# Jacqueline Novogratz

> Jacqueline Novogratz is the New York-based founder and CEO of Acumen and the author of The Blue Sweater and Manifesto for a Moral Revolution. Her work connects philanthropy, long-term investment and leadership development to enterprises serving people living in poverty.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Acumen
- **Organizations:** Acumen, Acumen Academy, Duterimbere, Rockefeller Foundation, Chase Manhattan Bank, The B Team, Anew
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA in Economics and International Relations, University of Virginia, MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Founded Acumen in 2001., Co-founded Rwanda’s first microfinance institution, Duterimbere., Received the Forbes 400 Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2016.

## Career timeline

- **1983** — Joined Chase Manhattan Bank as an international credit analyst.
- **1986** — Left banking for work in Africa; helped establish Duterimbere in Rwanda in the late 1980s.
- **1991** — Earned an MBA at Stanford.
- **1990s** — Established philanthropic leadership programs at the Rockefeller Foundation.
- **2001** — Founded Acumen.
- **2009** — Published The Blue Sweater.
- **2020** — Published Manifesto for a Moral Revolution.
- **2026** — Marked Acumen’s twenty-fifth anniversary and challenged valuation-led measures of impact investing.

## Achievements

- Founded Acumen in 2001.
- Co-founded Rwanda’s first microfinance institution, Duterimbere.
- Received the Forbes 400 Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2016.
- Named to Forbes’ 100 Greatest Living Business Minds in 2017.
- Authored The Blue Sweater and Manifesto for a Moral Revolution.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published Beyond Unicorns in Stanford Social Innovation Review, proposing broader measures of social-enterprise success.
- **2026-05** — Published Impact Capital at a Crossroads, calling for impact capital to reach underserved people and places.
- **2026-04** — Published a letter marking Acumen’s twenty-fifth anniversary.
- **2026-01** — Acumen announced that its Hardest-to-Reach initiative had secured its $250 million target in blended capital.

## Links

- Website: https://acumen.org/jacqueline-novogratz/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-novogratz/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/jnovogratz
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jnovogratz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JacquelineNovogratz/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jacqueline-novogratz
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15