Guest blogger Arun Sharma is Scouting Lead for Innovations at the Lemelson Recognition and Mentoring Program (L-RAMP). He is also a writer for L-RAMP Blog, which explores trends in social enterprise, innovation, technology and poverty alleviation.

By Arun Sharma

Meet Dr. Venkata Krishnan, a retired veterinary medicine professor from Chennai who has developed numerous products for animal health and welfare. Recently, he came to us with an innovation for dairy cows: a way to detect bovine mastitis much before clinical symptoms of the disease significantly affect milk production.

Bovine mastitis is a bacterial disease which commonly affects dairy cows and through degraded and reduced milk production, has negative financial impacts on dairy farmers. By developing a simple and inexpensive kit for the early detection and treatment of bovine mastitis, Dr. Krishnan has provided an easy way for farmers to preserve the health of their cows and minimize financial losses from this disease.

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The NextBillion.net team is proud to introduce our newest member: Staff Writer David Lehr.

David has over fifteen years of experience in international business and development focused primarily on information communication technologies and job creation and is currently Senior Advisor, Social Innovations at Mercy Corps. He has consulted for several non-profits, including Acumen Fund and Gates Foundation on issues related to technology and poverty alleviation.

David recently returned from a year in India as an Acumen Fund Fellow, working with Drishtee, to assist the management team in their expansion efforts. Earlier, David was co-founder of an early-stage venture under the auspices of Reuters that delivers customized market data via mobile phones to farmers in the developing world. Previously, he held management positions with key Silicon Valley companies, including launching Adobe Systems in China.

He has lived and worked in several countries in Asia and speaks Mandarin Chinese. David was a Fellow at Stanford University, holds a Masters from the University of California, San Diego, and a BA from the State University of New York at Albany.

Welcome, David!