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Scaling Cleaner Cooking Solutions in East Africa

It’s hard to believe that amidst all the technological innovation of the twenty-first century, 2.6 billion people around the world still have to use open fires to cook their meals.1 This is not just a problem of the inconvenience of outdated technology, but of health: more than 4 million people—the majority of whom are women … Continued

La imaginación moral a través de violines y rimas

¿Qué pueden tener en común el rap y la música clásica? Más allá de que ambas son expresiones musicales, una con más trayectoria que la otra, estas se han convertido en la ventana para transformar las narrativas violentas de niños y jóvenes en un país como Colombia.  Cuando Amadeus Mozart aprendió a tocar el piano … Continued

Investment as a Tool for Peace in Colombia

In the wake of Colombia’s 50-year armed conflict, Acumen is building a network of entrepreneurs, Fellows and Partners working together to support the country’s transition to peace. When Acumen first decided to expand to Colombia in 2013 with start-up funding from The Oak Foundation, Latin America Director Virgilio Barco’s first step was to listen: to … Continued

Rethinking Work in India

Having invested in India for over a decade, in 2019 Acumen concentrated its investment strategy on the areas most impacting Indians’ living wages.  India’s working-age population has skyrocketed to become the country’s largest age group—a trend that will continue for at least the next 30 years. While this boom may seem like an opportunity for … Continued

Our Latest Investment: Solaris Offgrid

We are excited to announce Acumen’s new investment in Solaris Offgrid, a social enterprise offering pay-as-you-go software to energy companies—enabling them to serve more customers, and at even lower income levels. The Challenge With pay-as-you-go purchasing services, low-income customers can buy typically unaffordable products like solar home systems or water pumps on credit, repaying through … Continued

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