About Acumen
Acumen is a venture capital firm founded in 2001. It is primarily based out of New York City, United States. As of Sep 2026, Acumen is an active investor, having invested in 183 companies, with 7 new investments in the last 12 months. It primarily invests in Seed round in United States based startups. Its investments are spread across a wide range of sectors from Enterprise Applications to Food and Agriculture Tech and HealthTech. Most recently it participated in the $***** Series D round of Sun King Overall, Acumen portfolio has seen 1 unicorn, 1 IPO and 12 acquisitions including key companies like Esusu, EarnUp and AyurVAID Hospitals. A lot of funds co-invest with Acumen, with names like Impact Engine sharing a substantial percentage of its portfolio. Acumen has team of 142 people including 22 partners.Key Metrics
Team Members
Portfolio Count
Portfolio Sectors
Portfolio Locations
Rounds of Entry
Seed, Series A & 6 more
Portfolio IPOs
Portfolio Unicorns
Portfolio Soonicorns
Deals in last 12 months
Acumen's List of Top Investments
Acumen has a portfolio of 183 companies, one of which is a Unicorn. Their most notable investments are in S4S Technologies and ReCircle.Their portfolio spans across United States, India, Kenya and 21 more locations. They have invested in Enterprise Applications, Food and Agriculture Tech, HealthTech and 26 other sectors, across stages such as Seed, Series A and 6 more. Here is the list of top investments by Acumen:
AI-powered distributed energy platform delivering clean, reliable power in Global South. The company powers prosperity by providing renewable electricity to unserved and underserved communities. It utilizes an AI-enabled distributed energy resources (DER) platform to serve communities, commercial & industrial (C&I) businesses, and individual households. It offers flexible “pay-as-you-go” options. The company's assets are grid interoperable, supporting national electrification efforts. The platform leverages artificial intelligence to optimize energy demand, maximize renewable energy mix, and enhance customer service. It focuses on clean energy, renewable energy, solar power, rural electrification, energy access, commercial and industrial solar, rural e-commerce, digital finance, distributed renewable energy, community solar, and solar minigrids.
Key facts about Husk Power Systems
- Founded Year: 2008
- Location: Fort Collins (United States)
- Annual Revenue: ₹100 - ₹500 Cr as on Mar 31, 2025
- Stage: Series D
- Total Funding till date: $74.3M
- Employee Count: 467 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Shell, Engie and 18 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Conventional Debt, Sep 10, 2025, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
2. Esusu
Online platform offering credit-building solutions through rent payment reporting. It captures rental payment data and reports it to credit bureaus to boost credit scores. This helps the tenants to build and establish their credit scores and also helps property owners to attract new tenants. It also reports property management analytics and more.
Key facts about Esusu
- Founded Year: 2018
- Location: New York City (United States)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $200M
- Employee Count: 159 as on Mar 31, 2026
- Investors: SoftBank Group, SoftBank Vision Fund and 34 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Dec 11, 2025, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
3. d light
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Key facts about d light
- Founded Year: 2004
- Location: Nairobi (Kenya)
- Stage: Series E
- Total Funding till date: $118M
- Employee Count: 107 as on Feb 28, 2025
- Investors: Nexus Venture Partners, Shell and 38 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Conventional Debt, Feb 20, 2024, $*****
4. Paga
Agent-based payment solutions for consumers and businesses. Provides money transfers, bill payments, online or offline purchases, mobile recharges, travel reservations, cash deposits, cash withdrawals, business capital support, and more.
Key facts about Paga
- Founded Year: 2009
- Location: Lagos (Nigeria)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $35M
- Employee Count: 2 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Capricorn, KD Capital and 18 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Sep 06, 2018, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
5. M Kopa
Key facts about M Kopa
- Founded Year: 2011
- Location: Nairobi (Kenya)
- Stage: Series D
- Total Funding till date: $241M
- Employee Count: 3,398 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Generation Investment Management, Sumitomo and 37 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Conventional Debt, Jun 06, 2024, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
Acumen's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
Acumen has invested in 183 companies over the last 24 years, with an average of 7 new investments annually in the last 10 years. In 2025, it made 2 investments, while as of Sep 2026, it has made 6 investments in this year. Its most recent first time investment was in Sun King and most recent follow-on round was in S4S Technologies.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 6 | 0 | 6 |
2025 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
2024 | 8 | 1 | 9 |
2023 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
2022 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
2021 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
2020 | 9 | 5 | 14 |
2019 | 8 | 1 | 9 |
2018 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
2017 | 9 | 2 | 11 |
Acumen's Investments by Stage
Acumen has made 83 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $1.58M, 31 investments in Series A stage with an average round size of $5.33M and 10 investments in Unattributed stage with an average round size of $2.01M.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Seed | 83 |
