Who We Are
Fifteen years ago, ideas42 started in a small office at Harvard University. Since then, we have partnered with foundations, non-profits, government agencies, and socially-minded companies to work on more than 600 projects in over 55 countries, using behavioral science to improve tens of millions of lives around the world.
We have team members in New York; Boston; Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Accra, Ghana; Dakar, Senegal; Cape Town, South Africa; Mexico City, Mexico; New Delhi, India; and Nairobi, Kenya. But we work on projects in almost every corner of the world. ideas42 is made up of a group of talented, creative professionals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, united by our expertise in and passion for applying insights from the behavioral sciences to today’s most complex social problems.
True to our academic roots and rigorous scientific approach, our work is informed by a network of more than 60 academic affiliates and advisors, including the world’s most influential pioneers in applied behavioral science.
Meet our Advisors & Affiliates
How We Operate
One of the guiding principles of behavioral science is recognizing that context matters. Contexts, including the cultures and systems in which people operate, have a profound and outsized impact on how choices are made, and what happens because of those choices. Contexts and systems that make up core societal structures in the majority of the world have not been created equally.
Those unequal systems disadvantage people with the least resources and opportunities around the world. As this reality typically intersects with gender, race, nationality, and other identities, the ultimate result is systems that discriminate based on group membership, and unfairly advantage certain groups over others.
Creating social impact includes combating many forms of bias. In our work, we intentionally adopt a socio-economic, race, nationality, and gender-conscious lens so that the changes to contexts and systems, programs, policies, and services that we design can make them more equitable and effective.
Our Partners
Our work to change systems and policies is only possible because of our partnerships with governments, NGOs, nonprofits, academic institutions, and private enterprise. We select our partners based on their ability to help us create real impact, improve lives, and make the world a more equitable place for all.
