A living archive of the conditions where breakthroughs begin.
We're building a living archive of scenius—the collective genius that arises when the right people, spaces, and conditions align.
From Bell Labs to Black Mountain College, from Pixar to 368 Broadway, we trace the underlying patterns behind cultural and technological breakthroughs—not just what was built, but how and why it became possible.
We map the invisible architectures behind cultural and scientific emergence—rogue R&D labs, defunct fellowships, funding structures, governance models, and informal norms—that made extraordinary work possible.
Second Renaissance is a project by The Analogue Group, built to map the invisible architectures behind cultural and scientific emergence. This project emerged from a socratic salon we hosted on CS Lewis' The Inner Ring.
It's also the sibling of Failed.Ventures (coming soon!)—our companion site that studies the flip side of emergence: why things collapse even when they shouldn't.
- One to map the conditions for genius.
- One to trace what gets in its way.
Resources: Special thanks to The Overedge Catalog and Scenius.fyi (@SP1NS1R and @marcgmbh) for helping seed this directory.
Explore live opportunities
Second Renaissance doesn't just map the conditions for genius — it connects you to the labs, studios, and projects shaping the future today.
Organization Directory
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