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Acumen Blog

Zebra CropBank's 1960s-Inspired Vision for Nigerian Agriculture

By Jared Proudfoot on September 19, 2023

Rice, maize, and soybean are pivotal grains in Nigeria. Cultivated all year round, they provide vital nutrition and protein, serving as the foundation of family diets. In states like Benue, often referred to as "the food basket of the nation," these crops thrive in abundance. During the wet season, fruits like oranges, mangoes, and guava flourish and nourish local farmers and their families. It’s a...
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In the Media

Rethinking Scale in Agribusiness: The Massive Benefits of Being Small

By Chris Wayne and Coco Lim on September 05, 2023

Why impact investors should focus on more than just the number of "lives impacted” by agriculture investments, embracing other forms of impact.  
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Acumen Blog

The Women Solving Problems of Poverty in India

August 31, 2023

Bali Devi is a 56-year-old woman living with a family of six in Jaipur, northern India. She is a widowed mother of two sons who runs a small makeshift shop in the front portion of her house. Her daughter-in-law makes a small earning by stitching sari borders for women in her locality. Both are part of the 90% of women who are not in the...
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In the Media

In India, "zebra" companies deliver impact at scale and exits for investors

August 17, 2023

To achieve more meaningful impact, impact investors should not only focus on finding the next unicorn. We need to also invest in zebras, which “are real … are both black and white, striving for both profit AND purpose…are collaborative and feisty as they build businesses that are better for the world.”  
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In the Media

Apple helps accelerate clean energy innovation in India with Acumen

July 13, 2023

Apple today announced in its Newsroom a new partnership with Acumen to support social enterprises in India to improve livelihoods through clean energy innovation. Through the Energy for Livelihoods Accelerator, Acumen experts will lead a 12-week program designed to help social entrepreneurs scale and refine their businesses to transform the lives of people living in poverty, while also protecting the environment. This accelerator is part...
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Acumen Blog

We Must Do More: Takeaways from Acumen’s 2023 Energy Summit

By Christopher Emmott, Head of Energy Investments, and Mercedes de la Vega, Energy Partnerships Manager on July 12, 2023

Globally, 733 million people still lack access to electricity. Although many will gain energy access in the coming years, research shows that, with a growing population, business-as-usual solutions will leave behind more than 600 million people by 2030, 85% of whom will be in Africa.  The off-grid solar sector can fill this gap. For over 15 years, Acumen has invested in energy entrepreneurs serving people...
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In the Media

June 27, 2023

Farmers can’t become truly climate resilient if they don’t have dependable, livable incomes. This is especially true for the world’s 570 million smallholder farmers, who produce a third of the world’s food yet typically live at or below the poverty line.
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Acumen Blog

May 16, 2023

By Daniel Waldron, Head of Insights and Christopher Emmott, Associate Director, Investing in Energy Access Everything you touch or do today, every bite of food, every piece of clothing, every trip to the store, takes energy. It is essential to economic production; it literally fuels...
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In the Media

May 15, 2023

When used responsibly, carbon finance is one way that wealthier nations, companies, and individuals can fund access to climate-friendly goods and services that people in poverty could not otherwise afford.
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Acumen Blog

February 09, 2023

Acumen has invested in SokoFresh, which provides smallholder farmers in East Africa with cold-storage solutions and market access to reduce post-harvest losses and guarantee demand for produce. This is Acumen’s first new investment with its latest energy initiative, PEII+, which is designed to invest early-stage...
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Acumen Blog

January 12, 2023

Acumen has invested $500,000 in Kiip — a simple and secure vital document management & storage platform to reduce the administrative burdens faced by vulnerable and disadvantaged communities in the U.S. The Challenge: Administrative Burdens Create Tremendous Barriers for Low-Income Communities Accessing, retaining, renewing, and sharing...
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