Insight Labs

This is the history of a remarkable journey. In 2009, Jeff Leitner shared with the world a technique he had used in his own consulting practice for years: a unique meeting format designed to produce strategic insights into an organization’s core problems. Critical to this format was the idea that breakthroughs come not from bringing in the most knowledgeable experts, but instead by throwing organizations’ leaders in with talented, creative, generous individuals who have never thought about their problem before. After several pro bono sessions for Chicago nonprofits held in partnership with Manifest Digital, Leitner developed Insight Labs into a nonprofit organization with the help of Jim Jacoby, Howell Malham Jr., and Andrew Benedict-Nelson. Soon Labs were being held every month with some of the most prominent institutions in the United States. Over the next few years, more than 50 Insight Labs were held in 15 cities in the United States as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Rwanda. More than 600 thinkers from every background imaginable shared their time and talents to help organizations take on some of the world’s toughest problems. Though the organization disbanded in 2014, the spirit of Insight Labs lives on in the work of the organizations that benefited from the sessions and the careers of the individuals who honed their strategic talents there.