About Us
At Palo Alto Innovation Lab, we specialize in providing evidence-based consulting services that elevate social impact enterprises on a global scale. Impact with returns. With our unique FIRE scaling methodology, we offer tailored coaching and support to entrepreneurs and organizations seeking to make a difference. Our extensive experience across Latin America, Mexico, Africa, and Asia distinguishes us in the industry, allowing us to drive sustainable and impactful change.
Our mission is to empower social impact enterprises by leveraging innovative strategies and proven, evidence-based methodologies. Through personalized coaching and guidance, we help our clients achieve their goals and maximize their potential for positive change. At Palo Alto Innovation Lab, we are committed to driving social innovation and fostering growth in communities worldwide.
Our Success Stories
You have been an invaluable mentor and friend throughout this journey! I wouldn't be here if not for your help guiding us through the ups and downs of scaling impact. Thank you!
It is really valuable to me to be able to talk about the complexities of what we are trying to do. Working with you we are able to dig into the real issues around scaling, including structuring and financing, because you are already there—you understand all the facets of scaling.
Katherine Lucy, CEO, Solar Sister
We're thrilled to share that Bottleyes has expanded to three new countries and successfully secured capital from globally recognized funds, including the IDB | Inter-American Development Bank.
I deeply appreciate the role you played in our formation, which laid the foundation for this remarkable startup.
Isaac Romero, Founder and CEO, Bottleyes
"The scaling program provided guidance and mentorship at another level than a standard mentorship or accelerator program. Focused on tackling the roadblocks to growth, the scaling program helped us step back from our day-to-day and identify unique issues and solutions to problems challenging our specific business.
It was customized to meet us right where we were and create a useful, action-oriented guiding plan to scale effectively despite our previous growth roadblocks.
Alicia Wallace, CEO and Founder, All Across Africa-Kazi
Your proposals and time spent with us have been extraordinarily important in allowing us to move to the next level.
Scott Haldeman, MD, Founder and Chairman, Global Spinal Care
My mentors provided me not only knowledge and expertise but also
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Courage to tread the unknown territory – from India to Africa
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Confidence that I am not alone in this journey; they are with me
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Critical Analytical Power – by asking difficult questions
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Creative Mind by encouraging me to find new ways to address global issues
Jitendra Sinha, Founder and CEO, SAI
The scale-out masterclass mentoring opened us to broader possibilities and horizons from a global best practice standpoint – what we had not considered as a critical recipe for our scaling plan. The masterclass enabled us to strategically build and ground our corporate culture and business philosophy on continuous growth and innovation.
We thought we were ready (in terms of our structure, formation and strategies) to embark on our fundraising roadshow, before the mentoring sessions started. The third-party perspectives and inquiries the mentors brought into our business model and structure and the clarity in our storyline have immensely strengthened our go-to business operationalization structure and model – drawing on the mentors’ vast and diverse experiences and knowledge.
Femi Oye, Founder and CEO, OWatt
Clients
Our diverse clientele includes social impact entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, and businesses dedicated to making a difference. Through our FIRE con services and coaching, we have enabled these clients to scale their impact, reach broader audiences, and create meaningful change in the communities they serve.
Our projects have scaled profitable enterprises for solar minigrids, sustainable agriculture, off-grid solar lighting, last-mile distribution, women's health, prescription eyeglasses for first-time wearers, plant-based meat substitutes, artisan crafts, clean water, early childhood education, and many other social impact enterprises.
Making Innovation Work: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It
Rob Shelton
Rob is a globally recognized Silicon Valley-based adviser, author, and speaker on scaling and innovation excellence. Over the past forty years, he has been a trusted partner and adviser to hundreds of board members, CEOs, and senior executives at leading organizations and startups in Silicon Valley and worldwide. Rob is the founder of Scale Conundrum LLC and the Palo Alto Innovation Lab.
Rob is a board advisor, coach, program developer, and mentor for social enterprises providing for the under and un-served markets in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Rob is a scaling advisor and mentor at Harvard Innovation Lab and an advisor at the Harvard Climate Circle. At EYEliance, he is an integral team member, methodology creator, and mentor to scale a proven optical services and products business model to low- and middle-income first-time customers in Africa, SE Asia, and Latin America. He is co-founder and Senior Advisor for WeavingImpact, focused on tackling the racial wealth divide in US urban centers. His management, organizational, and financial, impact work includes enterprises involved in climate change, women’s health, sustainable agriculture, and improving lives of under- or un-served people.
Rob is the methodology creator and co-founder of the Scaling and Replication program at Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley—a social impact leader for 25 years. He led the innovation consulting practice at PwC and was the founder and leader of PwC’s global financial service innovation program. Before that, he was a senior executive and led global innovation programs at Stanford Research Institute (SRI International) and Arthur D. Little.
Rob co-authored Making Innovation Work, a best-selling book in its second publication that has been translated into ten languages.
A featured speaker at the 2013 World Economic Forum, Rob has addressed and coached scores of leading companies around the world regarding scaling, innovation, and integration of ES&G. His work has been highlighted in Bloomberg Businessweek, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Forbes Japan, Financial Times, BBC, strategy+business, CNN Financial News, Fast Company, and Bloomberg Radio, and NPR.
Rob was designated an Innovation Champion by the World Economic Forum and has been a speaker at the House of Commons and Stanford University, University of California, USC, Fudan University, MIT Media Labs, and Carnegie Mellon University.