Yoxi is a creative sandbox
for social innovation.

With the support and resources of TTSL, our parent organization, we play with new models of work, engagement, and entrepreneurialism. We partner with extraordinary leaders who create positive social impact via innovative market solutions. Through inquisitive creative explorations, we empower dreamers to break rules, think differently, and change entrenched systems.

The best way to create a better future is to invest in people who have the potential to change the world.

Our Rockstars

Social Innovation Rockstars are an emerging class of leaders motivated by a powerful blend of social mission and creativity. They identify inefficiencies and inequalities in our world that desperately need creative attention, and address those shortfalls with new, human-centered structures and solutions.

The term Social Innovation Rockstar speaks to a kinship based on common DNA. It is not a credential or authoritative status — the culture is already here. It’s an intuitive sense of community and shared purpose, and the mutual recognition of like-minded collaborators.

Social Innovation Rockstars are the R&D department of our global society. Like talented musicians who excel with the help of producers, these creative leaders can turn profoundly brilliant ideas into positive change if matched with the right resources and network.

Our Rockstars Video

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

Social Innovation Rockstar Manifesto

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

1:03

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

This is what interests us.
01
Innovation Alchemy

				Alchemy is the right-brain cousin of strategy. True innovation doesn’t follow a roadmap. Instead, it comes from a healthy blend of diversity, creativity and experimentation. We create conditions that enable people to find the magic essential to powerful collaborations.
			
02
Enlightened Leadership
Leadership isn’t a status. It’s a dynamic relationship to create forward-moving momentum for people with shared purpose. We work with enlightened leaders to facilitate honest and insightful conversations so our values are aligned before we embark on difficult journeys together.
03
Smart Resources
Big breakthroughs often spring from collaborations not bound to conventional role definitions and resource constraints. Entrepreneurs and investors must sit on the same side of the table to think creatively beyond financial transactions.
04
Good Stories
Positive change needs the fertilizer of a good story. We have developed a great set of tools to uncover and package the stories within and around us. In sharing those stories, we build relationships that become more important and fruitful than the story itself.
05
Public Engagement
We engage the public to create enthusiasm for the possibilities of social innovation. The more we expose people to the origins and effects of positive change, the more we feed a culture that gives license to new ideas and fearlessly seeks new frontiers.

 We build relationships through explorations. We invite social innovators on a journey of discovery to explore new ways of supporting their work.  To provoke the collective intelligence of our community, we spend more time framing questions than finding answers. This journey is a series of hypotheses and experiments that challenge existing beliefs and forge new paths forward.

What if we could ignite a mainstream following on social innovation by building a competition platform to create, consume and exchange bite-size ideas?

Wisdom of the Crowd

We wanted to create a public conversation about social issues that affect us all. As individuals, we may not feel like we can personally address these issues, but the majority of people have a perspective on how to solve the problems that touch their lives. We brought together a community of passionate individuals to tap into that ‘what if…’ desire for change and turn it into tangible projects. Our first step was to build an online, video-based platform for small teams to share their insights and solutions to the challenges we framed. We rallied a tribe of interest around working together to make the world a better place.

Featured

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

American Superstars

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

We are a culture of super-sized, over-processed, sugar-loaded food portions. Here is the challenge video to support the call for submissions for Yoxi's Reinvent Fast Food Competition

1:52

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

Jet Set Jeans

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

The average American purchases 60 items of clothing per year, discarding much of it. Here is the challenge video to support the call for submissions for Yoxi's Trim the Waste of Fashion Competition

00:47

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

Is This You?

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

We live in a digitally saturated and distracted society that is only accelerating. Here is the challenge video to support the call for submissions for Yoxi's Balance Your Digital Diet Competition

1:17

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

Featured

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

Reinvent Fast Food

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

Meet the Teams: 10 teams of committed change makers join the competition to reimagine how we eat. Who will take home the prize to jumpstart their passion project?

1:19

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

Trim the Waste of Fashion

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

Meet the Agency: Yoxi partners with leading agencies to support our competition finalists. Our friends at Ogilvy Earth share their perspective as they clock in extra hours to make a difference

2:30

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

How Do We Become Digital Addicts?

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

Douglas Rushkoff, media theorist, author of Program or Be Programmed and Yoxi judge, answers the question for Yoxi's Balance Your Digital Diet competition.

1:35

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

For a media native generation we launched an online platform enabling aspiring change-makers to present their concepts in short video format.
We brought together industry experts and thought leaders to coach the teams, but ultimately the audience voted for the winners.
Through open auditions, ten teams were selected to participate in each competition, which consisted of three rounds of video storytelling.
In order to vote, the audience created user profiles to share their passion, exchange ideas, and earn badges via active participation.
We checked in with the teams throughout the competition to report progress and build support.
In addition to voting, audience can pledge financial support, and/or use their own social currency to promote the teams they love.

What if we could borrow from the talent management industry and create the CAA for social innovators?

