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Grow your business

Women spread feed for chickens in a East African chicken farm

We support intrepid entrepreneurs on their journey to impact.

Business models that build markets

We invest across key sectors where we know our capital can have the greatest impact solving problems of poverty.

We invest in productive use of energy companies, including energy technologies, such as irrigation, agricultural processing, cold storage; appliances for micro-enterprises; e-mobility; and business enablers, including distribution and financing solutions.

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We invest in farmer-allied intermediaries, including aggregators, processors, and cooperatives; market-integrated production companies; businesses providing adaptation finance and insurance; and value chain optimizers, such as logistics providers and distributers.

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In East Africa, we invest in business models that provide student financing, school infrastructure financing, teacher training, supplemental learning, edutainment, digitized assessments and lesson planning, and school management systems.

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In West Africa, Latin America, and India, we invest in skills-building solutions, value chain optimizers, decent work enablers, companies providing formalization to informal jobs or creating formal jobs, ecosystem enablers, and ed technology solutions for job training.

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Man carries a solar panel through an East African yard
Woman sprays water from a hose onto trees and crops in East Africa
Girl at a desk smiles as her classmates settle down for class
Man sorts plantains into crates on a banana farm in Colombia

Our investment criteria

Company stage

Depending on the region, sector, and vertical, we invest in pre-seed to Series A early-stage social enterprises, and deploy equity, quasi-equity, and debt capital.

Potential for social impact

We invest in companies that address the needs of people living in poverty, with a special focus on vulnerable populations or communities.

Potential for financial sustainability

We invest in businesses with models that demonstrate the potential to finance themselves beyond Acumen’s investment, either through follow-on capital or internal cash flows.

We partner for the long-haul.

When we invest in an enterprise, we lend not just our capital, but also our expertise and our community.

Governance

Good governance enables good decision-making and strong companies. One of the best ways we support good governance is by serving as a Board Member or Observer for our portfolio companies.

Impact

We support our investees to measure, deepen, and scale their impact while optimizing business performance for long-term viability.

Finance

We provide support for short-term financial planning, including cash flow management and forecasting, and long-term financial planning for sustainable growth and development.

Connect with us

If your company meets our criteria, and you are dedicated to using entrepreneurship to solve problems of poverty, we’d love to hear from you.

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Haqdarshak team members Preeti Singh (C) and Beenu Kumari (R) walk around in the slum area of Dilshad garden in New Delhi, India, March 6, 2020. Photo by Saumya Khandelwal

Investing with purpose

Eight investment principles guide our ability to make capital work for us, rather than the other way around.