Acumen is a global nonprofit founded in 2001 with the mission is to solve problems of poverty and build a work based on dignity. Acumen invests across the capital continuum to help transformational companies grow from seed to scale in agriculture, energy, workforce, and more. These companies create jobs in local communities and provide products and services that help people transform their lives. By preparing leaders, investing in transformative companies, and forging strategic partnerships, we are creating new markets that are designed to work for everyone. Acumen is a global leader in investing in climate resilience for farmers in developing markets. As of 2023, Acumen has invested $74M in 53 agri-SMEs impacting 46M lives around the world. One of Acumen’s current initiatives for agri-SMEs is Trellis, a $25M philanthropically-backed investment initiative to invest in 20 companies driving income increases and climate resilience for 1M farmers in East and West Africa. Trellis is strategically focused on validating four scalable business models to catalyze additional commercial capital into adaptation finance: 1) farmer allied intermediaries, 2) market integrated production companies, 3) system enablers, and 4) value chain optimizers.