Stanford Immigration Policy Lab

Founded in 2014 by Professors Jens Hainmueller and David Laitin, and Executive Director Duncan Lawrence, IPL’s goal was to create an organization that could transform rigorous academic research into real-world impact. Over the last decade the organization has grown to include over ten professional staff, numerous undergraduate and graduate students, and more than 25 faculty affiliates at top universities around the globe. IPL has a global footprint having conducted projects in a dozen countries and is a model for creating impact through social science.

Issue

How can IPL sell its GeoMatch tool to a) international governments and/or b) other matching market opportunities?

Situation 

IPL has developed an AI software tool, GeoMatch, to match refugees and migrants with communities where they are most likely to thrive. GeoMatch has been deployed as a pilot in Switzerland and the Netherlands, with an upcoming launch in Canada. The pilot in the U.S. was discontinued after Trump’s election and IPL does not anticipate any federal funding to support its work in the next three years. Additionally, a number of research grants related to GeoMatch will be spent down by fall 2026. 

IPL needs to develop a sustainable business and revenue model for GeoMatch, at least initially focused on international government partners. However, it lacks experience in marketing and selling public-interest technology, particularly to government clients. In addition, it faces a challenge converting current client governments from free pilot programs into paying customers.

Project 

IPL is asking for ACT’s help to develop a sales strategy and process for expanding GeoMatch partnerships internationally with a focus on selling software and services to .governments. This will need to include a pricing model that values tool features that are most important to potential government partners,.reflects needs for customization and covers the tool’s costs. As part of its work, ACT will need to research similar ventures that have built digital tools for the public sector.

Because the international government market may not provide the needed sustainable revenue, IPL would also like the ACT team to evaluate the market potential of additional target markets for the GeoMatch technology. Possible candidates might include:

1. Matching retirees with attractive lower cost places to live.
2. Matching nurses in a Travel Nurse staffing firm with workforce needs.

Depending on timing and team capacity, the ACT team may recommend pursuit of a specific market/application with elements of a Go-to-Market strategy. A key deliverable in this effort would be to document the ACT team’s market research and evaluation approach to enable IPL to assess future alternative revenue scenarios.