DevInsights (DI) is celebrating its seventh (7th) birthday on December 4, 2022. The journey of DI started in a small corner of our living room, with a desk and chair sponsored by my father, furnishings and stationaries supported by my wife (also one of the co-founders of DI), and lots of blessings from my mother. We started with a dream to become a credible source of evidence creation for effective decision-making in the social development sector, contributing to changing the lives of people. The second and equally important mission is of creating leaders of tomorrow, thereby generating wisdom in the field of research, monitoring, and evaluation [Refer to the Mission Statement of DevInsights: https://devinsights.co.in/overview/].
The beginning was humble but the dreams were big. Starting from there till today, DI has covered a long and evolutionary journey. Thus far, we have been expanding everything we have, including our staff, list of accomplishments, the clients/partners we work for, and even our level of zeal and commitment to our duties. Clearly, this is a fantastic indicator for any firm. Since the outset, this positivism has been clearly reflected in our growth rates. We may not have been on the list of the fastest-growing firms, but we have definitely been among the steadiest-growing ones, as they say, “slow and steady wins the race.”
Anything is possible when we work as a team and have each other to lean on. And DI has been fortunate to have a crew that has been by its side through thick and thin. Akshay Jain and Shikha Rana, our first two employees and DI’s founding members, will always hold a special place in our hearts. They received a meagre salary from us, sat in chairs that had been purchased used, and worked in an office with the barest amount of administrative assistance. However, they always made an effort to give 200%. They managed clients, projects, field workers, and occasionally even administrative-related issues. I appreciate it, Akshay and Shikha.
Fast forward, the team we have today is one of the best teams an organization can have. I adore your group! With team members like you, DI’s future is certain to be prosperous! All of your coworkers are inspired by your dedication and ingenuity!
Since the previous year, DI has changed the services it offers. In terms of services, we have undertaken impact analyses for a number of CSR programmes and are currently providing long-term monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) support to a few partners. In terms of our thematic range, in addition to the standard topics like public health, education, child protection, WASH, nutrition, etc., we have been actively working in the fields of energy and agriculture.
Let’s rejoice that we were able to carve out a substantial niche for ourselves in the market today, having just finished another fruitful year, and let’s look forward to continuing to set new records and accomplish new feats. DevInsights’ founding day offers us a chance to reflect on some of the challenges we’ve faced as well as the amazing ways our institution has come together over the years. We observe our foundation day each year to remember the day our company was founded. Although I wouldn’t say we’ve accomplished everything we set out to do, we do believe we’re headed in the right way.
Author: Paresh Kumar, CEO & Co-founder, DevInsights