How can we use the tools of the marketplace and business to solve the problems that lead to poverty? That’s where patient capital comes in. Jacqueline Novogratz, the CEO of Acumen, explains how her venture capital fund’s long term investments, which prioritize social progress along with financial returns, have positively impacted 650 million people across the globe. She and Ilham discuss the most inspiring companies Acumen has invested in; the importance of kindness and patience in business; achieving audacity AND humility when working towards one’s goals; how storytelling is key to success, and so much more.

Timestamps

• 1:42 - Inspiration for solving the problems of poverty
• 3:39 - Becoming a banker
• 6:18 - Founding Acumen and the emergence of patient capital
• 8:59 - How to build sustainable and profitable companies
• 12:47- Most inspiring companies Acumen invests in
• 16:23 - The beauty of Acumen’s manifesto
• 20:05 - The importance of storytelling
• 25:37 - Pushing back against the naysayers
• 29:46 - Embracing the beauty

Jacqueline Novogratz is an entrepreneur, an author and quite frankly a beacon of light in the world. She is the founder and CEO of Acumen, a nonprofit global venture capital fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to address global poverty by investing in companies with the purpose. She is the author of Manifesto for a Moral Revolution: Practices to Build a Better World and The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World.

For additional details about the podcast, show notes, and access to resources mentioned during the show, please visit https://www.syensqo.com/en/podcast