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.
Design Insight Group
Our Design Insight Group (DIG) helps ventures tap into the lived experiences and insights of real New Yorkers facing poverty.
Partner With DIG
Put community first to design products, services, and strategies that are truly rooted in the needs of low-income New Yorkers. With DIG we’re bridging gaps, transforming lives, and innovating for a future without poverty.
Why Partner with DIG
Real Collaboration With Low-income Communities
Ensure your solutions truly serve those who need them most. Through DIG, founders gain direct access to a 5,000+ member community of low-income New Yorkers. Their lived experiences guide every step of the design process, providing actionable insights that reduce guesswork and foster meaningful change.
Over the years, we’ve developed a co-creation approach that emphasizes real collaboration with the very communities affected by poverty—ensuring each solution is both innovative and deeply relevant.
Scalable, Lasting Solutions
At the intersection of technology and social good, Blue Ridge Labs is a community of designers, engineers, and social innovators. We help our program members refine ideas, validate concepts, and maximize impact. Through our Fellowship, Catalyst, and Follow-On-Fund programs, all informed by DIG, your initiative will leverage the insight of working with innovators and lived experience from concept to launch.
Ethical and Transparent Process
We honor the dignity and safety of the community at every stage. DIG members receive fair compensation for their expertise, and we uphold rigorous standards around data privacy and participant well-being. By partnering with BRL, you demonstrate ethical leadership, building trust among stakeholders and the communities you aim to serve.
Scalable, Lasting Solutions
We do more than facilitate user feedback—we invest in your long-term success. Through our Fellowship, Catalyst, and Follow-On-Fund programs, your initiative leverages the insight of working with innovators from concept to launch.
Ethical and Transparent Process
We honor the dignity and safety of the community at every stage. DIG members receive fair compensation for their expertise, and we uphold rigorous standards around data privacy and participant well-being. By partnering with BRL, you demonstrate ethical leadership, building trust among stakeholders and the communities you aim to serve.
Elevate Your Organization’s Impact
/
How We Collaborate
Our Partnership Process
We understand every organization has unique needs. We offer flexible levels of support so you can focus on what matters most—meaningful results and authentic community connections.
1. Scoping & Alignment
We’ll learn about your project goals, challenges, and research needs.
2. Session Design
Together, we’ll clarify timelines, target demographics, and co-design workshop plans.
3. Recruitment
We handle all scheduling, logistics, and compensation—removing administrative burdens from your plate.
4. Facilitation & Feedback
BRL can facilitate sessions, or equip your team to do so. Empowering you to receive comprehensive insights and feedback.
How DIG can Inform your Venture
Powered by 5,000+ low-income New Yorkers, DIG provides BRL founders with authentic perspectives that spark real empathy, and informs key aspects of program design to drive meaningful change.
Qualitative User Research
Ideal for understanding user behaviors and motivations.
Product Testing
Best for evaluating product functionality and user experience.
Co-Design & Focus Groups
Suitable for collaborative design and gathering diverse opinions.
Surveys & Feedback Loops
Effective for collecting quantitative data and user feedback.
Hear From Our Members
Jech AP • DIG Member
"DIG...is a place where brilliant minds come together to change lives and communities. I'm passionate about helping my community and working with others who collectively work to make it happen! Here we: Think it, Dream it, Build it!"
Malina Nagasar • DIG Member
"DIG is the only platform where I, a woman of color and of Indian descent, am able to voice any concerns and genuinely be heard. They were always helpful, willing to listen and explore various ways to help the community."
Sunni Musique • DIG Member
"[DIG is] improving programs that serve our communities."
