial assessment of the company, they suggested that instead of building a new division, the data provider buy an existing company—it would be cheaper. The partner was hired to lead the M&A assignment, developing the strategy, identifying, and screening, potential targets, leading the outreach campaign and initial meetings, helping perform due diligence and was part of the deal team that successfully negotiated and closed the transaction.

ImpactAlpha's commitment to covering the world of impact investing wasn't matched by a sustainable business model. It faced the challenge of achieving financial stability while staying true to its mission. A WhiteLabel partner joined forces with the ImpactAlpha team to spearhead a strategic pivot. This involved deep collaboration to clarify the company's vision and ensure all stakeholders shared a common purpose. Together, they developed a revised business model and product strategy designed to attract a paying audience. Additionally, the WhiteLabel partner played a key role in securing philanthropic seed funding, providing much-needed support during this transition period. This strategic shift, combined with the crucial funding, proved transformative for ImpactAlpha. They successfully became a commercially viable platform, securing its first revenue streams. ImpactAlpha recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and is the “platform of record,” a source for news, educational materials, convenings, and data essential for the impact economy.

A social enterprise with a charismatic leader was on a massive mission: she wanted to electrify Africa through pay-as-you-go solar. Finding early traction, investors and getting on the ground quickly, the firm was able to set up operations in Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria. The firm’s great work even garnered a profile in the New Yorker. While growth in product and execution was exceptional, financial operations did not keep pace. The organization partnered with WhiteLabel to address these issues, beginning by cleaning up five years' worth of financials, restructuring operations, and suggesting, and implementing a system of controls to promote better financial management, and a foundation for better decision-making. In tandem, the board was looking to structure a non-dilutive funding facility. Drawing on its significant experience, WhiteLabel quickly cracked the code, and worked with the firm’s CEO to gain approval from the Board. WhiteLabel then developed marketing materials, targeted investors, and structured the outreach campaign, meeting with investors across the spectrum of capital, from impact to commercial.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) decided in 2021 to undertake a series of strategic analyses of some of the most important global “megatrends” and how these could impact the Arab region. The aim is to provide public sector and other leaders with an understanding of the benefits of these trends, including how they can contribute to improving economic growth, social equity, and sustainable development. A WhiteLabel partner is designing and directing these analyses. The first looked at alternative future pathways for electric vehicles and other forms of electric mobility in Middle East and North African countries, and the second looked at alternative futures for the Metaverse (3D VR environments and other forms of spatial computing for applications in healthcare, education, urban redevelopment, and other critical sectors. A third analysis on AI is underway. Each analysis provides concrete recommendations that can be undertaken in the near term to realize the benefits of the megatrends. Results to date include policy and investment actions now being evaluated for implementation by the Planning, Environment, Transportation, and other Ministries in 21 countries in the region.

Things were looking grim at a trade association focused on issues around housing. Despite a 25-year history, the firm was entering a classic doom-loop, with revenues dwindling, warring factions, staff exits, and a faltering brand. To stabilize and grow, the firm needed to reimagine itself. At the behest of the Board, a WhiteLabel partner joined in a senior leadership role. During their tenure, they led initiatives to develop strategic plans, rebranding and, most importantly, developing a research function that would define the issues, and support its core outreach function. As part of their work, they redesigned the firm’s key revenue-producing research product, and the process of putting it together, integrating greater member feedback and expanding the scope, but narrowing the focus, of the organization’s work. They also worked in member recruitment, and in advocacy, developing campaigns, and working with legislators to enact significant reforms. During their tenure, the firm significantly increased revenues, membership, and efficacy.

We all – well, most of us – know that the climate crisis is real. A WhiteLabel co-conspirator is turning science into art, creating data visualizations, that make it tangible, and undeniable. That art has come to the aid of science: for the past five years, the WhiteLabel co-conspirator has been working with the International Arctic Buoy Programme, deploying instruments that provide vital weather and climate impact data for the Arctic Ocean and tagging 50 icebergs along the coast of Greenland to improve predictive modeling. Their custom-designed sensors have contributed over 22,000 lines of data to the primary weather and climate repository for the Arctic Ocean. They also participated with Public Sediment, a team of landscape architects, designers, civil and coastal engineers, on a project funded by the Rockefeller Foundation to transform river sediment, usually a source of environmental degradation, into a solution for sea-level rise adaptation in the San Francisco Bay area. The team collaborated with local government agencies and public stakeholders to connect Alameda Creek with the San Francisco Baylands, providing a sustainable supply of sediment to Baylands for sea-level rise adaptation, reconnecting migratory fish with their historic spawning grounds, and introducing a network of community spaces to reclaim the creek as a place for people.

Smallholder farmers in Ukraine held massive potential, but their growth was stifled by limited access to innovative financing. To address this, Chemonics Ukraine sought WhiteLabel's expertise. We delved into global best practices in Innovative Agriculture Financing, conducting extensive research, interviews, and case study analysis. Our findings were distilled into a comprehensive primer, providing critical insights for tailored funding strategies designed specifically for lesser developed economies, equipping Chemonics with a strategic resource to identify and implement practical funding solutions. The impact: A USAID Head of Economic Growth, with over two decades of experience, lauded the primer as one of the best they'd encountered and how “strategic research and knowledge sharing can unlock growth and transformation for communities in need.”

