Eric Cantor blogs over at Acumen Fund about the emerging ecosystem of businesses, NGOs, development folks, and government agencies working in the Indian BOP tech sector to close the digital divide and empower low-income communities. First, an excerpt - then my take:

This ecosystem is made up of actors from a wide spectrum, who approach poor markets from a different perspective. Drishtee...is making significant impact with its innovative model. Many of the other players in this space (e.g., N-Logue, ITC's e-choupals, HLL's iShakti and Tarahaat) are providing services across this new distribution channel and are producing key learnings as well. Intel's Emerging Markets Platform Group has produced a Community PC incorporating design criteria suited to the conditions of a village, which include unpredictable electricity availability, dusty conditions, bugs (the live ones!) and sparsely available technical support, that competes with another interesting solution, MIT's One Laptop Per Child.

The Inter-American Development Bank's Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) has just launched a web site dedicated to base of the pyramid strategies. Curious? Check out the site:

This is not about providing the same, existing products and services that have been developed for the top of the economic pyramid and simply marketed to the poor, but rather a new business approach that seeks to develop new products or services adapted to the needs of the BOP at an affordable price.

To undertake this initiative, MIF could partner with business associations, corporations, specialized NGOs, public sector agencies and universities that are involved in Base of the Pyramid and who have a proven track record of experience in this area.

(Disclaimer: WRI has partnered with the IADB and the MIF in the past to organize BOP conferences in Brazil and Mexico, and we are currently working with them to research the size and scope of the BOP in Latin America)

Thanks, Luiz!