Unusual Pioneers: Corporate Social Intrapreneurs
Innovation Building
YSI partnered with 14 impact and innovation leaders to build essential skills and networks for corporate social intrapreneurs.
The Unusual Pioneers platform uplifted 15 corporate social intrapreneurs of various industries and development stages with practical skill building, training and impact consulting. Bringing together sector experts and leading figures from the impact ecosystem, the program shifted mindsets from competition to mutual impact.
Programme Pathways
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 and design
Design and research of the Unusual Pioneers platform and initiation of the steering group.
Selection
Selection of 15 high-profile social intrapreneurs from over 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 during WEF Annual Meeting in Davos, Jan 2022
“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!
