Unlearning competition
to drive systemic change -
the Unusual Pioneers
platform.
Corporate intrapreneurs are agents of change from within.
While they have high ambitions and rigor to bring about social change, these innovators often struggle to unlock the business potential of their initiatives, either lacking know-how or exchange and connection with topic experts and successful social intrapreneurs. They struggle receiving Executive buy-in and relevant resources to scale their initiatives and anchor them in their companies’ business priorities.
Unlearn competition for systems change
To solve social challenges at scale, both social sector players and corporates need to unlearn competition and move towards collaboration and mutual impact goals.
Provide access to essential resources
Social intrapreneurs require skills, knowhow and resources to build and scale what matters.
Turn executives into impact advocates
Intrapreneurs, often held back through a lack of understanding and engagement of Executives, need skilled and driven C-Levels to support and join them.
YSI partnered with 14 sector and innovation partners to co-create and curate an experience of learning and belonging
for 15 corporate social intrapreneurs of various industries and development stages. The Unusual Pioneers brought together the most relevant and skilled experts from the global impact ecosystem to jointly support social intrapreneurs scale their impact businesses.
The milestones
Unusual Pioneers marks the beginning of our continuous commitment to drive systemic change, bringing together the right partners to achieve a shared vision and scale social impact in the corporate world.
Research
Business as Unusual research to identify challenges in corporate impact innovation
Design
Design of the Unusual Pioneers platform and initiation of the steering group
Selection
Selection of 15 high-profile social intrapreneurs from 100+ applications from across the world, and 15 Executive Sponsors for the Executive Circle
Acceleration
Six-month Acceleration journey with capacity-building and peer-to-peer learning
Closing
Closing ceremony around WEF Annual Meeting Davos, Jan 2022
Project elements
Platform of 15 innovation partners
To support social intrapreneurs with all relevant knowledge and resources, 15 partner organisations teamed up to build Unusual Pioneers.
Intrapreneur accelerator and community of practice
Our intrapreneurs experienced a 6-month acceleration journey with 15 relevant topics and 100+ mentors and coaches.
Executive circle
Every intrapreneur brought along a top executive to join and experience dedicated learning moments in the Executive Circle.
“Social intrapreneurs pave the way for a resilient and purpose-driven economy, but everyone needs support”
One of the most powerful and renewable sources of energy for companies to drive towards more purpose-led stakeholder capitalism are social innovators inside the company itself. The Schwab Foundation’s mission to advance social innovation prompted the need to co-create Unusual Pioneers to support the journey of intrapreneurs to transform their companies, and themselves.
Unusual Pioneers made me rethink many of the things I do, and it showed pathways for future actions. The benefits and the work to be done will last a long time.
The program was absolutely perfect in providing me with experts and mentors who understood my needs and challenges and had a deep interest in the success of the Shakti initiative.
I was part of the 2021 Unusual Pioneers cohort. This programme was both a recognition of my journey and efforts towards inclusive and circular business, and a great opportunity to learn from incredible social innovators and experts. Social intrapreneurship is sometimes a lonely fight, the UP programme helped me to realise I wasn’t lonely in this fight to make capitalism a force for good!