A Collaboration with the U.S. Department of State
In 2017, we launched the initiative Unreasonable GOALS to rapidly accelerate the world's ability to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Our program has united governments, multinationals and the most effective entrepreneurial solutions to drive change.
But we need to do more.
The Initiative
As a result of COVID-19, Unreasonable GOALS will bring together entrepreneurs, institutions and investors to champion the world's most compelling market-based, growth-stage ventures that are at the forefront of innovating for a more sustainable future.
We'll work with entrepreneurs who are already wielding the most effective solutions and focus on “scaling what works.”
Problems We're Solving
Every year, more than $120B is spent in international development assistance, and the system has yet to produce the game-changing results we all know are needed. And now, we must address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are seeking Unreasonable Alumni Fellows to participate in this next phase of Unreasonable GOALS.
The program will be a multi-week hybrid experience, consisting of a four-day onsite component plus stimulating virtual engagement. Ventures will participate in a holistic range of sessions aimed at impact through collaboration, including a Global Virtual Investor Summit and signature Braintrusts, topical deep dive discussions and access to key introductions through the Unreasonable GOALS network.
A Program Focused on Unreasonable Alumni Fellows
We will identify entrepreneurs from our existing Alumni Fellow base and invite them to participate in Unreasonable GOALS. See FAQ for the detailed selection criteria. We then give select investors, mentors and partners the opportunity to help them continue to scale the impact of these ventures.
See all the Unreasonable GOALS Ventures ⇢Dhun
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Manvendra Singh Shekhawat
Founder at Dhun, Suryagarh Collection and The I Love Foundation
d.light
Creating solar light and power products to transform the way people across the world use and pay for energy.
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EcoPost
Preventing 160m Kg of CO2 emissions from the environment by recycling 13m Kg of plastic waste and saving 4,500 acres of forests.
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Lorna Rutto
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Esoko
Increasing incomes for Africa’s rural populations by leveraging technology to provide farmers with price information, weather alerts, crop advice and more.
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Daniel Asare-Kyei, PhD.
Chief Executive Officer
Frontier Markets
Alleviating poverty by investing in rural households, and especially women
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Ajaita Shah
Founder & CEO
Greenhope
Using agritechnology to make bio-based and degradable plastic alternatives, with its products in over 10 countries and counting.
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Tommy Tjiptadjaja
Co-Founder & CEO
Haqdarshak
Transforming how citizens access their entitlements at last-mile India.
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Aniket Doegar
Founder & CEO
LEAF
Bringing safe and hygienic fresh fruits and vegetables to the marketplace by empowering all shareholders in the agricultural value chain.
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Vijayaraghavan Palat
CEO
Loowatt
Delivering safe sanitation and generating energy from waste
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Virginia Gardiner
Loowatt
MAEKO
Turning organic waste into fertilizer in just 24 hours with cutting-edge compost machines
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Chelsea Chee
Founder & CEO
Mycotech Labs
Producing plant-based leather alternatives using mycelium and agro-waste for the fashion industry
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Adi Reza Nugroho
Co-Founder & CEO
Paga
Leading application to send and receive payments in Nigeria, with more than 8.4 million users.
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Daniel Oparison
Head of Growth and Consumer Business
Tayo Oviosu
Founder & CEO
S4S Technologies
Creating a sustainable supply of processed food products using solar powered dehydrators
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Vaibhav Tidke
Cofounder and CEO
Smart Joules
Eliminating energy waste through innovations in continuous energy optimization
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Arjun Gupta
Smart Joules Pvt. Ltd.
ThinkCERCA
Teaching an average of two years of growth in one school year.
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Eileen Murphy
Founder and CEO
Urbanmetry
Harvesting and analyzing city data in emerging countries to extract insights and inform decision-making in the built environment.
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Cha-Ly Koh
CEO & Founder
Veerhouse Voda
Providing environmentally sustainable and disaster resistant buildings to the Caribbean.
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Brendon Brewster
CEO
Fostering Collaboration with Diverse Mentors
With a community of mentors from the U.S. Department of State and other Partners, we will help guide and grow these growth-stage ventures to maximize their impact on the world.
Ultimately, the reason this program exists is to rapidly accelerate the world's ability to achieve the SDGs by 2030. To this end, we only invite entrepreneurs who demonstrate an unruly dedication to solving a specific Sustainable Development Goal (and occasionally multiple).
See All Unreasonable Mentors »Those we work with have the creative courage & fiscal foresight to build a better tomorrow.
We are seeking additive partners to join the Unreasonable community and participate in Unreasonable GOALS to collaboratively accelerate the SDGs they are most aligned with. If you are interested in participating and in the process positioning your organization as a leader of innovation and impact, please contact the Unreasonable Global Partnerships team for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Unreasonable GOALS?
Unreasonable GOALS is run by our team at Unreasonable Group, an organization dedicated to driving resources to and breaking down barriers for entrepreneurs solving our most difficult and meaningful problem-sets.
