S2 E6. Woman and Change: Business Leaders with Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO of Acumen

Apr 10, 2023

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In this episode, I speak with Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO of Acumen, a global organization that invests in for-profit companies that are tackling poverty and building a world where everyone has the opportunity to live with dignity.

For too long, businesses and corporations have put profits above everything else, to the detriment of people and the planet. Jacqueline Novogratz has pioneered an entirely new business model that uses traditional market-based approaches to invest in companies that are bringing affordable, life-changing products and services to the world’s poorest populations.

In our conversation, Jacqueline speaks about what it takes to be a leader who creates meaningful and lasting social impact, who can withstand the inevitable challenges that get in the way, and who always strives to do what’s right, not what’s easy.

Some topics we cover include:

How Acumen is pioneering a new business approach that people people and planet above profits
Stories of the entrepreneurs Acumen supports, and the lives of the people they impact
The importance of building a world based on dignity
How change happens – starting small with big dreams
Jacqueline’s tips for being a socially responsible entrepreneur and investor
Why women are integral to solving the problems of poverty
Moral imagination, moral leadership, and the moral revolution

And more!

Jacqueline’s books:

Manifesto for Moral Revolution: Practices to Build a Better World
The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World

Transcription is available here

Changemakers: How women make change happen

This is the first episode of the new Changemakers series which explores how women make change happen from those at the top helping to drive it. Each episode, we look at where we are on this long march to equality, what lies ahead, and how important you are in the fight.

In this 14-episode series, we’ll hear from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkol Karman, Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, and Afghanistan's youngest ever female mayor Zarifa Ghafari, among others. Guest host Asha Dahya speaks with co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Movement Alicia Garza.

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