Responsible Care is the chemical industry's global voluntary initiative since 1985 under which companies, through their national associations, work together to continuously improve their health, safety, and environmental performance and communicate with stakeholders about their manufacture and supply of safe and affordable goods that bring real benefits to society. Twenty-five years after it was created, the framework of commitments needed a fundamental refresh to reflect social, economic, technology, and other trends that have reshaped the world. A WhiteLabel partner was brought in to lead research on the major drivers of change affecting the industry and work with leaders in signatory companies to develop ideas for new investments and other commitments that would enable the industry to continue improving its environmental protection, occupational safety and health, plant safety, product stewardship, and logistics performance in light of these change forces. The result was a proposed new vision, mandate, and standards for what one executive dubbed a “Responsible Care 2.0” fit for the future.

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) was facing a crisis. This U.S. Federal government agency provides women and men who have served in the armed forces with benefits including education (the G.I. Bill), disability compensation, life insurance, employment training, home loans, pensions, and more. And it was projected to lose upwards of 50% of its workforce, including more than 60% of its top leadership, over the next ten years to retirement or other causes. A WhiteLabel partner led a team to design and implement a succession planning system from scratch. In a six-month effort, we developed profiles of what background and experience should be for optimal candidates for every top leadership position in the agency, mapped those profiles to the then-current mid-level staff, and outlined career progression pathways for those staff members to grow into the VBA leadership cadre of the future. The head of the agency noted after project completion that the new system had reduced the risks of gaps in hundreds of top roles and reduced the costs associated with loss of high-potential employees.

The Institute for Water Resources (IWR) is a US government agency dedicated to anticipating and analyzing changing water resources management conditions. As the impacts of climate change accelerated, the organization needed to reimagine its long-term future identity as one responsible for addressing complexly interrelated economic, social, institutional, and environmental needs in water resources planning and policy. One of WhiteLabel’s partners was engaged to design and facilitate a series of strategic dialogues built around alternative scenarios of IWR’s future. We facilitated IWR senior leaders and executives from key stakeholder groups through identifying essential choices with respect to anticipated challenges and opportunities. The outcome was a framework of actions (changes to staff composition, new partnerships, innovative new funding models, and more) to transition IWR to a future role that could deliver new forms of value to stakeholders across the range of scenarios.

Heinz Foods (now part of KraftHeinz) saw both opportunity and challenge in the tremendous change it observed in its industry due to increasing regulatory standards, new labeling requirements, shifting consumer demographics and preferences, the emergence of nutraceuticals and functional foods, liability litigation risk stemming from the growing obesity epidemic, the vulnerability of the food supply chain to bioterrorism, and more. They wanted a process for looking outside the food industry for technologies they could adapt to capitalize on trends affecting their industry in ways their peers were not considering. A WhiteLabel partner was brought in to conduct a “technology migration assessment” identifying innovations extant or being developed in non-food industries that could be leveraged by Heinz. After extensive research, we developed a strategy for the company to incorporate “other people’s technologies” into its R&D and product development to increase growth in core product lines, improve quality and margins, and move into emerging markets. Among the results: new profit-generating partnerships with non-food companies and new product innovations in ingredients, packaging, food preservation, and testing.

The California Wellness Foundation (Cal Wellness) was struggling with an unsustainable workload. The situation was hindering the mission of protecting and improving the health and wellness of the people of California, as employees on the verge of burnout were at increasing risk of becoming less efficient, taking longer to complete work, struggling in making decisions, even potentially leaving in search of a more sustainable opportunity. A WhiteLabel partner was brought in to co-lead an effort to transform the working environment for staff and leadership. We developed a set of initiatives to create change under a three-part framework of Behaviors, Processes, and Environment and then worked side-by-side with staff members to implement the initiatives, moving forward in ways that ensured the change effort did not itself add to the unsustainable workload. One initiative was a staff-led reimagining of the Cal Wellness “return to office” hybrid work model that combined activities to name and change the root causes of workload overwhelm in the organization with activities to build team culture. At the end of the engagement leaders and staff recognized an increased employee engagement from new norms and processes in place that enabled a healthier work experience.

The Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) is a non-profit public-private organization that drives inclusive economic growth and job creation, supports business, and promotes Washington, DC as a leading global city. The organization was struggling to perform its mission effectively but didn’t know why. A WhiteLabel partner was brought in to co-lead an organizational assessment. Employing a five-dimension framework – Clarity of Vision, Honesty and Trust, Healthy Work Experience, Structure for Sustained Growth, and Defined Accountability – we found the core issues in the latter two areas. To address them, we revised the roles and responsibilities for every position in the organization to clarify and codify the resources, and especially the decision authorities, that staff members needed to perform roles critical to WDCEP’s success. We also implemented a set of project management process improvements. The result: the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (WDCEP’s primary sponsor) found the organization measurably better at executing deliverables and serving the client base for the set of priorities established in the first year after our engagement.

The Goldman Sachs Foundation's 10,000 Women Initiative needed a financial structure that would allow it to eventually recoup its investment in women entrepreneurs. Traditional financial returns were not a priority. A WhiteLabel partner proposed a then-novel "catalytic capital facility" using a layered investment structure. This structure placed the Goldman Sachs Foundation in the "first-loss" position, meaning they'd absorb initial losses, effectively subsidizing other investors with lower risk tolerances. The model allowed the Foundation to provide crucial funding for women entrepreneurs with the potential to recoup its investment while creating a compelling return stream to “crowd-in” more commercial investors. The success of this facility has become a benchmark within the world of innovative finance.