Powering Productivity
In 2007, Acumen Fund expanded its portfolios to include energy, recognizing that power not only drives productivity, but is also closely linked with healthcare, water and housing, enabling access to critical products such as refrigerated vaccines, irrigation pumps or lighting in homes.
More than 1.5 billion people in the world live without access to electricity. India alone houses more than 35% of the world's population without electricity, approximately 579 million people. In countries such as Kenya, 85% of the population is off-grid.
In a sector where massive infrastructure development will likely drive success in the long term, the question is how we create access for the poor today.
As with our other portfolios, Acumen Fund's energy
investment strategy targets companies that engage the poor asconsumers of energy rather than producers. We look
for more efficient alternatives to current consumer products, as well as energy
production in and for the local community.
Our Focus Areas
Acumen Fund is currently exploring a range of potential investments in the energy space, focusing initially on:
Energy appliances at the household level: including LED lamps; cookstoves; and solar- and
human-powered products
Community-level power generation systems: including village bio-gasification, solar and
smallscale hydro and wind power.
Acumen Fund is also interested in Biofuel applications that deliver energy to the poor, do not compete directly with scarce water or food resources, and that demonstrate a proven ability to complement the local eco-culture.