Series A | 31 |
Unattributed | 10 |
Series B | 6 |
Conventional Debt | 4 |
Others | 3 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Acumen's Investments by Sector
Acumen has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Enterprise Applications, Food and Agriculture, Environment, Energy and Food and Agriculture Tech. Notably, it has invested in 84 Consumer (B2C) companies, 80 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 76 Tech companies and at least 60 companies focusing on Social impact.Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Enterprise Applications | 23 |
Food and Agriculture | 17 |
Environment | 16 |
Energy | 13 |
Food and Agriculture Tech | 13 |
Others | 133 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Acumen's Investments by Geography
Acumen has made most investments in United States (43), followed by India where it has made 37 investments.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
United States | 43 |
India | 37 |
Kenya | 16 |
Pakistan | 6 |
Nigeria | 5 |
Others | 29 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Acumen's recent investments
Acumen has made 6 investments in 2026 so far. Sun King and Pullusafrica are the latest among them.Here are the most recent investments by Acumen:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sep 24, 2026 | Kenya | Series D | 2449 | - | |
May 06, 2026 | - | Seed | 6233 | - | |
Apr 20, 2026 | Uganda | Seed | 9030 | - | |
Apr 08, 2026 | Uganda | Seed | 9335 | - | |
Mar 05, 2026 | Nigeria | Series A | 9375 | - |
Unicorns in Acumen's Portfolio
Acumen has 1 unicorn in its portfolio - Esusu. The most recent unicorn in their portfolio is Esusu which became a unicorn in 2022, 2 years after Acumen first invested in it.Here is a list of unicorns in Acumen's portfolio:
Tracxn Score | Company | Short Description | Founded year | Sector | Location | Company Stage | First Investment/ Acquisition Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
77 | Online platform offering credit-building solutions through rent payment reporting | 2018 | New York City | Series C | kumgcxi |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in Acumen's Portfolio
1 of Acumen's portfolio company became public - BharatRohan. It got listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), in Sep 2025 at marketcap of $19.1MHere are Acumen's portfolio companies that went public:
Company | IPO Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sep 30, 2025 | Jan 27, 2022 | Seed | 4360 |
Acquired companies in Acumen's Portfolio
12 companies from Acumen's portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was EarnUp in Feb 2026 by Array for $*****.Here are Acumen's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Feb 25, 2026 | Jan 11, 2018 | Grant (prize money) | 7270 | |
Jul 17, 2024 | - | - | 5013 | |
Oct 06, 2022 | Apr 16, 2008 | Seed | 7579 | |
Sep 06, 2022 | Oct 27, 2017 | Series B | 2500 | |
May 19, 2022 | Mar 26, 2007 | Seed | 7764 |
Team profile of Acumen
Acumen has a team of 142 members including 22 Partners and 26 Principals located in United States, India and 6 more locations. Acumen's team sits on the board of 5 companies.Here is a list of top team members in Acumen:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | Bengaluru | Carbon Masters, Saahas and 1 more | ||
Partner | New York City | - | ||
Partner | Bogota | - | ||
Partner | - | - | - | |
Partner | Pakistan | - | ||
Partner | Mumbai | |||
Partner | Chicago | - | ||
Partner | New York City | - | ||
Partner | Palo Alto | - | - |
Co-investors of Acumen
Over the past 24 years, 938 investors have co-invested in Acumen's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before Acumen: USAID, SunFunder and 329 others have invested in rounds before Acumen. There are 5 companies where USAID has invested before Acumen and 3 companies where SunFunder has invested before Acumen.
- Top Co-investors of Acumen: 189 investors entered a company along with Acumen. These include investors like Impact Engine (5 companies).
- Invested after Acumen: A total of 418 investors have invested in Acumen's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include FMO (5 companies), British International Investment (4 companies) and Europa (4 companies).
Recent News related to Acumen
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Swedfund Invests $12 Million in Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund II (ARAF II)IT Finans•Jul 30, 2026•Swedfund, Acumen
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Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund Secures $90 Million for Climate-Resilient Farming in AfricaiGrow News•Jul 20, 2026•ARAF, Green Climate Fund, Acumen, Proparco and 3 others
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Tugboat Secures $3M Seed Funding to Enhance Homeowner Claims SupportInsurance Journal•Jun 15, 2026•Tugboat claims, Resilience, South Dakota First, Sure Ventures and 3 others
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Malama Health Secures $9.2M to Expand Maternal Health Platform and Doula NetworkHIT Consultant•Mar 12, 2026•Capital F, Coyote Ventures, Acumen America, and 3 others
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Clean-tech startup ScrapUncle raises Rs 22 Cr in pre-Series A roundEntrackr•Jan 28, 2026•ScrapUncle, Acumen, Orios Venture Partners, Soonicorn Ventures and 3 others
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Pear Suite Secures $7.6M in Series A Funding to Power Community Health Workers NationwideBusiness Wire•Oct 14, 2025•The SCAN Foundation, Rock Health Capital, Enable Ventures, Pear Suite and 8 others
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Boomerang Ventures Invests $1M in Sonara Health to Scale Hybrid Methadone Care NationwideThe News Observer•Sep 23, 2025•Sonara, Sorenson Impact, Boomerang Ventures, First Trust Capital Partners and 2 others
