Posts Tagged ‘Events’

You’re Invited: Acumen Fund’s 10-Year Celebration!

Monday, October 17th, 2011

As many of you know, this is a very special year for Acumen Fund as we celebrate our 10th anniversary. On the evening of Thursday, November 10th, we plan to honor the journey of the past 10 years, and invite you – our community of supporters – to be a part of it.

Details:

  • Thursday, November 10, 2011 — 6PM to 9PM
  • Skylight Soho — 275 Hudson Street, New York, NY
  • Tickets are $1,000 and $500 (limited quantities) – ($850 and $350 are the tax-deductible amounts)
  • Ticket sales will close on October 28, 2011

The event will feature live music, a talk by Acumen Fund CEO, Jacqueline Novogratz, a performance by spoken word artist, Sarah Kay and dance performances by Dhoonya Dance. We sincerely hope you can join us.

Click here to buy your tickets.

With excitement and gratitude,

The Acumen Fund Team

A Night of Inspiration in Lahore – Exploring the World of Social Entrepreneurship

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

In June, Pakistan’s Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) hosted “A Night of Inspiration” featuring Jacqueline Novogratz. More than 110 students from all programs and age groups attended, reflecting the diversity of the LUMS student body. Ms. Novogratz gave a riveting talk about leadership and social change through entrepreneurship, chronicling her personal journey from investment banking to social entrepreneur, to eventually founding Acumen Fund a decade ago, highlighting the requirements in the world today for leadership with moral imagination, and a need to find real and lasting solutions to poverty.

The idea of social entrepreneurship is still relatively new in Pakistan and breaks away from traditional approaches to poverty. The social entrepreneurs that Acumen invests in work tirelessly towards providing access to critical goods and services to the poor in a manner that is financially sustainable and scalable. Acumen Fund Pakistan – now with over $11 million invested – has found dynamic individuals with innovative breakthrough solutions to the problems of access to health, water, housing and agricultural inputs and services.

Leading social entrepreneurs funded by Acumen in Pakistan include Shahzad Iqbal, a LUMS alumn, who after decades of banking and FMCG experience founded Jassar Farms, a dairy breed improvement project in Narowal to help small farmers improve milk yield and therefore income. Parvez Sufi of Pharmagen is bringing clean drinking water to low income urban slums at under Rs. 2 a liter. As of June 2011, Pharmagen outlets were producing 35,000 litres of water a day in low income neighborhoods in Lahore, and they aim to sell 1 million litres per day by December 2011.

Ms. Novogratz stressed the importance of leadership and how important it is for students to think beyond traditional measures of success She urged everyone to think about the problems we are facing in this world and how Pakistan needs every one of us to work on those problems. We should not wait for perfect opportunities to come along but rather do what we see as needed to get done in the world, knowing that life’s perfection ultimately lies in its imperfections. She ended with the words “I wish that you never stop dreaming, that you dare to take big risks and know that failure isn’t about falling down but about not having the strength to get up and try again. So dare to dream with me, dare to walk, to run, to fly and dare most importantly to imagine a future we together can create.”

“A Night of Inspiration” was just the beginning. The overwhelming interest and support exhibited for social entrepreneurship by LUMS students will undoubtedly lead to a broader movement among the student body.

Huma Haque is an Acumen Fund Business Development and Communications Summer Associate in Karachi, Pakistan.

DC for Acumen Captures the Moment

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

On Thursday, March 31st, the DC for Acumen Chapter hosted a special benefit, DIGNITY DC.  This fundraiser was the tenth in a series of photo auctions curated by Nuru Project.

The chapter welcomed the DC community to join in for a rousing evening of art, music, cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres; all while hearing the inspiring story of Acumen Fund, and browsing and bidding on beautiful photography for auction.

JB Reed of Nuru Project and John McKinley, Acumen’s Innovation Manager, set the stage for the night by first offering a unique introduction to Acumen Fund, and hosting a private tour of the photos for our select VIP guests.  The photos were much more than vibrant colors and visions of men, women, and children living their daily lives. Each photo represented a story to be told, in a country where Acumen Fund is a part of giving people dignity, not dependence.

After the intimate group gathered for the tour, 100 more guests started filling up the gallery.  The highlight of the evening was the lively energy that surrounded the photo auction.   With support from Nuru Project and 26 talented artists who donated their works of art, the show included breathtaking photos taken from countries Acumen invests in: Pakistan, India and Kenya, and Tanzania.  The DC community generously supported and while guests gathered around their favorite photos, they enjoyed cocktails generously donated by Barefoot Bubbly, and tasty bites from Nora’s.

