Development Alternatives (DA), along with its network partners under the Work4Progress (W4P) platform, hosted the 2025 Annual Innovation Conference on 4 November 2025 in New Delhi. The gathering brought together global foundations, practitioners, and ecosystem partners to reflect on how India can advance inclusive, green, and gender-responsive entrepreneurship.

The conference opened with a keynote by Her Royal Highness Infanta Cristina of Spain, Director of International Programmes at the “la Caixa” Foundation. Drawing on a portfolio of more than 780 global projects across 70 countries, she spoke about the Foundation’s long partnership with DA and reaffirmed W4P’s approach, grounded in collaboration, deep listening, and systems change. She also reflected on the programme’s progress in India—1,85,000 people reached, 33,000 enterprises supported, 65,000 jobs created, and the recent launch of the Virtual Lab to enable digital learning and cross-country exchange.

The Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) shared an overview of W4P’s evolution—from linear projects to a systemic, cyclic model that nurtures innovation and inclusion. DA has embedded social innovation tools such as Kaun Banega Business Leader (KBBL), District Entrepreneurial Coalitions (DECs), and the Sukshma Udyam Sakhi Policy to demonstrate how systemic design is reshaping local entrepreneurship ecosystems. Today, the platform spans 25 districts across 10 states, with 127 enterprise prototypes, 12 systemic prototypes, and more than 14,000 enterprises supported, backed by €8.15 million in catalytic finance.

Partner presentations highlighted climate-resilient business models, green enterprise incubation hubs, digital service entrepreneurship, and women-led market networks—showing the strength of W4P’s collaborative architecture.

DA then led a hands-on learning session on systemic prototyping and tackling complex “wicked” problems, prompting participants to see entrepreneurship through interconnected systems rather than one-off interventions. A virtual address by Gorka Espiau underscored the importance of portfolio-based innovation management. In the afternoon, a panel featuring.