History

Growing a Disruptive Movement:
Our history

Disrupt Development does things differently. We are a change agency that aspires to work according to nature and living systems principles.

We grow slowly to thrive—mimicking the rhythm of the natural world. We work decentralized with flexible roles through the principles of holacracy. We have co-created a platform for development & social impact consultants and practitioners to inspire each other and create opportunities to work together on assignments for partners and clients.

  • In the spirit of “never waste a good crisis” Disrupt Development was founded by social impact entrepreneur Alexander Arkadjevitsj Medik in 2020 at the start of the global COVID-pandemic in the world's first post-growth entrepreneurship start-up incubator from ‘Non-Profit Ventures’ of international post-growth thought leader Melanie Rieback.

    From the perspective of starting small and growing big through iteration, Disrupt Development initially started as a podcast channel that broadcasts inspiring stories of disruptive change agents within global development. Many change agents were interviewed about themes ranging from new economies, innovation, effective collaborations, design-thinking, business for good, climate justice, finance for development, shifting power and civic power. Over 50 podcasts have been produced with more than 15,000 listeners from all over the world. The off-beat sound and vision of Disrupt Development was received with a lot of enthusiasm internationally.

    → You can listen to Disruptcast podcast on our website or wherever you find your podcasts.

  • In 2021, Disrupt Development evolved from being only a podcast to becoming a small start-up. A team of passionate entrepreneurs joined Disrupt Development and started to invest their time and expertise in the growth of the organization on a voluntary basis. The team was supported by advisory board members Charles KojoVanDyck, Melanie Rieback and Professor Willem Elbers.

    We started to experiment with everything from the business model to the governance structure. Trial and error. The first paid projects started to emerge and partnerships were built with international institutions, from governments, network associations, to universities and civil society organizations. In 2021, Disrupt Development organized 18 ‘coffee sessions’ with over 100+ change agents to build a shared understanding of the challenges & opportunities change agents see in challenging the status-quo to design new futures.

  • In 2022, Disrupt Development evolved, again from a small informal start-up into a genuine post-growth enterprise, with a steward owned legal body, a governance system based on self-organization, and a community consisting of more than 40+ change agents. We all work with leaders, nonprofits, social enterprises, corporates, public institutions and multilateral organisations on complex challenges. We serve as trusted advisors and thought leaders for anyone seeking to think outside the box, do things differently and solve pressing problems that lack solutions. Together we develop customised strategies, co-create learning experiences, launch new initiatives, and support the boldest ideas to become real, all working toward a radically better world for people and the planet.