Unreasonable Innovation

The Unreasonable Institute, a social innovation incubation firm, asks the following intriguing question: "What would happen if entrepreneurs could invest in each other?" Well, this odd organization intends to find out.

The institute takes its name from a quote by George Bernard Shaw that gives a hint about the organization's change-making agenda. The quote goes: "The reasonable man adapts himself to his environment. The unreasonable persists in trying to adapt his environment to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

Unreasonable Institute and First Light Ventures have announced the "Unreasonable Village Fund," which will invest $150,000 in the 25 social entrepreneurs who have been chosen from across the globe to attend the Unreasonable Institute's 2010 summer institute, where they will receive skills training and mentorship.

The idea is that after learning all the requisite skills, the institute fellows get set up with start-up capital for their projects. It just turns out that the capital will be disbursed by each other. It's a great way to create a dynamic community of social entrepreneurs.

According to social-entrepreneur-watcher Nathaniel Whittemore at change.org, "community is the operative word ... it's clear the emphasis is on putting the power in the hands of people who have intimate knowledge of their peers."

While I'd guess that the real operative word in this equation is $150,000, community's not bad either. Especially if it's a good one.

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