We recently closed the application process for the Acumen Fund Fellows Program, and our initial count shows more than 600 applicants to the program, far exceeding expectations. A preliminary analysis (of about half the applicants) lifted some interesting statistics about the diversity and range of applications:
* More than 52 countries are represented in the applications we’ve received.
* The leading nations are: United States, with 28% of the applicants, India with 14%, United Kingdom with 14% and Pakistan with 10.5%.
* All continents are represented, and countries are wide-ranging, including Gambia, Philippines, Moldova, Argentina, Costa Rica, Congo and the Czech Republic.
* Of the U.S. applicants, while New York represents the largest share (30%), representation is wide, with Kentucky, Arizona and Georgia all making a showing.
Needless to say, this will be a very competitive process, and we will have to make a lot of hard decisions to narrow our field down to a final cohort of 10 fellows. (We will keep you posted on the process.) But overall, the numbers are a testament to the extreme interest in this kind of work and to the promise of these smart, inspired individuals.
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