As the clocked ticked and bids were ferociously scribbled, the dynamic crowd was asked to take some brief time to learn how their presence was making a difference. Chapter founders, Haroun Habib and I, welcomed guests and extended thanks for everyone’s outpouring of support.  A full room of photo enthusiasts surrounded as we also announced that not only was the DC Chapter celebrating the work of Acumen in the beautiful Studio Gallery in Dupont Circle, but also that this occasion marked the 1 year anniversary of the chapter’s inception.  After a full year of learning, being inspired by, and spreading the mission of Acumen through events and networking activities, the chapter raised their flutes in celebration for a champagne toast with the crowd.

Next on the night’s program: John McKinley.  As John took the floor to share the vision of Acumen Fund, and describe how using innovative methods to solve poverty can actually work, you could feel the energy in the room move from intrigue to impact.

After John illustrated some of Acumen Fund’s projects, JB Reed joined the floor to explain how Nuru Project leverages photography as an agent for social change in the developing world, and conducted a special live auction of some of the beautiful prints.

When the program wrapped up, guests only had a few more moments to place their final bids.  Ten seconds before pens had to be set down, the audience all joined in for a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 countdown. Anxious bidders scurried to their favored photos to see if they in fact had won the prize.  At the end of the night 26 breathtaking prints were sent home with happy winners, and the DC for Acumen team won the best prize: raising $10,000 to benefit Acumen Fund.

It is with the generosity of our sponsors, especially to Matthew & Anu Tate & Barefoot Bubbly, that helped make the event such a success. A special thank you to our guests, in-kind donors, Nora Restaurant, and especially, the Studio Gallery for hosting us.

Lastly, we’d like to thank the following DC for Acumen event committee members for their energy, dedication and steadfast commitment to making every detail of the DIGNITY DC night so special: Meaghan Casey, Adam Crockett, Miranda Franco, Haroun Habib, Ashley Lawson, Lauren Jolliff, and Sarah Reintjes.

Ashley Lawson is a Chapter Leader for DC for Acumen.


Coffee with Acumen! May 4th in Mumbai

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

What is it?

Acumen Fund's India Team

An opportunity for social entrepreneurs to have a conversation with Acumen Fund’s India portfolio team. These chats are informal, and a chance for us to connect directly with entrepreneurs. You can use the time to obtain feedback on a business plan, brainstorm ideas, ask questions on Acumen’s investment philosophy, etc.

Who will be there?

When is it?

Wednesday, May 4th, 3 PM onwards

Where is it?

At our Mumbai office. Our full address is:

Acumen Fund India (in the IFMR Trust Building)
Flat No. B-12, Jer Mansion, 2nd Floor
V.P. Warde Marg, off Turner Road
Bandra (West), Mumbai 400 050

Phone: +91 (22) 6758-9365/72

Fax: +91 (22) 6758-9373

Please find detailed directions here.

How can you set up a coffee chat with us?

Please express your interest via coffeewithacumen@gmail.com. Do include a brief note on an idea/ business plan that you would like to discuss with our team. We will allot you a time slot to come have coffee with us!

Acumen Fund is a non-profit venture fund that exists to help end poverty by changing how the world addresses it. We invest patient capital to identify, strengthen and scale business models that effectively serve the poor. And we champion the spread of this approach as a complement to traditional aid, which can create dependence, or pure market approaches, which can bypass the actual needs of the poor.

Toronto for Acumen and EWB presents “In the Field”

Friday, March 11th, 2011

On Wednesday March 16th, 2011, Toronto for Acumen and Engineers Without Borders will host “In the Field” – an evening networking event in Downtown Toronto for individuals interested in agriculture, social enterprise and international development.

Date: Wednesday March 16th, 2011, 6:30-9:00pm

Location: Czehoski Restaurant (678 Queen Street W)

Registration: http://torontoforacumen.eventbrite.com

Cost: Free with Registration

Worldwide, as many as 800 million of the extremely poor live in rural areas. Most of them are smallholder farmers who lack access to technologies and quality agricultural inputs, resulting in low quality products at low yields. ‘In the Field’ will bring together practitioners who have worked abroad in agricultural development with young professionals interested in learning more about the sector to discuss current issues faced by smallholder farmers today and technological, supply chain and financing solutions that exist to help improve their livelihoods.

Speakers for this event include:

  • Jonathan Hera – Associate and Investor Relations Director, Sarona Asset Management
  • Nicole Pasricha – Director of Inclusive Rural Finance, MEDA
  • Sarah Grant – Director of Agribusiness Ghana, Engineers Without Borders