At the Work4Progress Annual Convening 2025 in Barcelona, hosted by “la Caixa” Foundation, global partners from India, Peru, Mozambique, and Colombia came together to exchange insights and chart the way forward for social innovation-led inclusive entrepreneurship and systems change.

Representing the India Platform, Kanika Verma, Executive Vice President and Lead - Sustainable Entrepreneurship Group, Development Alternatives, reflected on Work4Progress’ eight-year journey of nurturing a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem across India’s rural economy. Over the years, the initiative has supported more than 33,000 enterprises and created nearly 59,000 jobs, unlocking the power of communities to build sustainable and resilient livelihoods. Through collaboration among diverse actors and the creation of entrepreneurial pathways for women and youth, Work4Progress India continues to demonstrate how social innovation can transform local economies.

Together with platform partners — ActionAid, Access Development Services, and Rang De — Development Alternatives contributed to rich discussions on inclusive finance, digitalisation, and youth entrepreneurship. The dialogue on Access to Affordable Finance, led by Irwan Malhotra from GivFunds, explored innovative prototypes designed to enable first-time borrowers to access credit. Conversations on Digitalisation and Technology highlighted how emerging tools are deepening access and inclusion across communities. Discussions on the challenges faced by young entrepreneurs focused on dismantling systemic barriers and creating an enabling environment where rural youth can thrive as job creators. Each exchange reaffirmed the strength of a systems approach — one that connects innovation, inclusion, and collaboration to build resilient local economies.

The convening also featured a public session titled “Can digital innovation stimulate more transformative development?” where Shrashtant Patara, CEO of Development Alternatives, represented Work4Progress India alongside Kasia Odrozek (UNESCO) and José Moisés Martín Carretero (Center for Technological Development and Innovation). Patara shared how Development Alternatives has reimagined the “Silicon Valley” model — shifting from a vertical, product-driven ecosystem to a horizontal, community-centered one. He emphasized that “innovation must accelerate with people, not away from them,” underscoring the importance of rooting digital transformation in local knowledge, community intelligence, and people’s aspirations.

Fellow panellists reinforced this perspective, with Carretero calling for “reinventing and reactivating local ecosystems” to amplify human capacities and redesign cooperation models that strengthen local solutions, and Mercè Crosas reminding participants to “protect what is truly human — our culture, creativity, and collective intelligence.”

Closing the session, Patara captured the spirit of the Work4Progress movement when he said, “In the past, experts found solutions to impose on communities. Today, solutions lie in the hands of communities — and they are finding their own.”

Together with our network partners — Haqdarshak, NASVI, Gram Vaani, MDSS, SVSS, GivFunds, and the broader India Platform — Work4Progress continues to co-create pathways for meaningful and lasting change, demonstrating how empowered communities can shape the future of inclusive and resilient development.