Acumen America

This year was our most active investing year ever—we are reaching scale, and yet we’re just getting started. Catherine Casey Nanda and Amon Anderson look back on 2024 and where they see hope going into the new year. https://lnkd.in/duckqcCa

I'm so excited to be a part of this Transform Finance event this week. And I'm incredibly lucky to be in conversation with three brilliant leaders advancing economic mobility through employee ownership--Alison Lingane, Julie Menter and Priya Parrish.

Black women have preterm births—babies born before 37 weeks—at a 51% higher rate than other American women. Alexis Cobbins, MSW writes about the ways we can ensure that birthing women of color receive better care. https://lnkd.in/e3eCMTAv

In the last year, we’ve invested in two companies working to address the behavioral health needs of people on Medicaid: Flourish Health and Arise. Here's how they’re doing it. https://lnkd.in/dgfttxx9 

Our portfolio company Inclusively was recently featured in Forbes. Inclusively is bridging the workplace disclosure gap, allowing employees to anonymously access tools they need to thrive. "This moment is a turning point where embracing accommodations goes beyond compliance—it's about genuinely enabling individuals to succeed and meeting them where they are," CEO & Co-founder Charlotte Dales says. "Employers who recognize this—and start evolving their workforce planning strategy—will attract a more diverse and talented workforce, which ultimately drives business success." Read the whole story here: https://lnkd.in/g4HX3qiC

Empathy is at the heart of everything we do. Not because it’s good for business, or because it makes LPs or our founders happy, but because it’s who we are. While there are lessons and best practices the Symphonic team has picked up throughout our professional experiences, treating people with kindness, being transparent, and empathetic our central to who we are and what we believe makes our business better. Our founder Sydney Paige Thomas recently spoke with Acumen America about Symphonic’s approach to supporting founders and why it is intentionally different from other firms. Read her conversation with Amon Anderson: https://lnkd.in/gBcsBWGP. #venturecapitalist #founders #empathy #withkindness

AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler wants us to listen to young workers. "Young people are challenging the status quo. They're bringing in new perspectives. This generation is so civic minded and so collaborative that it warrants listening to. Society is geared toward listening to more seasoned perspectives, but I think that it's really about listening to young people." Read the whole interview here: https://lnkd.in/eRv5_JzT 

"I want to build things where people feel that they belong," Beatriz Acevedo, founder of our portfolio company Suma Wealth, told ADWEEK. Read the whole interview here: https://lnkd.in/d2upuBtS 

Health and economic justice are essential to ending poverty in America, and Acumen America is leading the charge to make it happen by investing in innovative solutions aimed at driving systemic change. By backing mission-driven entrepreneurs, Acumen America is not only supporting individual ventures but also sparking a ripple effect of positive transformation across entire sectors. Their approach is about more than funding—it’s about empowering changemakers who are reimagining the future of social and economic justice. Explore their vision for a more equitable future: https://lnkd.in/epsF9F_i

Our portfolio company Zócalo Health provides Latinos with community-oriented care. Here, Zocalo's chief medical officer Dr. Sarah Lopez, MD, MBA reflects on Zócalo's mission and its Cafecitos, Cumbia y Salud initiative. "We recognized that the healthcare system often fails to meet the needs of Latino families, leaving them to navigate a landscape not designed with them in mind. That’s why we built Zócalo Health—not just to offer clinical services but to provide culturally competent care that resonates with our people." https://lnkd.in/ezk-NpXR