Co-designing to Build Capital

How can public programs be designed not just to serve communities, but to strengthen them? Join the Public Policy Lab for “Co-designing to Build Capital,” a conversation exploring how collaborative design methods can help individuals and communities build lasting forms of capital—financial, social, and beyond. Drawing on our year-and-a-half-long project supported by the National Science Foundation, we’ll share how co-design with undercapitalized innovators led to the creation of Innovation Compass, a new platform that equips early-stage STEMM founders with the tools, knowledge, and networks they need to thrive.

In this session, members of the PPL team will walk through how co-design processes can be used not only to improve public services but also to grow people’s capacity, agency, and resources. Participants will gain insight into practical methods for co-designing across difference, engaging communities as co-creators, and reframing public investment as a means of capital-building. Whether you’re a policymaker, funder, designer, or community advocate, this session will offer tangible strategies for designing systems that foster long-term resilience and shared prosperity.