Unreasonable Institute Ventures into Uncharted Territory — A Personal Note on the Rebrand

any of you have likely seen the news that the Unreasonable Institute has officially rebranded today to Uncharted. A few friends of Unreasonable have asked that I write about the circumstances around this decision, and I thought it would be fun to take a few minutes and share my thoughts about this exciting next phase. Below, I’ve outlined a bit of the context on the rebrand and how both of our organizations, Unreasonable and Uncharted (formerly Unreasonable Institute), will move forward.

To begin, I want to be upfront about one thing: our team at Unreasonable Group (and myself included) will remain Unreasonable for life. Hopefully, there is no confusion around that. However, the Institute has evolved into a new vision and in turn, a new brand – one that I’m personally incredibly excited about.

This rebrand is rooted in the desire of both Unreasonable and Uncharted to have as much positive impact in the world as possible. Tweet This Quote

To provide some background, the team at the Unreasonable Institute (a 501c3 non-profit) and our team at Unreasonable Group (a Colorado-based B Corporation) have held conversations over the past 24 months around our team’s ever-evolving visions. As organizations that have shared the same brand for years, we have always believed in the importance of trajectory alignment. Where we landed, though similar and truly values-aligned, is on unique strategies for the future. This mutual realization is what has ultimately led to the Unreasonable Institute stepping into uncharted territory with a new brand (pun definitely intended).

For Uncharted (formerly the Unreasonable Institute), the plan is to shift from an entrepreneur-centric model to a problem-centric model, where Uncharted will identify pressing global problems and then build armies of people who are uniquely positioned to put a dent in them. From tackling food deserts by partnering with the City of Denver and Chipotle, to reinventing the future of our cities with the Rockefeller Foundation and the most innovative companies working on urban issues in the United States, Uncharted is designing problem-specific programs that build coordinated movements of people — ventures, companies, foundations, governments, policy makers, funders, and more — who are all positioned to move the needle on a specific issue.

As a brand, Unreasonable has always been – and remains – obsessively entrepreneur-centric. Tweet This Quote

For us at Unreasonable Group, the plan is to continue forward with increasingly innovative ways to support the most effective and impactful entrepreneurial solutions worldwide. Those entrepreneurs who we believe are best positioned to bend the arc of history in the right direction will remain the center of our world and our biggest allies. To date, Unreasonable Group has directly worked with a portfolio of 90 entrepreneurs who are impacting over 200 million lives and have raised well over a billion dollars in financing. We feel like we are just getting started and are excited to be on this journey into perpetuity.

As a brand, Unreasonable has always been obsessively entrepreneur-centric. Through initiatives like Unreasonable@Sea, Unreasonable Capital, Unreasonable.is, Unreasonable Impact, Project Literacy Lab, Unreasonable Goals and more, myself and our team at Unreasonable will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible when it comes to our mission: driving resources to and breaking down barriers for entrepreneurs solving BFPs. Our endgame is to be a company that lasts well over 100 years; and just as with the team at Uncharted, our innovation is not just focused externally on how we support entrepreneurs, but also internally by experimenting with how to create an unrivaled culture across our teams and global networks.

All of that said, our teams at both Unreasonable Group and Uncharted remain dedicated to solving the world’s toughest challenges. Though we are no longer tied to the same brand, we still share similar missions and values that guide our everyday decisions. The truth is, the world needs both approaches to truly solve the seemingly intractable challenges of this century.

Of course, I’d be lying if I said that this rebrand process was easy. It involved a great deal of candid conversations and tough realizations. Regardless, honesty, humility, curiosity, being genuine and maximizing impact have been at the center of the dialogue for the past 24 months. Both of our organizations have incredible boards of directors who helped us through this strategic process, and we are forever indebted to them. It’s been a deeply human exercise, and my sense is that we have all walked out of it with true admiration for one another as individuals and for each of our organizations.

After working with literally hundreds of companies in my tenure at both the Unreasonable Institute and Unreasonable Group, I’ve come to learn that the journey is an ever-changing one and that rebrands like this are a natural part of an organization’s evolution. It doesn’t make the process easier, but I do seek refuge in the realization that this rebrand is rooted in agility and the desire of both Unreasonable and Uncharted to have as much positive impact in the world as possible.

On a personal level, I believe desperately in the team at Uncharted and the work they are leading. We will continue to collaborate as partners and the friendships between our teams will last not just into the months to come, but also into the years and decades that unfold. This, in many ways, is chapter two of our working relationship.