Acumen

As #COP29 concludes, we asked members of the Acumen community who were in Baku to share what inspires their optimism for the future. Swipe through to read their reflections. Let us know in the comments: what makes you hopeful? Jacqueline Novogratz | Norah Magero | Dr. Ayesha Khan | Savita Muley | Haqdarshak | Drop Access Limited

Fresh from #COP29, Acumen's Christopher Wayne shares what stood out to him.

ICYMI: TIME held a dinner at #COP29 in honor of incredible leaders driving climate action. Acumen Founder and CEO, Jacqueline Novogratz, who spoke at the dinner, lauded the unsung heroes driving climate action through the businesses they run across the globe. https://lnkd.in/d_XyA-Tj

"By showing up, delivering on promises, and genuinely connecting with those who have been overlooked, we can earn the trust needed to advance energy access." This was Acumen CEO Jacqueline Novogratz's message during her conversation with IFC - International Finance Corporation’s Managing Director, Makhtar Diop as IFC announced its partnership with Acumen's Hardest-to-Reach initiative.

"Acumen means freedom, community, a tribe...." 🎥  Hear directly from our 2024 Fellows about the profound impact of the Fellowship. Join the 2025 cohort and be part of a growing community of 1,600+ leaders across West Africa and the globe, creating opportunities for support, collaboration and collective impact. Applications for the 2025 Acumen West Africa Fellowship close on Monday!  Apply now: https://lnkd.in/epjNdCXb #AcumenFellowship #WestAfrica #MoralLeadership #Leadership

What role does effective communication play in the fight against climate change? At a COP29 event, Acumen's Founder and CEO Jacqueline Novogratz  joined global leaders and communicators to explore this question. In her remarks, she emphasized that communication goes beyond sharing information—it’s a powerful tool for fostering collaboration and driving transformative climate action. "When it comes to the climate crisis, we need everyone to see and be seen for the role they themselves can play in solving it."

Acumen’s Founder and CEO Jacqueline Novogratz, joined a powerful discussion hosted by The World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group at #COP29. The conversation focused on the ambitious Mission 300—a vision to provide electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030. Jacqueline shared insights on the role of private sector-led distributed renewable energy in bridging Africa’s energy access gap. She emphasized that achieving these goals requires innovative partnerships, catalytic financing, and community-driven solutions to unlock investment and scale impact.

Acumen CEO Jacqueline Novogratz closed the COP29 Global Climate Action High-Level Event this past Wednesday with a powerful reminder: transformative change requires bold, united action from all corners of society. The event highlighted real-world progress—from renewable energy in Africa to climate-smart farming in Latin America—and demonstrated that achieving a resilient, net-zero future is within reach when leaders act collectively.

Acumen’s Christopher Wayne is in Baku for #COP29, where he participated in a session on the Adaptation Innovation Marketplace (AIM). The session focused on scaling locally-led climate solutions and empowering grassroots innovators. Chris shared his insights on how Acumen supports climate-resilient agricultural solutions and creates pathways for entrepreneurs to thrive in the face of climate challenges. Here are some highlights from the discussion: 🌾Adaptation investing becomes less abstract when you let farmers tell you what they need, and then build investment strategies around those needs. 🤝The power of a well-engineered, partnership-centered capital continuum with the risk appetite and patience to take an adaptation innovation from ideation to scale. 💰The fact that Acumen's $300M commitment to adaptation investing for smallholder farmers makes us one of the biggest investors of this type in the world is a nice story for us, but a tragedy for the rest of the world. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | Adaptation Fund | European Union | Global Resilience Partnership | South Asian Forum for Environment, SAFE | Centro Sabiá |  BNP Paribas Speakers: Srilata Kammila | Jesper Hörnberg | Christopher Wayne | Pablo Perez | Dipayan Dey | Shah Rafayat Chowdhury I Saliha Dobardzic

Our $90M commitment at #COP29 is Pakistan's first major climate-focused initiative to empower agri-businesses with catalytic capital. The goal? To boost farmer incomes, food security, and climate resilience. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/djHZ8TN5