At Acumen Fund's 2007 Investor Gathering, the focus was squarely on three pillars: capital, knowledge and talent. Six-plus years after its creation, Acumen has staked its mission - funding entrepreneurial approaches to poverty alleviation - on these as the centerpieces of a three-pronged strategy.

So, how are they doing? On the capital front, Acumen has raised $48 million towards a $100 million goal. To build knowledge within the field, they are writing case studies, piloting assessment methodologies and launching a new web site. And as far as talent is concerned, Acumen is building and retaining a top-notch worldwide team while investing in the next generation of leaders through its Fellows program.

I was privileged to attend the Investor Gathering, and took 5 pages of notes, which I will attempt to summarize here. If you have any questions or comments, fire away.

Overview

Katherine Fulton kicked off the event discussing "Acumen's Moment" - since I blogged about that the other day, I won't repeat myself. Fulton was followed by Acumen CEO Jacqueline Novogratz, who delivered what amounted to a state of the company address. Her talk was compact and impassioned (if you have ever heard Jacqueline speak, you'll know that's the norm) and gave attendees a sneak peek into the day's details.

I particularly enjoyed her story about Medicine Shoppe, an Acumen Fund investee that runs franchised health clinics in low-income parts of India. Jacqueline was visiting some of Medicine Shoppe's new clinics in slum areas, and a local customer told her, "We're willing to pay, but we want trust and we want someone to be there for us." That single sentence pretty much wraps the entire BOP concept up: willingness to pay, with a need for trust and long-term relationships. If only 50 to 100 CEOs could get that same message...

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