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

What this episode covers

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 ✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442