Talent Management

Great talent needs support. The more focused the support, the greater the capacity for breakthroughs. Social entrepreneurs may seek resources and endorsements from incubators, accelerators, or investment advisors, but we believe they need a new support model that focuses deeply on the individual and his or her unique potential. Much like the relationship between a musician and his/her manager, the trust between an athlete and his/her coach, a more intimate and personalized partnership will reach deeper dimensions not touched by existing models. We build these close partnerships to incorporate trust, mutual learning, and value alignment for the greatest possible impact.

Partnering with Chid Liberty

Chid Liberty is the Founder and CEO of Liberty & Justice. Before founding L&J, Chid was a successful serial entrepreneur in music, finance, and technology. He pioneered the Future Factory model in Liberia to eradicate poverty through social investment.

Liberty & Justice develops local African factories and connects them with international retailers and individual consumers. These factories produce fair-trade apparel for American and European retailers, replacing a culture of sweatshops with a culture of sweat equity, and moving the industry from “the race to the bottom” to “the race to the top”.

Since 2011, Yoxi has partnered with Chid to pursue various project opportunities to increase both the social impact and cultural influence of Liberty & Justice.

“Over the past two years, Yoxi has become an integral part of L&J's core team. Despite limits to the resources we can invest in marketing and communication strategy, through this partnership we've gained high-level strategic advice and support in executing some remarkable projects from a dream team of well-connected and extremely talented creatives and business people. Sharon seamlessly shifts between executive coach, brand strategist, investor, and partner, bringing the weight of her credibility to foster trust in each role." – Chid Liberty

Featured

Nov 5, 2014 Sharon Chang

Liberty & Justice

Nov 5, 2014 Sharon Chang

Chid Liberty talks about his journey to build a factory of love in Liberia

2:59

Nov 5, 2014 Sharon Chang

What if there is a home for fearless and unorthodox voices in social innovation?

Alternative Culture

Social innovation can sometimes seem overly idealistic, and many well-intentioned organizations exist to help trim that idealism into measurable impact. But we believe that the drive of social entrepreneurs springs from a very bold instinct that should be celebrated — this is the vanguard of the creative class, who are personally driven to make positive change. We created BOLD, a daily blog, to examine alternative perspectives on social innovation. BOLD is not worried about unintended consequences. We explore the intersection between passion and value, and encourage a healthy dose of controversy to spark meaningful debate.

What if the art of filmmaking can be translated into a set of tools to develop social fiction, creating specific language and tangible visuals to invoke future impact?

Impact Visualization

We tap into undiscovered potential to help social innovators think bigger. Our Impact Visualization Workshop uncovers new dimensions of their work with innovation alchemy: working with creative leaders to create narratives that are tangible, detailed envisionings of an impact-rich future. We surround participants with expert creatives such as screenwriters, creative directors, strategists, and designers — cross-discipline teams assembled for each innovator to create impact narratives and ensure the most fruitful output. What makes this process unique is the level of tangibility we achieve during these guided explorations. We help to craft meaningful details of the ‘what’ before anyone starts to spend energy and resources on mapping out the ‘how’. This may sound simple, but such simplicity brings profound clarity and creative confidence to any mission.

Featured

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

The Next Big Brand

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

By imagining the tangible impact a future brand would create, we helped 10 social entrepreneurs see their paths to success

5:26

Nov 5, 2014 Perri Lapidus

The Next Big Brand 2024 program cover design
Epibone, presented by Nina Tandon
Linhardt Design, presented by Lisa Linhardt
Voz, presented by Jasmine Aarons
Aunt Bertha, presented by Erine Gray
Count It, presented by Oliver Ryan
My Eco, presented by Kristen Brown
Village Power, presented by Ty Jagerson
Volo, presented by Mark Summer
Audience voting instruction

Sharon Chang Founder

Sharon is a media executive, brand strategist, innovation consultant, social entrepreneur, impact investor, and philanthropist. She has jokingly said that she only invests in people who are likely to fail because their dreams are too audacious. Yet in all seriousness, without blindly celebrating failure, Sharon is one of the very few people deeply committed to investing in creativity that might have latent yet profound effects on humanity.

Trained as a designer and architect, Sharon applies an urban planning philosophy to everything she does. Before founding Yoxi, Sharon had a brilliant career in media and design. She was the Chief Creative Officer of 19 Entertainment, the company behind popular TV shows American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Prior to her tenure at 19, she worked as a brand strategist and creative director, and was one of the most sought-after innovation leaders in the design and digital marketing industry.

In addition to her work at Yoxi, Sharon is a Partner at THNK School of Creative Leadership, serves on the Board of Trustees of New York University, and is co-founder and board member of a number of non-profit organizations, technology startups, and social ventures.

With a passport as thick as the September Vogue, Sharon is a true global citizen addicted to tracking down the most spectacular dining experiences around the world. She makes the perfect (and most unusual) martini, loves the challenge of making the impossible possible — and seems to believe the two are related.

