“I was an accidental banker. To please my parents, I went for an interview with Chase Manhattan Bank in 1983. They promised to send me into their offices in more than 40 countries and essentially audit the practices. It was an extraordinary job.”

American entrepreneur and author

Jacqueline Novogratz is an American entrepreneur and author. She is the founder and chief executive of Acumen, a nonprofit venture capital fund that applies business methods to the problem of global poverty. Her work centers on social enterprise and on using investment to support practical solutions for people living in poverty. Through Acumen, she has helped shape a model that brings entrepreneurial thinking to philanthropy and development.