Online Tools and “Unreasonable” Programs Make Bold Ideas Happen
From Idealist.org and posted by Scott Stadum.
Big, bold ideas are incredibly inspiring, especially when they’ve come from you rather than the traditional institutions. I’m continually amazed how the internet can elevate an idea above the din, nurture it, develop, fund and help implement it, without input from that old school framework. From sites like Kickstarter to services like ChipIn and Fundable, taking a grand idea from thought to implementation isn’t far fetched, it’s a reality.
The Unreasonable Institute is another noteworthy program with the goal of taking bold ideas for social change and making sure they happen. From the website: “Intensive training, effective collaboration, and expert guidance under our model provide Unreasonable social ventures the momentum to take flight.”
SocialEarth.org has a great summary on how the Unreasonable Institute works:
“[It’s] a new company applying the Kiva model to social business investing and the Y Combinator model to idea development. Unreasonable Institute is a social entrepreneurship incubator created to host summer institutes where a confluence of young, brilliant, social entrepreneurs undergo rigorous and practical training involving personal and entrepreneurial skill development, intensive collaboration and work-shopping, and involved guidance from mentors in order to bring their ideas to fruition. Once an idea is refined, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to showcase it via Unreasonable Institute’s online marketplace to attract seed funding.”
The Unreasonable Institute has many intriguing ventures, tackling issues related to health, poverty, social justice, the environment, education, and many other areas in need of growth. Notable fellows include the people behind FrontlineSMS:Credit, Kito International, Light Up Malawi, and the Uber Shelter Project.
Big ideas aren’t impossible. The barriers and costs to making them a reality are lower than ever before, and will only continue to lessen. What’s stopping you?
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