Businesses interested in exploring base of the pyramid markets often ask for hard data: how many people? Where do they live? What do they spend money on? BOP pioneers CK Prahalad and Stuart Hart have done well for themselves and their ideas, as demonstrated by the success of their latest books. For the data-hungry manager, though, these books leave something to be desired – both are primarily anecdotal and make vague estimates about the size of the BOP. I have good news for managers – that’s all about to change.

With my head spinning from the loftiness of an IDB infused week, I happily returned to reality in a conversation with Kiva, which--as many of you know--is leveraging micro-finance institutions (MFIs) to create virtual connections between investors and micro-entrepreneurs. This doesn't sound remarkable until you learn that this investor could be you, your Uncle Benny from Ohio, or anyone else, who with, as CNN Money so aptly wrote, "...$25, a PC and a PayPal account...now [has] the wherewithal to be an international financier." A sort of investment experience for the proletariat, Kiva has turned the traditional microfinance lending model on its head.

If you’re in Madagascar at this very moment and you’re reading this blog, then chances are you’re attending Conservation International’s symposium, “Defying Nature's End: The Africa Context.” But for those of us who have to see lemurs in the zoo, here’s some information about what’s going on in Madagascar.

The four day symposium, which began yesterday, explores ways of harnessing Africa’s biodiversity and using it to reduce poverty in the region. Among the hotshot speakers are Columbia University economist Jeffrey D. Sachs who is also director of the U.N. Millennium Project. Unfortunately for U2 fans, Bono will not be in attendance. Neither will Angelina Jolie; she just had a baby.