Our People

Biography

Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. Acumen Fund currently manages more than $40 million in investments in South Asia and East Africa, all focused on delivering affordable healthcare, water, housing and energy to the poor. The organization also includes the Acumen Fund Fellows Program, focused on building the next generation of business leaders with an understanding of global issues and poverty. Prior to Acumen Fund, Jacqueline founded and directed The Philanthropy Workshop and The Next Generation Leadership programs at the Rockefeller Foundation. She also founded Duterimbere, a micro-finance institution in Rwanda. She began her career in international banking with Chase Manhattan Bank. She is currently on the advisory boards of Stanford Graduate School of Business, MIT's Legatum Center, and Innovations Journal published by MIT Press. She serves on the Aspen Institute Board of Trustees and as a member of two World Economic Forum Global Agenda Councils, on Social Entrepreneurship and on Water. She is an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow, a Synergos Institute Senior Fellow, and she was recently honored with the 2009 CASE Leadership in Social Entrepreneurship Award. She is a frequent speaker at international conferences, including the Clinton Global Initiative and TED. She has an M.B.A. from Stanford and a B.A. in Economics/International Relations from the University of Virginia. Her recent best-seller is a memoir entitled, The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World.