[NextBillion News] NextBillion Invites Your Input!

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NextBillion News vol.13 April 2, 2006
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Where Business and Development Meet

[Contents]

1. New Look and Features on NextBillion

2. New Ventures on NextBillion

3. “Innovations”: MIT Press journal debut

3. Upcoming Events

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1. New Look and Features on NextBillion – Other suggestions?

You may have noticed a new look to Nextbillion this week. Our design team (DevelopmentSeed.org) has updated the fonts and colors a bit to make our content more readable. We've also added a few new blog topics--water, housing, and marketing--to reflect growing interest and activity in these sectors. As we approach our "official" one-year anniversary in early May, we've got some more upgrades in store for you, including enhanced search features and improvements to our user profile pages.

As long as we're in the mood to give our developers more work, we thought we'd find out what features YOU would like to see on Nextbillion. Some of our readers have already suggested the addition of a BOP jobs database. Others have said they would find a database of BOP-related business plan competitions useful. What would you find valuable?

Nextbillion has grown steadily over the past year thanks to loyal readers like you. Here’s your chance to help us make it even better. If you’ve got ideas, please email us directly at info@nextbillion.net.

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2. New Ventures on NextBillion

The fact that poverty alleviation and environmentally conscious policies go hand in hand is nothing new, yet much work is needed to support the development of sustainable entrepreneurs at the Base of the Pyramid. New Ventures (NV), a sister program at WRI, works with these socially responsible entrepreneurs to sharpen their business plans, network with like-minded professionals and attract venture capital from major investors.

New Ventures recently launched a “featured content” section on NextBillion to showcase some of their outstanding entrepreneurs who have developed innovative strategies for generating sustainable profits. The site will be loaded with in-depth articles, video, and podcast interviews featuring the next generation of CEOs who are redefining the way businesses interact with the world.

To start, NV has posted an audio interview with the founder of Sustenta Soluciones, a company that transforms environmentally friendly products from low income producers into high-end corporate gifts for companies such as Nestle, Shell and Hyatt. To access to interview, visit http://www.nextbillion.net/resources/nvcontent

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3. “Innovations”: MIT Press journal debut

MIT Press has launched the journal “Innovations,” edited by Philip Auerswald (GMU’s Center for Science and Technology Policy) and Iqbal Quadir (Harvard’s Center for Business and Government; founder of Grameen Phone). The journal’s content “bridges the gap between ‘whatever works’ BOP practice and rigorous academic analysis.” Article contributors for the journal’s first issue include Stuart Hart (Professor/Cornell University Johnson School of Business; author, Global Capitalism at the Crossroads); Bill Drayton (Founder/CEO, Ashoka); Martin Fisher (Founder/CEO, Kickstart); and other leading BOP researchers and practitioners.

Read a full review of the first “Innovations” issue: http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2006/03/28/innovations-from-base-to-top-a-must-read

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4. Upcoming Events

IDB Seminar: Building Broad-Based Economic Growth
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
April 3-5, 2006

A special seminar on "Building Broad-Based Economic Growth," held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank, will focus on how to strengthen the role of the private sector in offering products and services adapted to the needs of low-income consumers. For more information, visit: http://www.iadb.org/am/2006/index.cfm.

NYU Stern's Conference of Social Entrepreneurs
New York City
April 6-8, 2006

By gathering the leading academic researchers and the top social
innovators from around the world, this conference will forward our
understanding of social entrepreneurship and help set the agenda for
future inquiry in the field. For more information, visit: http://www.stern.nyu.edu/berkley/conference

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NextBillion News vol. 13 April 2, 2006

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Thank you,
Development Through Enterprise Team
World Resources Institute

http://www.nextbillion.net
http://www.wri.org
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