We launched the initiative Unreasonable GOALS to accelerate the world's ability to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. We're working together with the U.S. Department of State, laser focusing on these noteworthy goals by leveraging market forces. Given the impact of COVID-19, we need to do more. So Unreasonable GOALS will bring together entrepreneurs, institutions and investors to champion the world's most compelling market-based, growth-stage ventures that are at the forefront of innovating for a more sustainable future. This is where the real impact of the initiative comes into play. It's this collective global network that we believe will have the ability to impact not just millions, but billions of lives. And it is this network that we are looking to arm with the resources and connections to help ensure we achieve the Global Goals by 2030.
We'll focus on ventures best positioned to address the challenges of the pandemic across key themes including: economic recovery, jobs creation, and workforce development. This program will provide technical assistance to scale up readiness and response operations in emerging markets and developing countries helping to mitigate the secondary impacts of COVID-19 in these countries.
We'll work with entrepreneurs who are already wielding the most effective solutions and focus on “scaling what works.”
What is different about the GOALS program launched in 2017 and the new program?
This next phase of Unreasonable GOALS is focused on addressing the fallout from COVID-19 and is open to Unreasonable Alumni Fellows to participate. Through GOALS, we are bringing more problem solvers to the table: highly-profitable entrepreneurs with cutting-edge solutions that can measurably dent the SDGs. Each year, we will bring together 16 highly-scalable entrepreneurial solutions, each uniquely positioned to solve one of the goals.
Our initial program was a two-week in-person event, but the new program will be a hybrid experience spread over multiple weeks. It will be a combination of a four-day onsite component plus virtual, remote engagement. Ventures will have the opportunity to participate in sessions focussed on collaboration, networking, and deep dives around key themes of the program.
Why look to entrepreneurs to solve these issues?
What makes this different from other “accelerators”?
Why should I join Unreasonable GOALS?
Bold steps can steer the world back on track towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Unreasonable GOALS is designed to help each of the participating entrepreneurs achieve breakthrough realizations faster. This is achieved by uniting CEOs with a targeted group of serial entrepreneurs, funders, and global experts in a close community to support entrepreneurs in overcoming any obstacles to scale.
“The entrepreneur has to channel abundance amongst a journey of cynicism. What Unreasonable does is surround the entrepreneur intimately not just with optimistic and creative problem solvers, but some of the most influential policy makers, mentors, private sector leaders, and other brilliant entrepreneurs.” - Rebecca Hui, CEO, Roots Studio
When you join the Unreasonable Fellowship, we support you for life. Our programs mark the beginning of an ongoing relationship where we, alongside our partners, look to drive resources to and break down barriers that help scale your impact over time and ultimately, impact millions of people worldwide. Our CEOs gain access to a curated community of more than 1,600 investors, 950 mentors, and some of the world's most powerful institutions. Our goal is to give entrepreneurs a collaborative advantage for life. Our community of entrepreneurs is shaping trillion-dollar industries and uplifting the lives of more than 720 million people. You can be a part of this change and profitably solve pressing global problems.
Beyond basic criteria, what do you look for in the entrepreneurs?
Focus on SDGs: Each Fellow will be assessed on their company and its focus on one or more SDGs. Ultimately, we will ensure each of the 16 SDGs are represented by one or more ventures. SDG 17 on Partnerships is represented by Unreasonable's partnership with the U.S. Department of State.
Addressing COVID-19 Impacts: Ventures must have programs, projects, products or services that focus on addressing the second-order economic, security, and stabilization impacts of COVID-19.
Geographic Focus: Unreasonable will source Fellows globally, with a hyperfocus on Economic Support Fund (ESF) countries (traditionally labeled as ‘developing' countries) supported by U.S. Department of State. Ultimately, we will strive to ensure that each cohort has ventures that are headquartered or incorporated across at least five (5) countries.
Logical Path to Achieving the Impossible: We invite entrepreneurs who challenge our conceptions of what we thought was possible in terms of impact, scale, business models, and growth. Simultaneously, we look for a logical and convincing model to enter the market that matches this unguarded ambition.
Unrelenting Dedication: We invite ventures whose leadership team demonstrates a clear conviction that they will stop at nothing to ensure they put a positive dent on history. We want to be convinced that the problem they are solving is baked into their DNA.
Shared Goals: We will ensure that all the entrepreneurs we align with demonstrate a commitment to the vision of this partnership. We will ensure that they are eager to collaborate on what the future of inclusive work will look like.
Strong Beliefs Held Loosely: Although we are looking for entrepreneurs who are obsessed with creating a more just society, we also want to ensure that we only select entrepreneurs who are willing to admit when they are wrong and who have the humility to be coached and mentored. We select for a mix of confidence and humility.
Diversity: Creating a space for a diverse and inclusive group of entrepreneurs, that is traditionally underrepresented in the global investment community, is imperative. We will prioritize representation of this underrepresented group among our cohort of fellows each year.
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