The Lean Startup has revolutionized the ways businesses build and launch products. Can these same techniques work for purpose as well as profits? Despite some unique challenges, the answer is a resounding yes. Around the world, social entrepreneurs are tossing aside rigid programming and embracing fast feedback loops to revolutionize learning in the classroom, help tens of thousands of disadvantaged youth land their first jobs, light up a million homes in rural Africa, and enable millions to escape the ravages of extreme poverty. These are not your parents’ nonprofits. They are breaking the rules, pioneering new business models, and seeking transformative change. Social innovation may start with a good idea, but it should end with massive impact and exponential scale.

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