invested in 30 companies since launch
About Where To Next
Where to Next examines the collective and systemic problems in America while putting a spotlight on the brightest individuals and companies working to solve them. We are building an engaged community and elevating voices that are each asking the same question: Where to next?
We can’t go back to the old way of doing things, so we are digging deep and discussing some of our country’s thorniest issues but always with an eye to highlighting very real and scalable solutions.
Where to Next examines the collective and systemic problems in America while putting a spotlight on the brightest individuals and companies working to solve them. We are building an engaged community and elevating voices that are each asking the same question: Where to next?
We can’t go back to the old way of doing things, so we are digging deep and discussing some of our country’s thorniest issues but always with an eye to highlighting very real and scalable solutions.
ABOUT ACUMEN AMERICA
Acumen America is investing in solutions for an underserved market.
Nearly 100 million Americans live at or below 2X the federal poverty line and the country struggles with socio-economic immobility and inequality. The social safety net is strained and, as a result, millions of hardworking families struggle to get by. The United States is in need of entrepreneurs with new ideas to seize the market opportunity for innovative solutions that tackle systems of poverty.
We believe that early-stage investment can catalyze innovation and fill a capital gap for high-impact entrepreneurs. We invest up to $750K in for-profit startups across health, financial inclusion, and workforce development. We work closely with our investees to ensure that Founders have the resources they need to maximize impact.
We provide catalytic capital, and hands-on support to scale high-impact companies across three sectors: Health, Financial Inclusion, and Workforce Development. Acumen America has developed networks and insights to identify where commercial value and social impact are aligned. Through an efficient diligence process, we identify entrepreneurs and market opportunities poised for growth and impact.
We help Founders sustain, enhance, and scale the impact of their company. We invest across early-stage rounds (Pre-seed, Seed and Series A), and provide follow-on capital. Once we invest, we aim to be active in supporting our entrepreneurs on strategy and governance, bringing in proven impact measurement tools and leveraging a deep network of mission-aligned leaders.
Our Reach
$14M
28.5M
Americans reached through Acumen’s portfolio companies’ services
67K
meals delivered to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic
700K
Americans connected to essential life services, jobs, and training opportunities through Acumen America’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund
Our portfolio companies, by the numbers
Mindright has exchanged 100K+ texts with low-income youth of color to deliver mental health support and coaching
Bitwise’s tech industry job training serves 72% non-white students and 40% first-generation Americans.
Bitwise has created 10,000 jobs in Fresno, its first city
Listo has provided 40,000+ loans and insurance policies to its customers, many of whom would not have access to these financial services elsewhere
Climb Credit has provided 20,000+ student loans for high quality vocational and technical school programs
We're working to change the way venture-backed companies look
54%
Founders of color
38%
Founders identify as women
80%
Companies based outside New York City and San Francisco
ABOUT OUR WHERE TO NEXT PARTNERS
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is the U.S.’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. RWJF works to build a national Culture of Health to help raise the health of everyone in the United States to the level that a great nation deserves, by placing well-being at the center of every aspect of life.
Barclays is an organization driven by its purpose – deploying finance responsibly to support people and businesses, acting with empathy and integrity, championing innovation and sustainability, for the common good and the long term.
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of RNA interference therapeutics for genetically defined diseases.
Target Foundation envisions a world where all families and communities have the resources they need to determine and realize their own joy in life. This is why the Target Foundation is committed to enabling shared prosperity and opportunity by upholding equity and inclusion for all communities