Randy Makiej Partner

Randy is a seasoned production executive responsible for managing and delivering Yoxi’s mission-driven creative projects. Through his career he has pursued novel and intriguing projects and enjoys exploring new approaches, building exceptional teams, and applying appropriate technologies to solve complex problems.

Before joining Yoxi, he worked in the entertainment and media industries creating experiences for top brands such as 19 Entertainment, HBO, Blue Man Group, Tribeca Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Microsoft, and Dewars, to name a few.

Seeing major changes taking roots around the world, he is deeply passionate about applying his skills beyond simple entertainment. He is curious about how technology can and should be harnessed to create a more sustainable planet as he loves the beauty of nature that surrounds us and wants to help preserve it.

Randy believes that we are overlooking the bounty before our eyes and taking our resources for granted. Fascinated by sustainable energy, he is committed to reuse and recycling, and knows that enlightened intelligence is the only way we can work together to create a more verdant world. If you want to know more about how he leads by example, ask his beloved Boxer, Bunker the Woogish.

Trevor Yoder Partner

Trevor brings extensive entrepreneurial and managerial experience to Yoxi’s mission of working with extraordinary leaders solving 21st century problems.

He has successfully launched and grown numerous companies, spanning industries such as Internet marketing, web development, management consulting, software design and real estate development. In addition to Yoxi, Trevor recently founded and is managing partner of North Star Development Group, a limited partnership established to fund, develop and manage sustainable residential and commercial real estate projects in Central America, with a focus on community-building.

Trevor holds a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law, and started his career practicing as an attorney in New York City’s Public Defender’s Office.

Trevor is a frequent world traveler having visited over 50 countries; an avid researcher always eager to learn new things; and an inspired thinker who would eagerly help contemplate the logistics of building a floating city/state in the middle of the ocean if asked. Go ahead, ask.

Our Extended Network

We work with amazing people from amazing organizations. These are our friends who have supported us by lending their passion, expertise and resources to our ongoing efforts.

Whether you are a social entrepreneur, impact investor, or creative professional, we would love to meet you. As we experiment with new models and scale our programs with like-minded collaborators, we invite you to join our effort in making positive change with social innovation.

Press.

"Changing the world should be fun. When seriousness is embedded in entertainment, and complexity is hidden behind an elegant layer of simplicity, we create intrinsic motivation for people to do good in more creative ways. Yoxi is about creativity and collaboration in the deepest sense we can imagine."

"Yoxi’s lofty mission 'elevates social entrepreneurs by leveraging their expertise for shared value business opportunities.' In plain English: it makes good cool."

"Yoxi’s larger goal is to bring social good into mainstream conversation."

"Pop culture is driven by superficial qualities, and Chang says she would rather exploit those qualities for a good purpose than wait around for people to change. 'We live in a society where people are obsessed with vanity, with fame, with celebrity…it would be more useful for us not to try and fight that’ she says."

"The idea to pick a problem and solve it in a way that brings in the most creative ideas from the widest possible audience is born from Chang’s feeling that the ‘only way to truly solve problems fundamentally is to stimulate a higher level of creativity."

"People also typically have an ‘us versus them’ attitude in regards to companies and social entrepreneurs. We’re changing the game because we believe in deep collaboration between social entrepreneurs and brands. Business challenges are seen as great opportunities to create Shared Value."

"Shared value isn’t about reacting to social issues that have immediate effects on quarterly goals, but rather a long-term philosophy that re-evaluates fundamental business principles."

Want to work with us? Have questions?

Yoxi is a creative sandboxfor social innovation.

The best way to create a better future is to invest in people who have the potential to change the world.

Our Rockstars

Social Innovation Rockstars are the R&D department of our global society. Like talented musicians who excel with the help of producers, these creative leaders can turn profoundly brilliant ideas into positive change if matched with the right resources and network.

What if we could ignite a mainstream following on social innovation by building a competition platform to create, consume and exchange bite-size ideas?

Wisdom of the Crowd

What if we could borrow from the talent management industry and create the CAA for social innovators?

Talent Management

Partnering with Chid Liberty

What if there is a home for fearless and unorthodox voices in social innovation?

Alternative Culture

What if the art of filmmaking can be translated into a set of tools to develop social fiction, creating specific language and tangible visuals to invoke future impact?

Impact Visualization

Sharon Chang Founder

Randy Makiej Partner

Trevor Yoder Partner

Our Extended Network

We work with amazing people from amazing organizations. These are our friends who have supported us by lending their passion, expertise and resources to our ongoing efforts.

Whether you are a social entrepreneur, impact investor, or creative professional, we would love to meet you. As we experiment with new models and scale our programs with like-minded collaborators, we invite you to join our effort in making positive change with social innovation.

Want to work with us? Have questions?

Say Hello

Yoxi is a creative sandbox
for social innovation.