New Ventures

We source concepts directly from community members and values-aligned leaders and organizations who operate within the systems we seek to transform.

Prior to launch, we conduct an internal assessment to bridge the gap between a conceptual idea and the practical steps needed to evaluate its feasibility.

In just a few weeks, we conduct a shallow investigation to interview community members and understand demand, collect data to estimate the expected impact of a venture, and review quantitative and qualitative data.

Only those concepts deemed viable will continue in the process.

We create the first, imperfect prototype of a promising solution. We then rapidly iterate on the prototype, working directly with the end user and responding with adjustments.

This phase is modeled after “Austin’s Butterfly Drafts,” which demonstrates how feedback improves everything, including a first grade student’s drawing of a butterfly.

We generate and test new hypotheses to produce a clear pathway to scale and identify sustainable external funding.

In the minimum viable product stage, we engage significantly more users and implement an agile development process to integrate all user feedback into product development.

We recognize that incubation and exit are different for every venture. In some instances, a venture is no longer necessary, so we cease its operations while its lessons live on in the next venture.

When ventures are needed to create long-lasting sustainable impact, we transition them to another organization or spin off the venture into an independent organization.