NextBillion brings together the community of business leaders, social entrepreneurs, NGOs, policy makers, and academics who want to explore the connection between development and enterprise.
I read a brilliant article 'Design Thinking for Social Innovation' published in the Winter 2010 edition of the Stanford Social Innovation Review today. The article talks about the need for human-centric design to solve complex problems and takes one through the key elements in the 'Design Thinking' process.
Early childhood development is a term used to describe the personal growth of a child until he reaches the age of 6. Poverty at this stage will have irreversible consequences on individuals’ future lifetime opportunities. In this post I explain the role of BoP businesses in serving this vulnerable population segment.
It is clear that in the long run, the solution to terrorism is to deconstruct the life circumstances that encourage members to join organizations like the Taliban. This is not an easy task, but social entrepreneurs are working diligently to help.
The rationale for why emerging markets are a source for disruptive innovations is simply because in order for a product or service to be successful, it has to be more affordable, easier to use, and offer more value then existing products on the market. I was recently referred to an article written by Niti Bhan on this topic...
Two innovative product companies that came out of one university course are delivering some basic things to children (of different ages): warmth and light. In the case of the latter, there are also some great lessons how to grab the public's attention and imagination for a new product for the base of the pyramid.
With patient capital, philanthrocapitalism, and venture capital models becoming ever more popular ways to fill the voids of the base of the pyramid (BoP), the power of the market is emerging as increasingly vibrant. Vestergaard Frandsen, a European manufacturer of emergency relief and disease control products is harnessing that very power.
"Once you don't have it - that's when you realize the value" -- David Kuria, founder and CEO of Ecotact, speaking about toilets. As an investor and partner with Ecotact, Acumen Fund is eager to continue the celebration with Kuria and his team, as they grow from 17 facilities to a target of more than double that within the next year.
We hear a lot about microfinance empowering the poor, but who are these people that we are ostensibly helping? Are we actually helping them? At least at Fundación Agrocapital in Bolivia, the answer is an uncontestable "YES." These entrepreneurs are grateful to have access to micro-loans.
In this series, NextBillion brings you Baase of the Pyramid career path stories and best practices from across the BoP industry spectrum. Today's post features an interview with Chris Laurent, Business Development Officer at MicroVest; a capital-mobilizing intermediary for microfinance institutions.
It's easy to hate the middle men. These invisible actors in the supply chain are often portrayed as shady characters who create little "value", instead contributing to higher prices at the grocery store register and lower wages to farmers. What do they do, anyway?
