Acumen Fund is a nonprofit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. We seek to prove that small amounts of philanthropic capital, combined with large doses of business acumen, can build thriving enterprises that serve vast numbers of the poor. Our investments focus on delivering affordable, critical goods and services - like water, health, housing and energy - through innovative, market-oriented approaches. We provide debt and equity, not grants, for business models that focus on the needs of customers who make less than $4 per day, that aim to scale to reach hundreds of thousands if not millions of customers, and that are on a path towards financial sustainability.

A member of the Global Water Challenge, Acumen Fund centers its investment activity in water around a few critical areas, seeking to address challenges related to health, productivity, low-incomes and lack of dignity by supporting enterprises that improve water access, drinking water quality, water management capacity and sanitation. Acumen Fund's Director of Portfolio Strategies, Yasmina Zaidman, and Water Portfolio Manager, Adrien Couton, will be serving as guest commentators for the competition, and Acumen Fund will be looking for enterprises among the competition participants that provide innovative market-based solutions in water and sanitation as potential fits with our investment portfolio.