Beyond Disruption: The Age of the Impact Entrepreneur
IN MIKE JUDGE’S excellent comedy series “Silicon Valley”, the much clichéd mission statement of start-ups claiming “to make the world a better place” is mocked to full effect. In one episode, a handful of start-ups line up to pitch to a panel of investors. They all conclude their presentations with the same lofty ambition, pledging to do their bit for the world.
So, why has bettering the world become a mantra for a new generation of entrepreneurs?
More than ever, today’s entrepreneurs are striving to build businesses that make a difference in the world. Businesses that make money — but pursue a path greater than just profit. Call it altruistic-capitalism, or, as I prefer, “impact entrepreneurship.”
Impact entrepreneurs are driven by a desire to disrupt the status quo. Doing their bit to push the world forward is what gets them out of bed in the morning. They believe in creating businesses that are more ethical and transparent, dislodging the dinosaurs that give the consumer a bad deal. They believe in starting businesses that make people’s lives easier, removing unnecessary complexity. Simply put, they don’t believe in selling — they believe in solving problems.
Impact entrepreneurs embody the George Bernard Shaw quote, “the reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
