ABSTRACT
Ross Baird invests in social entrepreneurs, providing both training and money. Through Village Capital, the hybrid organization he runs, he identifies businesses he believes are capable of taking on, and taking out, some of society’s most difficult social problems. Over time, Village Capital has seen its share of poor investment decisions, which it recasts as lessons to mitigate risk and examine opportunities more critically. The big lesson learned is that there is this cult of the hero social entrepreneur, and it’s really, really destructive for a lot of ventures. Entrepreneurs don’t build ventures; teams build ventures. A team of one is like a marriage of one, maybe solitaire for two: a built-in contradiction, clearly not what it might claim to be.
