our approach | Frugalis Nova

Three ways to work together

Our work is guided by three principles :

Begin with people. We work with users in their context and lived experience, often connecting actors who rarely collaborate but depend on each other.
Do better with less. We prioritize sufficiency and frugality in how solutions are designed and delivered.
Focus on what matters. We support initiatives that address concrete challenges with collective impacts.

We partner with organizations that: need to do better under pressure or with limited resources, aim to reach populations currently underserved, or are willing to simplify, not just optimize.

This includes actors* in the public sector and education, as well as mission-driven initiatives working toward more sustainable and inclusive systems. We're however not specialized for organizations seeking purely profit-maximization.

Crash course - shift how your team thinks about innovation

Most teams wait for more resources. We show you how to move without them.

In this fast-paced session, your team discovers how organizations around the world solve complex problems with limited means - by leveraging existing resources and making deliberate (low or high) tech choices.

You'll leave with:

A clear understanding of how to innovate without additional resources
Concrete examples from constrained environments
2–3 immediate opportunities adapted to your context

Educational labs - tangible experimentation

We design and facilitate hands-on innovation labs where your team develops and prototypes frugal solutions.

Our approach:

Start from a specific user need, not a technology opportunity
Reduce solutions to core functionalities only
Optional: Co-create directly with users and stakeholders

Each lab is built around your challenges and leads to:

A clear understanding of how to innovate without additional resources
1–3 simplified, testable concepts
Optional: Initial validation with real users or stakeholder

*We're also committed to support members of the community with constrained resources that need expertise in innovation management, information systems, and/or new product development to bring their projects to life.

Is frugal innovation for you ?
Frugal innovation applies differently depending on where you sit. Find your context below.

Municipalities and federal governments

Public actors can use frugal innovation to deliver public services that maximize impact by simplifying systems, reusing resources, and working closely with their ecosystem.

Asset reuse : Turn idle public assets into value (e.g., convert vacant land, unused buildings for housing, clinics, schools, and local business growth.
Build shared systems : Build once, then reuse them across multiple services (e.g., school buses used for senior transport off-hours).
Ecosystem partnerships : Collaborate with startups, NGOs, and local innovators (e.g., pilot new solutions by testing them faster through public innovation sandbox).
Rapid experimentation: Test, iterate, and scale what works (e.g., small-scale pilots for urban mobility before large investments)

SMEs, startups, and organizations facing economic uncertainty.

Private actors can use frugal innovation to create competitive advantage by delivering better value with fewer resources while reaching broader markets.

Value-focused design: Prioritize essential features that meet real customer needs (e.g., stripped-down products with strong price–value fit).
Ecosystem leverage: Partner instead of building everything internally (e.g., collaborate with startups, suppliers, or communities to co-create solutions).
Frugal scaling: Grow efficiently under constraints (e.g., expand using modular, replicable models rather than heavy infrastructure).
New market creation: Target underserved and mid-tier segments (e.g., affordable offerings that open access beyond premium markets).

Social entrepreneurs

Social and grassroots enterprises can expand their use of frugal innovation beyond the usual approaches by leveraging these additional angles:

Community-driven design: Co-create solutions with users (e.g., local groups designing services that reflect cultural and practical realities).
Micro‑infrastructure models: Build small, modular solutions instead of large systems (e.g., pop‑up clinics, portable classrooms).
Trust-based scaling: Grow through relationships rather than heavy capital (e.g., expanding via community networks and word-of-mouth).
Informal systems integration: Work with existing informal practices (e.g., partnering with local healers, cooperatives, or mutual aid groups).
Last-mile innovation: Focus on access gaps others ignore (e.g., delivering services to remote or underserved populations with ultra-simple solutions).

Policy actors

Frugal innovation can be used to design regulations and frameworks that enable simpler, more inclusive, and high‑impact public outcomes.

Regulatory simplification : Reduce complexity and barriers (e.g., streamlined approval processes for low-risk innovations or community-led solutions).
Incentives for frugality : Encourage efficient, resource-smart solutions (e.g., funding models that reward affordability and scalability, not just innovation novelty).
Outcome-focused policy : Shift from rigid rules to impact-based goals (e.g., policies that prioritize access, affordability, and equity over compliance alone).

Educational institutions

Frugal innovation can be used for, for exemple :

Curriculum design : Teach students to solve problems with limited resources (e.g., challenge-based courses where learners build low-cost prototypes for community needs).
Pedagogical approaches : Emphasize experiential and problem-based learning (e.g., students co-create solutions with local organizations, joint innovation labs tackling local education gaps).
Access and inclusion : Expand reach using simple, widely available tools (e.g., delivering lessons via mobile phones or low-bandwidth platforms).
Resource optimization : Reuse and repurpose existing materials and infrastructure (e.g., maker spaces using recycled components for projects).

Three ways to work together

Is frugal innovation for you ? Frugal innovation applies differently depending on where you sit. Find your context below.

Municipalities and federal governments

Want to connect ? Contact us.

Is frugal innovation for you ?
Frugal innovation applies differently depending on where you sit. Find your context below.