Excited to launch our new website today. Read a note from Catherine Casey Nanda and Amon Anderson reflecting on nine years of Acumen America and discussing our bold strategy for the future.
Acumen America
Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
San Francisco, California 587 followers
Investing in Health and Economic Justice for a New America
About us
Acumen America backs entrepreneurs building innovative solutions to the urgent challenges of unequal workforce development, health inequities, and financial instability.
- Website
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www.acumenamerica.org
External link for Acumen America
- Industry
- Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
- Company size
- 2-10 employees
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 2016
Locations
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Primary
San Francisco, California, US
Employees at Acumen America
Updates
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In America, 45 million people live without access to affordable credit, while 16 million people don't have access to a checking or savings account. The Mission Asset Fund (MAF) gives historically marginalized communities outside the financial mainstream loans they need through their Lending Circles program. Here, MAF's CEO José A. Quiñonez writes about how Lending Circles help Americans build credit and find more stable financial footing. https://lnkd.in/gcm_cnDm
Lending circles can help Americans build credit and find financial stability
acumenamerica.org
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Medicaid has a behavioral health crisis. Amon Anderson writes about how our portfolio companies Flourish Health and Arise are addressing Medicaid’s behavioral health shortfalls. https://lnkd.in/dgfttxx9
Medicaid's approach to behavioral health is broken. These two companies have a fix.
acumenamerica.org
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Listening to community can help improve the health outcomes of women. Here's how Reema Health and Michigan Medicine's Community Health Services are doing it. “Everything is designed based on what we're learning in the field,” Reema founder Justin Ley says. “We're seeing how it's going anecdotally and qualitatively, learning what works and what doesn't, and improving our program over time. The design comes from the doing.” Read the whole story at Acumen America: https://lnkd.in/eHW_ayue
Harnessing the power of community voice to improve health systems for women
acumenamerica.org
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Congratulations to our portfolio company Kiip for their acquisition by Findhelp. Founder Noah Harlan and his team have built an incredible platform to simplify access to social services and benefits. In partnering with Findhelp, a leading tech-enabled #SDOH platform, Kiip will be able to reach millions of users and reach impact at scale. We’re very excited for this next chapter.
I'm incredibly pleased to share that Kiip has been acquired by Findhelp. This is an exciting moment for Kiip, our team, our backers, and our partners. Findhelp is the nation's leading software platform expanding access to social services and the largest network of provider programs and referrals. With this combination, the amazing tools we've built for individuals and organizations to reduce administrative burdens and increase access will now reach the thousands of programs nationally that are part of Findhelp's networks and the millions of individuals seeking services that rely on Findhelp's tools to get the help they need. I want to thank the amazing team that has spent the last 2-1/2 years building Kiip. Specifically Jody Kitcher, Phil Robinson, India Gibbs-Harris, Corina Allender, Kelly Helfrich-Perretti, An Hoang, Khinshan Khan, Quymbee Chen, and Rachel Chen. I also was fortunate to have a spectacular Board who was smart, reliable, supportive, and provided great guidance and advice. I really couldn't have asked for more from Amon Anderson (Acumen America), Tanya Beja (AlleyCorp), Ali Hedayat, Eliza Golden Roady (Sorenson Impact), Pascaline S., and Omar Benitez. I want to acknowledge James Kane, my partner in Two Bulls, who helped launch this effort and Philip DesAutels, PhD who was instrumental in the early work to launch Kiip. I also am incredibly grateful for the investors who believed in this mission and product and took enormous risk in backing us. Finally, I want to thank Erine Gray for his vision. When we were introduced (Thank you Matthew Klein!) we immediately clicked and recognized our shared vision for helping individuals and communities. Erine has built an incredible product in what I know first-hand is an incredibly difficult space that is resistant to change. I could not be more excited for the future of Kiip and what Findhelp is going to do for so many in the years to come. https://lnkd.in/eiAnCdUt
Findhelp Announces Acquisition of Kiip, Adding New Technology that will Accelerate Its Mission to Simplify Access to Social Services and Benefits
prnewswire.com
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Monique Shaw, PhD, MPH, CHES from RWJF wants to reimagine the healthcare system so we listen to patients and their needs. "We do need to restructure the care model. We need to reimagine the entire system. What we don't often do is understand and take a really deep look at systems that are created outside of the current system in response to the current system not meeting people's needs.” Read the whole interview at Acumen America. https://lnkd.in/eRhDNt5a
Why healthcare providers must listen to the communities they serve
acumenamerica.org
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Our portfolio company samaritan was implemented in five Los Angeles community health centers, aiming to support individuals at risk or experiencing homelessness. This groundbreaking report supported by California Health Care Foundation and in collaboration with HEALTH CARE LA, IPA and Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center found that Samaritan provided significant financial support and community encouragement to its members. Samaritan's digital health intervention had a 54% cost savings with an average annual savings of $5,480.67 per person, reduced emergency department use by 21.4%, and more. Read the whole report here. https://lnkd.in/guPfE_SW
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Congratulations to our portfolio company Esusu for the launch of Esusu 2.0, their reimagined brand identity centered on the theme of Unlock Tomorrow. We are proud to be on this journey with Wemimo Abbey, Samir Goel, and the Esusu Team. Read more about the history of the Esusu brand and their vision for this next chapter here: https://lnkd.in/gwVDhzJc
Together Let’s Unlock Tomorrow - Esusu
esusurent.com
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We recently added a new company to our health portfolio with an investment in Zócalo Health. Zócalo is a digital healthcare platform that provides Latinos with culturally competent and community-oriented care. Nearly 1-in-5 Latinos are uninsured and 58% say they prefer a Spanish speaking doctor. Co-founders Erik Cardenas and Mariza H. started Zócalo to give the Latino community simpler access to healthcare. The start-up provides patients access to primary care, behavioral health, social services, care coordination, complex care management, and urgent care. The company uses community health workers to engage and build trust with Latino patients and help Medicaid payors—31.4% of Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide identify as Hispanic—better serve a large and underserved demographic. At Acumen America, we are always looking for companies with a specific focus on impact. Zócalo’s vision aligns with our goals to increase access to healthcare for a growing and historically marginalized population by leveraging tech-enabled solutions with a community focus. Zócalo currently operates in Texas, California, and Washington and is looking to expand to more states. Learn more about Zócalo at: https://www.zocalo.health/
Zócalo: Health care for Latinos, by Latinos
zocalo.health
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Catherine Casey Nanda spoke with 11VEN's Erica Mackey about how impact investing has changed, the role of market shaping, the rise of Medicaid, what makes a successful entrepreneur, and more.
"Systems change doesn't happen in a venture capital time cycle." Acumen America managing partner Catherine Casey Nanda talks to 11VEN about investing in health and economic justice for a new America by backing entrepreneurs who are tackling poverty and building a more equitable future for all. #systemschange #entrepreneurship #sustainableinnovation
The 11VEN Q&A: Acumen America managing partner Catherine Casey Nanda
11VEN on LinkedIn