Jacqueline Novogratz is the Founder and CEO of Acumen, and a recognized leader and innovator in the social impact sector. Her work began in 1986 when she quit her job on Wall Street to co-founded Rwanda’s first microfinance institution, Duterimbere; the experience inspired her to write the bestselling book The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor, and, in 2001, launch Acumen.

At this special discussion, Jacqueline joined Conduit Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Paul Van Zyl to explore her career, the impact of her work and what the future holds.

Paul Van Zyl is a Co-Founder of The Conduit and its Chief Creative Officer. The Conduit serves as a home for a diverse community of people passionate about social change. Having grown up in apartheid South Africa, Paul trained as a human rights lawyer and went on to serve as the Executive Secretary of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He then co-founded the International Centre for Transitional Justice, an organisation that works in over 40 countries that have endured massive human rights violations under repression and in conflict. Paul is also a Co-Founder and CEO of Maiyet, an ethical luxury fashion brand that cultivates traditional design and culture by partnering with global artisans. He has received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and served on its Global Agenda Council on Fragile States, and is a London Tech Week Changemaker. He holds a law degree from University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, an LLM in international law from University of Leiden, an LLM from New York University, and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Santa Clara School of Law.

Jacqueline Novogratz: A pioneer of impact investing, Acumen has invested more than $146 million of patient capital into 151 companies affecting the lives of nearly 400 million people across Africa, Latin America, South Asia and the United States in the areas of clean energy, agriculture, healthcare, and education. Acumen also has launched four for-profit funds, including KawiSafi, a nearly $70 million impact fund focused on off-grid solar energy in East Africa, and ARAF, a first-of-its-kind $58 million fund focused on helping smallholder farmers mitigate the impacts of climate change. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, Acumen launched a first-of-its-kind relief fund to protect energy access for 20+ million people in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia; the Energy Access Relief Fund (EARF) is the culmination of an unprecedented partnership convened by Acumen, including CDC Group, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), FMO, Green Climate Fund (GCF), Shell Foundation, IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), USAID, and Power Africa. While EARF illustrates the power of partnership and moral imagination in a time of crisis, the importance of moral leadership has underpinned Jacqueline’s entire career. In 2020, Acumen launched Acumen Academy to support, inspire, and enable leaders on their journey of global social change. To date, the organization has built a corps of 1000+ Fellows, and more than 500,000 individuals from 193 countries have taken Acumen Academy’s online courses. Her second book, Manifesto for a Moral Revolution: Practices to Build a Better World, serves as a blueprint to the next generation of leaders who are seeking to make an impact in our changing world. A recognized leader in the issues of poverty, the role of dignity, and the necessity of finding the moral imagination we need to address today’s problems, Jacqueline also sits on the board of the Aspen Institute and 60 Decibels, as well as on a variety of advisory boards. She has been named one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy, one of the 25 Smartest People of the Decade by the Daily Beast, and one of the world’s 100 Greatest Living Business Minds by Forbes, which also honored her with the Forbes 400 Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Entrepreneurship. She lives in New York with her husband.

Upcoming Events