Acumen’s Post

ICYMI: Acumen has joined the Women in the Sustainable Economy #WISE initiative! Our aligned commitment of $290M (2023-2031) to climate-focused, blended finance initiatives expects to impact 43 million women affected by climate change or driving solutions as entrepreneurs, farmers, and members of the green workforce. Our initiatives include: · Clean energy training · Support for women smallholder farmers · Enhanced products & services for low-income women in Africa and South Asia With support from partners like the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Green Climate Fund , IKEA Foundation , Norad - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation , and USAID  through Power Africa , we aim to scale this commitment to $600M by 2031 by advancing innovations in clean energy, resilient agriculture, and adaptation finance. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/d8meJiJJ #GenderEquality #GreenEconomy #WomensEconomicEmpowerment #GenderLensInvesting

Equity in action! Two weeks ago Acumen attended the 2X Global Summit in Nairobi and hosted a side event on gender-smart TA with Value For Women Ltd. Later in the week, we hosted a Gender Inclusion Learning Day for 17 portfolio companies that are building inclusive businesses in East Africa. Both events were incredible opportunities to convene key stakeholders and examine and celebrate what’s working in gender lens investing. Our top takeaways from the week: 🔸 Gender-lens investors are innovating at the edge! We heard about new impact-linked finance for gender outcomes instruments, experimentation with monetizing gender impact on financial accounts, and pricing GBV risks into investment analysis. 🔸 At the business level, you don’t have to start big. Start with little things that can make a difference. Similarly, upfront investment is not always needed. Commitment and intentionality are more important. 🔸 Inclusion work is a marathon. There are quick wins, but other actions require a continuous process of improvement. Time, patience, and flexibility are needed from values-aligned investors and donors. 🔸 Meet women where they are, both in the physical (and digital) spaces, and focus on their strengths. Design solutions with women around these strengths.  🔸 Investors and donors can support SMEs through creative financing (ILF, TA facilities), by supporting internal capacity building at the company level (training, measurement, storytelling), and by convening companies to share learning.  Huge thanks to our incredible thought partners at Value for Women and our donor Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada for supporting this work. Watch this space! Our forthcoming report with Value for Women highlights the gender-smart strategies that can gain traction and factors for success that funders, investors, and enterprises can consider when designing for gender equity outcomes.

Last week at Acumen Up Close 2024, our community came together to spark change and share innovative ideas. From groundbreaking climate solutions to transforming industries like cocoa farming, the discussions were inspiring and impactful. Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the day so meaningful. Celebrating 23 years of impact, there’s a renewed sense of what can be achieved together. #NYClimateWeek

As part of #NYClimateWeek, Acumen's Mercedes de la Vega spoke at Beyond Capital Ventures x AfricaTech Panel. She was joined by Jemimah Orevaoghene Director, Morgan Stanley , Patricia Chin-Sweeney Venture Partner, Beyond Capital Ventures, and Josh Whale, CEO, Ampersand Energy. Mercedes highlighted Acumen's approach to venture investing in Africa’s e-mobility & agriculture sectors, including how we seek to optimize financial, social, and environmental impact.

Acumen’s Sarah Bieber shares her most important takeaways from The New York Times  Climate Forward summit.

ImpactAlpha's front page features insights from a breakfast conversation hosted by Acumen in New York as part of #NYClimateWeek. Check out the full story and find out what leading voices in energy had to say about the role of carbon financing. https://lnkd.in/d_7xHvzu Amrita Bhandari, Nicholas Jones, Daniel Sadik, Jonathan Cedar, James C. Amy Cortese

Acumen's Christopher Wayne was a judge on the Dragon's Den panel at the Global Resilience Partnership investor forum early this week, listening to pitches from some incredible entrepreneurs. Listen to him share his experience.

What an incredible conversation! Our #ClimateWeekNYC panel brought together leading voices like Jonathan Cedar, Nicholas Jones, Daniel Sadik, James C., and moderator Amy Cortese, hosted by Amrita Bhandari, to explore the future of carbon markets in underserved communities. Key insights from the discussion included: 🔸 Philanthropy stabilizes carbon markets by absorbing risks and providing a price floor, creating market certainty for commercial buyers and enabling social enterprises to access carbon finance as a reliable revenue stream. 🔸 Addressing pricing volatility, complex standards, and high registry costs is essential to unlocking the potential of carbon finance for social enterprises serving low-income communities. 🔸 Strengthening standards and transparency in carbon crediting processes is crucial for building trust in carbon markets and ensuring real value for both the environment and low-income communities. It’s clear that carbon markets hold immense potential to drive sustainable development, but they need greater accountability to truly benefit low-income communities. Thank you to all our speakers and attendees for joining us for this crucial conversation! BioLite | ImpactAlpha | Shell Foundation | Boomitra | Carbon Solutions Group

Congratulations to d.light on its nomination as a finalist of The Earthshot Prize! With more than 100 million lives impacted to date, we are thrilled to see the business recognized for its impact on not just people but the planet. d.light has been nominated alongside some incredible organizations working tirelessly to preserve this planet for future generations. As one of d.light's first institutional investors, Acumen wishes them the best of luck and hopes they bring the prize home! You can learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dMF25q3u