Human Capital and Human-Centered Development in an Interconnected World

Building Bridges, the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, and the Berges Lecture Series present:

Jacqueline Novogratz, who will receive the Notre Dame Award for International Human Development and Solidarity on October 31, is the founder and CEO of Acumen, a nonprofit global venture capital fund. The fund takes a market-oriented approach to promote human development by providing “patient capital,” a pioneering form of financing that combines features of venture capital and traditional philanthropy to bring critical products and services to areas of the world that are most in need.

Since its establishment in 2001, Acumen has invested over $80 million in Africa and South Asia in 75 companies focused on delivering affordable healthcare, water, housing, and energy to people living in poverty. These companies have created and supported over 58,000 jobs and provided basic services to more than 100 million people.

Novogratz chronicled her quest to understand poverty in a best-selling memoir The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World, which challenges readers to rethink their engagement with the poor around the world.