In 2025, Haas’s Institute for Business & Social Impact (IBSI) launched several new collaborations in Latin America. Our objective is to strengthen our research, broaden our global reach, and deepen our commitment to innovation and inclusion. Here are some of the collaborations we’re excited about:

Why collaborate in Latin America?

Students, faculty, and staff may ask: why would IBSI – based in Berkeley – establish collaborations with institutions in Latin America? There are plenty of reasons, but a few are:

  • A strong connection to our Latinx student community. Through efforts such as Latinx Thriving Initiatives, Berkeley shows a deep commitment to “to enroll and educate Latinx students through a culturally-enhancing approach that centers Latinx ways of knowing and being, with the goal of providing transformative experiences that lead to both academic and non-academic outcomes.” In 2024, 21% of undergraduate and 9% of graduate students identified as Chicanx/Latinx. IBSI hopes stronger connections with this region will ensure we are responsive to our diverse and ever evolving Berkeley population.
  • Work with innovative industry leaders. IBSI launched the Lab for Inclusive FinTech (LIFT) in 2020 and is interested in funding and supporting research on innovative solutions that improve access to financial services and financial health and economic mobility, particularly for previously un- and under-served populations. While plenty of innovation comes from Silicon Valley, we also want to pay attention to global social entrepreneurship, and there are many exciting fintech innovations in Latin America to learn from and work with.
  • Go where social impact matters. An estimated 30% of households remain unbanked in Latin America while mobile money and digital transactions are surging. This demand from a large, underserved population makes Latin America a high-potential region for fintech investment and innovation globally – as well as rigorous research that measures and informs its impacts.

What does it take to establish a collaboration?

Any collaboration – research or otherwise – starts with trust and shared interests. We start by asking ourselves: Do we want to work on solving some of the same problems together? Are we curious about testing and learning about some of the same solutions for those problems? Any time we identify an opportunity for collaboration – whether folks come to us or we go to them – these are the questions that drive our first interactions. Particularly for research collaborations, we are often starting a long journey – from understanding the problem and innovative solution to designing and agreeing on a study design to collecting or sharing and analyzing data and presenting findings – a process that can last years.

There are a few more ingredients for successful collaboration beyond finding the right match between researcher and innovator. If you work in a place like Berkeley, you’ll need time, patience, and a lot of paperwork.

  • Fundraising – It can take several unsuccessful rounds of fundraising to finally have the funds available for a research study. And fundraising requires a lot of steps – identifying fund sources, preparing grant proposals and budgets, sending them through the Berkeley Special Projects Office, and providing responses to reviewer comments.
  • Informal agreements – It’s often important to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to define what we want to accomplish and when and who is in charge of what. Our experience shows that it can take from 1-6 months to sign an MOU while working diligently with the collaborator and our Berkeley Global Engagement Office.
  • Formal agreements – Formal agreements – such as data sharing agreements and contracts – require more time and more paperwork. We work with Berkeley Intellectual Property and Industry Alliances to get the job done right.

Collaborations don’t just happen – they require careful consideration and deliberation and significant effort to take them from ideas to action.

What are the impacts of these collaborations?

A review of the IBSI Research Library shows one potential impact: research publications that inform policy and industry practice. Many of these publications rely on coordination with national and international collaborators. In our current Library, 16 research projects focus on Latin America. Time will tell what the actual impact of our newest collaborations will produce, but we have a few hints already:

  • LIFT conference on financial innovation and inclusion in Santiago, Chile – After multiple annual events in Berkeley, LIFT was asked to co-create a similar high-impact industry and policy focused research conference with UAI in Santiago. The January 12-13, 2026 agenda is full of folks we love to get in the same room – researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers. Sessions include discussions with industry leaders like RappiCard and Galgo, and one project led by Berkeley PhD student Elaine Shen focused on financial literacy.
  • Building opportunities for youth entrepreneurship training – One of IBSI’s programs – the Berkeley Business Academy for Youth (B-BAY) – recently expanded its online program. This program offers Berkeley students the opportunity to mentor youth social entrepreneurs throughout the 2-week program. We’re hoping to start conversations with UAI on how we might expand B-BAY into the region.

And if these first steps are any indication, we’re just getting started.

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Updated December 17, 2025

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