Nonprofit visionary Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO of the Acumen Fund, tells how a blue sweater and a little boy in Rwanda inspired her to help millions of people improve their lives. (btw, je to manzelka Chrisa Andersona z TED)


KATIE COURIC: At one point, you were going to be a pretty traditional banker, right?

JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: I’d never wanted to be a banker, but my parents essentially begged me to interview. I ended up at an interview with Chase Manhattan Bank. The guy said, “Tell me why you want to be a banker.” And I said, “Actually, I don’t. But my parents are making me go through this.” Truth. And he said, “Well, too bad, because if you got this job, you’d be in 40 countries over the next two years.” I said, “Can we start over?” I left the room, came back and said, “Hi. I’m Jacqueline Novogratz.” And he said, “Tell me why you want to be a banker.” And I was like, “Ever since I was six, that was my dream.” For whatever reason, I got the job.


KATIE COURIC: Did you always want to better the world?

JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: As a six-year-old in Catholic school whose dad was in Vietnam, I wanted to be a nun—or a saint, even better. [Laughs.] I’d give all my money to the poor box. I wanted to be good. What evolved was believing that this is the most interesting work there is on the planet.


KATIE COURIC: Do you ever feel hopeless?

...