Turning bold ideas into impact
Blue Ridge Labs
Blue Ridge Labs is Robin Hood's venture studio for scaling innovations to solve the most pressing social challenges.
About Us
We empower tech driven founders tackling the hardest social issues, ensuring impact by centering the views of those most affected.
Our Mission
Blue Ridge Labs helps founders create and scale tech-driven solutions that support economic mobility for low income communities. Guided by the lived experiences of New Yorkers, our ventures work directly with communities to co-design solutions that make a meaningful impact.
Our alumni have gone on to become Echoing Green Fellows, David Prize winners, and raised rounds from top venture capitalists and philanthropic institutions. Most importantly, their work touches millions of lives every day, proving that scalable, human-centered innovations can create pathways for upward mobility. At BRL, we’re not just fighting poverty—we’re building a world where everyone has the chance to thrive.
Our Story
2015
In 2015, Blue Ridge Labs became a part of Robin Hood to expand our reach and impact. With a shared commitment to economic mobility, we set out to support founders with bold ideas—both for-profit and nonprofit— by leveraging 15 years of social innovation experience to tackle the toughest challenges facing New Yorkers.
2020
Amid the pandemic, we launched new initiatives focused on health equity, housing stability, and financial access, partnering with ventures with the shared capacity to help low-income New Yorkers and Americans nationwide.
2024
Blue Ridge Labs expands to include investments in for-profit ventures that align with our mission, helping founders build sustainable businesses that drive economic mobility and reduce poverty.
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Our Approach
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Co-creating solutions with communities
We believe in designing solutions with the people, not just for them. That’s why we ground our solutions in lived experience with the help of our Design Insight Group–the very people our companies aim to support.
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Growth capital
We invest in our portfolio companies both early in their journey and as they need additional capital to scale their impact.
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Hands-on mentorship and connections
We surround our program participants with advisors, philanthropists, founders, nonprofit leaders, and others positioned to lift them up.
Our Method
Co-design
Through focus groups and 1:1 interviews, we collaborate closely with communities, ensuring solutions are shaped by those who experience the challenges of economic hardship firsthand.
Impact
We measure outcomes rigorously, using data to ensure solutions create lasting, scalable change.
Action
We turn insights into action, rapidly launching solutions that directly address real-world challenges.
Technology
We leverage cutting-edge technology to develop innovative solutions that drive economic mobility.
Empathy
We know the lives of those we serve are complex, so we approach every solution with understanding and care to create meaningful impact.