How We Work

Brink exists to make dents in the world.

To do that, we apply our framework of behavioural innovation.

We use a different mix of skills and expertise for every project. Our practices help us shape each dent differently:


Venturing

Turning funds into ideas that grow

Everywhere we look, we see amazing new ideas for products, services and ventures that contribute to the public good. We want to encourage rapid experimentation that results in genuine change, and we do that by developing funding and supporting those ideas. Sometimes that means working with start-ups, but the label “start-up” isn't what matters - the ideas are the most important thing.

To make this happen, our venturing practice provides specialist strategy, team-building and funding design services; we work with donors, entrepreneurs, inventors and investors on ventures that can scale up ideas that will make a dent in the world. Every fund and every context is different, so we deliberately take a thoughtful, nuanced, bespoke approach.

So far, we've worked with over 170 ventures in over 30 countries, across 6 funds.


Delivery

Enabling innovation and supporting teams to do their best work

Across the impact and development sector, we see great ideas which struggle to have impact because they are poorly implemented.

Our delivery practice translates strategy into impactful delivery, and supports organisations and teams (including our own) to unlock greater impact in their work.

Our work focuses on building and maintaining high performing teams, and designing or evolving operational systems to support and accelerate strategic ambitions rather than hinder them.


Storytelling

Describing and inspiring change

It's human nature to tell, listen to, and respond to stories. Narratives are easier to pay attention to, and people usually remember more details for longer.

Brink's storytelling practice understands how a good story can bring data to life; and as a result, contribute to positive change. And we know how stories can describe impact when there's little or no data to be had; or when there’s so much data, that taking it all in would be a full time job.

Stories add more clarity, faster. Wonderful, relatable, emotional stories can be found buried within the dullest or most inaccessible subjects. Most things sound more interesting when you tell a story about real people overcoming obstacles in the real world.


Collectives

Building connections

In our experience, humans have a strong instinct for working together. We know that good things happen when groups of people have the chance to gather, get to know each other, and learn from their shared and different experiences.

So Brink's collectives practice exists to proactively and deliberately make that happen. We create spaces and opportunities for collaboration, conversation, debate, learning and sharing - because experience shows that the more this happens with consistency, patience and rhythm, the broader and more lasting the change. People share more ideas, and they spread further. There’s a catalyst effect, prompting further discussion, advocacy and experience sharing.

We've seen amazing things happen when groups of people gather and talk; or when people and organisations make new international connections; or when someone is given an opportunity to share their wisdom with an audience they wouldn’t otherwise have met.