Acumen

For early-stage founders, growth brings hard questions: how to scale without breaking what works? That’s the moment Acumen Angels is built for, providing catalytic capital when the path forward is still taking shape. Learn more ⬇️ go.acumen.org/47ttlvo

Acumen is one of @FastCompany’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026. We celebrate this recognition during our 25th anniversary and are incredibly proud to have improved the lives of over 700 million people living in poverty. Learn more: go.acumen.org/4s1EbjO

@agroeknor Our investment will help scale @AgroEknor's farmer network, expand export capacity, and reach more than 24,000 farmers, showing how inclusive agricultural value chains can drive impact at scale. Learn more ⬇️ go.acumen.org/40aGB3U

@agroeknor AgroEknor currently works with over 6,000 farmers across Northern Nigeria, providing climate-smart training, fair pricing, and guaranteed market access.

We have invested in @agroeknor, a Nigerian agribusiness that partners directly with smallholder farmers, 82% of them women, to increase their incomes, enhance climate resilience, and expand access to premium export markets.

Women farmers in northern Ghana harvest shea nuts and soybeans that power global supply chains. Too often, they face low prices, middlemen, and climate risk. We’ve invested in Sommalife to help change that ⬇️ go.acumen.org/4l01WXt

Acumen and @AspenANDE brought together entrepreneurs, investors, waste worker associations, and sector leaders to explore how coordinated action can transform India’s waste sector. Read more 👇go.acumen.org/3Ot8W2W

@scrapuncleapp @OriosVP Learn more as reported by @economictimes 👇 economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/entr…

Acumen has co-led a $2.5m pre-Series A funding round in @ScrapUncleApp, alongside @OriosVP. The capital will support ScrapUncle’s expansion, strengthen its technology and logistics infrastructure, and scale its recycling operations across India.

Smallholder farmers produce most of the world’s food but receive less than 1% of climate finance. With support from the @AutodeskFdn, Acumen’s Trellis initiative is backing early-stage agri-innovators building climate resilience among smallholder farmers. go.acumen.org/4rhwQfK

How it started.            How it's going. #InternationalCleanEnergyDay cc @ImpactAlpha

We explored this at fall roundtables with philanthropists, investors, and entrepreneurs, sharing insights on how catalytic giving can unlock lasting impact. Read more here ⬇️ go.acumen.org/49xoxXl

When traditional aid can’t reach far enough, philanthropy can step in to take risks, test new ideas, and attract investment, helping solutions scale where they’re needed most. #CatalyticPhilanthropy

We have invested in Energy Assured Nigeria to expand access to affordable solar irrigation for smallholder farmers in Northern Nigeria. Learn more ⬇️ go.acumen.org/4qzjewD

Every day, in spaces like our MLK Meeting Room at our NYC Office, we carry this principle forward. #MLKDay

“The time is always right to do what is right.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At Acumen, this means investing in people, ideas, and systems that expand opportunities for those who are too often unheard and underserved. #MLKDay

One of the through lines of my life is the idea that angels and monsters live in each of us; and that, in times of insecurity, it is easy for too many leaders to prey on our fears and broken parts and blame others. We live in such a time, and it is more important than ever that each of us becomes a light in the darkness. I’ve spent this week on the ground in and around Hargeisa with Somalis of all backgrounds, people who carry their communities forward in myriad untold ways. I’m proud of the work we are doing with them, and I’ll be writing a bit about it over the next few days. May you focus your own efforts with hard heads and soft hearts. And may you hold fast to love as the antidote to all that makes us smaller and more afraid.

Our most-read blog last year covered the topic that was on everyone’s mind in 2025: AI. Despite barriers to funding and access, entrepreneurs in Africa are developing AI solutions that are rooted in local realities. Find out why people loved this piece: go.acumen.org/3Y1JvqM

#2 of our most-read blogs of 2025. By 2030, work will look very different.  This piece unpacks why leadership skills like creativity, collaboration, and resilience will matter more than ever, and what that means for the future of jobs. Read more: go.acumen.org/4s0QYnw

#3 of our most-read blogs of 2025. Early-stage capital often comes when uncertainty is highest. Our 2024 Acumen Angels awardees show why backing entrepreneurs early can unlock ideas with the potential for lasting impact. Read the story: go.acumen.org/4aVKXT2