We are YSI
Who we are
We are YSI, a Europe-based social innovation consultancy. We believe that doing good makes business sense. We partner with corporations, philanthropic entities and social enterprises to make social innovation a key driver of business success. We design and implement strategies that align business success with positive societal and environmental impact. We work with a team of dedicated consultants and change makers, all aligned on making our time on this planet count. We are proud to be embedded in a global ecosystem of inspiring organisations and individuals. Founded in 2012 as part of Yunus Social Business, we remain committed to exploring new ways of collaborating and expanding the boundaries of business.
Theory
of change
Guided by Professor Yunus’s methodologies and the Triple Zero vision, we integrate social impact at the core of every initiative—whether it’s a corporate innovation programme or an accelerator for game-changing social ventures. We merge big-picture systems thinking with the pragmatic realities of corporate environments, forging solutions that stand the test of time. Our approach is rooted in:
| | | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporates & philanthropic entities | We design impact-first strategies, create impact-driven innovations and establish social enterprise collaborations that enable companies to design and scale impact-driven solutions (products, services, processes). | Social innovation is embedded into company strategy and applied in employees' daily work, increasing engagement, enhancing performance, creating impactful brand positioning, and unlocking competitive advantage. | |
| Where we converge | Together, we build partnerships that combine various actors like thought-leaders, business-builders and policy-markers to drive systemic change through social innovation. | Partnerships and networks emerge, fostering resilient social innovators and impact-driven business models. | A world where innovation drives sustainable and inclusive business to become the new market norm, and companies that prioritise people and planet outperform those that don't. |
| Innovators, intermediaries & sector partners | We support social innovators, engage intermediaries in shared learning processes, and collaborate with sector partners to strengthen capacity for social innovation, inform thought-leadership, and contribute to policy development. | Awareness is raised, networks are strengthened, and social innovators are equipped to embed and scale impact in their work. Intermediaries foster ecosystem-wide learning, and we shape the ecosystem through thought-leadership and policy engagement. |
Activities
Outcomes
ImpactOur trajectory - making an
impact from day one
We’ve come a long way since our founding days. While our ambition is to make social impact a key ingredient to business success, we have explored many ways to get there - continuously inspired by our Co-Founder Prof. Muhammad Yunus’ Seven Principles of Social Business.
Bringing the concept of ‘social business’ to the world
Saskia Bruysten and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus co-found Yunus Social Business (YSB) to finance social businesses in the Global South. Corporations and philanthropic entities from across the world support the mission financially.
Corporate interest to collaborate with social businesses
YSB Corporate comes to life to feed the increasing interest of corporations to establish non-financial collaborations with social businesses and explore ways to adapt their working principles to corporate practices.
Launch of our first joint ventures and accelerators
We launched our first joint venture with a global corporation and started shaping accelerators for social enterprises globally. More programs with partners such as Vodafone and Reckitt Benckiser will follow.
Corporate social innovators at the center
YSB co-launches research and collaboration initiatives such as Business as Unusual, Unusual Pioneers and Unusual Partners
to support the rise of social intrapreneurship and corporate social innovation activities globally.
Scaling social innovations globally
Today, under our new brand YSI, we support social innovators, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs alike. We strategise and work with relevant corporate and ecosystem partners to drive systemic change and make social innovation mainstream.
Frequenty asked questions
What does YSI mean?
YSI stands for Yunus Social Innovation. Our name embodies two important elements: our connection to Prof. Muhammad Yunus' vision of a "World of Three Zeroes" and "Seven Principles of Social Business", and our mission to bring social impact into the world through strengthening innovation capabilities and entrepreneurship.
What is social innovation?
Social innovation is about developing solutions - whether products, services, or processes - that address systemic social and environmental challenges. It’s grounded in the principles of a social business and in the understanding that meaningful change is a systems effort. Creating impact at scale requires a shared mission and the involvement of diverse actors across sectors. This includes thought-leaders such as academics and sector experts, business-builders like social enterprises and corporate intrapreneurs, policymakers in the public sector, enablers within the social sector, and funders ranging from philanthropic organisations to impact investors.
Why should corporations collaborate with social innovators?
Corporations should collaborate with social innovators because they bring fresh, purpose-driven solutions to complex social and environmental challenges. Social innovators often have a deep understanding of local needs and can create impactful, scalable models. By partnering with them, corporations can drive meaningful change while enhancing their own innovation capabilities, brand reputation, and long-term sustainability. These collaborations can open new markets, engage customers and employees, and align business strategies with global goals, such as the SDGs.
By working with social innovators, corporations not only become more responsible but also more innovative, competitive, and future-ready.