Ep 124: More Than One Way to Live | Jacqueline Novogratz (Founder & CEO, Acumen)

Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder & CEO of
Acumen - a non-profit global venture capital
fund that aims to use entrepreneurial approaches to address
global poverty. 


She was also born for crisis.


As the OG of impact investing, her impressive list of accolades
include:


One of the World’s 100 Greatest Living Business Minds 2017 by
Forbes

Forbes 400 Lifetime Achievement Award for Social
Entrepreneurship, 2016

The Resolution Project Champions Circle Award, 2016

Bloomberg Markets 50 Most Influential in Global Finance, 2014

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2008






She also sits on the board of: 


Aspen Institute board of trustees

Pakistan Business Council Centre of Excellence in Responsible
Business (CERB)]

Advisory Councils of the Harvard Business School Social
Enterprise Initiative, the Oxford Saïd Global Leadership Council
and UNICEF.






When she graduated from the University of Virginia, she described
herself as someone who was "excited, idealistic & had dreams
in your head of changing the world and didn’t have a clue how to
start”.


That start ended up being at Chase Manhattan Bank - despite
telling the interviewer that she had no interest in banking &
was only there because her parents told her to!


She did so well, the then COO, Tony Triciano, wanted to fast
track her career and have her be his right hand person.


She said NO. She wanted to change the world.


And left for Africa. 


There, she suffered failure after failure after failure.


She learned that while she had gone to try & save the African
continent, Africa neither wanted nor needed saving.


But those lessons were invaluable and led her down the path of
founding Acumen.


Even when building Acumen felt like - in the words of Acumen’s
first COO, Dan Toole - “Standing at the 5th floor of a brick
building & we’re trying to build a terrace brick by brick
with no safety net underneath!”


So:


What is it like to live a life of such purpose?


Who are the people (+ life partner!) that you need to surround
yourself with to keep the mission alive?


Why did her mentor, John Gardner, use to say that “the key to
life is to be interested. Not interesting”?


Well.


You’ll just have to listen to STIMY Ep 124 to find out!





Highlights:


2:57 The Novogratz clan (like the Kennedys?!)

4:22 Orphanage

8:36 A Little Boy

9:46 Saying NO to Tony Triciano, the then COO of Chase
Manhattan Bank?!

11:24 Leaving the job of a lifetime

12:33 Africa doesn't need saving!

13:40 Being Born for Crisis

15:16 The secret sauce to establishing Duterimbere - Rwanda's
first Microfinance bank

16:21 Being maniacal

18:30 Agnes & the Rwandan genocide

20:48 Building on the 4th floor with no safety net underneath
with Dan Toole?!

22:34 When the tides started to change

24:59 Mike, the Forrest Gump of Bitcoin

26:56 Acumen in Southeast Asia

32:11 Won't social entrepreneurs succeed without Acumen?

34:55 Jacqueline's personal KPIs

37:29 Listening with her whole body

42:19 Marriage

45:20 Advice for finding the right partner!






Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/124 


YouTube: https://youtu.be/Fzi9iVKCo_4 


Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a
portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work:
https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062


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