Never have I flipped to glance at the back cover of a book as many times as I did while reading Jacqueline Novogratz ‘s, The Blue Sweater. Why? I couldn’t help but stare in disbelief that all of these experiences, incidents, wisdom and action belong to just one woman. This one smiling, blue-eyed, refined looking woman. She may look like a mere mortal, but she is one amazing, tough, smart woman who is changing the world in a big way!
In The Blue Sweater, Bridging The Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder & CEO of The Acumen Fund, Jacqueline shares her journey from the start of her career in International Banking through decades of development work, much of it in Africa; specifically in Rwanda. I bought this book on Seth Godin’s recommendation last year, and although I loaned it to a student to read first; the book only now jumped out of the “nice to read someday” stack and I urge you to read it too!
Jacqueline Novogratz may not be a household name (yet) but mark my words, she soon will be! The Acumen Fund’s revolutionary concept combines the best of the Philanthropy model and the best of the Venture Capital model to identify and invest in high potential entrepreneurs serving the poorest people in the world.
Jacqueline’s unique perspective and approach are the result of working in the field in Africa and in organizations such as The World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation, combined with skills she honed in the corporate world and in Stanford’s MBA program. This book, like Jacqueline herself, crosses over and interconnects the non-profit and for profit sectors, accountability and the bottom line with dignity and humanity, poverty and privilege. Jacqueline and the Acumen fund push innovation; not to serve the elite, but to drive down production costs to make life changing products and services accessible to the poor.
The Blue Sweater is not a typical “How to” business book. Instead it is an inspiring story of one woman tackling the most pervasive problem of poverty and igniting people and corporations to make a real difference in the world. The Acumen Fund has already funded over 30 thriving enterprises helping 36 million people. This is the ultimate example of social entrepreneurship and innovation in action!
Click here to see Jacqueline tell the story of the Blue Sweater. Check out the Acumen Fund Blog
To order the book, click here, (a few cents will go to the wbii).
To borrow my copy of the book, just ask:-)
Suzy Ogé is an American born business woman living in The Hague, The Netherlands. 
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