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.
Our Staff Writers and Editors offer insights on the latest news, events, interviews and other happenings from the development through enterprise and base of the pyramid universes
December 17, 2009 — 07:00 am
The UK-based social business Journeys for Change recently brought a group of senior leaders from some of the world’s top private, public and civil society organisations (including Credit Suisse, Swedbank, BonnVentures & the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation) to meet some of India’s most inspiring social entrepreneurs in Calcutta and Hyderabad.
December 16, 2009 — 07:00 am
You have to see it to believe it - no pun intended. VisionSpring, the award-winning social enterprise, has released a new video highlighting its impact on base-of-the-pyramid communities around the world. It's fantastic to see (pun intended) VisionSpring grow with my own eyes. In just the past two years, they have spun out from Scojo New York...
December 10, 2009 — 07:00 am
Well, are you? If you are, then be sure to apply to this year's Unreasonable Institute. The Institute is an social enterprise incubator / fellowship / peer-selected investment fund all rolled into one somewhat messy, completely brilliant ball.
December 2, 2009 — 05:00 pm
If you have a business idea to help improve the world, listen up. The newly-announced West Coast Village Capital (WCVC) is a social venture program that brings entrepreneurs together to learn from and support each other's social enterprises. Unlike most incubators or seed funds, however, WCVC also puts the investment decision in the hands of...
November 13, 2009 — 07:00 am
Metrics, impact assessment and impact investing are popular and important topics in development right now. Much of the work in this area has been done ad hoc, though that is beginning to change with the advent of the Global Impact Investing Network and the Impact Reporting and Investment Standards. An interesting workshop will take it forward...
November 9, 2009 — 07:10 pm
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Sixth Annual NYU Conference of Social Entrepreneurs here in New York. The day-long conference brought practitioners together with academics for a day-long discourse on measuring impact and valuing (social) investment.
October 27, 2009 — 02:00 pm
We are glad to welcome the newest member of the NextBillion.net team, Nathan Wyeth. Nathan will support the operations of NextBillion.net, specifically its news, research, and jobs sections. He combines an academic background in international development with experience in environmental and energy policymaking.
October 22, 2009 — 11:26 pm
On Tuesday, D.Light Design released its newest product, the Kiran. Dubbed by its staff a $10 Kerosene Killer, the Kiran is the world's most affordable quality solar lamp. According to the company's web site, "It is a safer and brighter alternative to the kerosene lantern, and is designed to provide 360-degree lighting for the home or workplace."
October 6, 2009 — 05:00 pm
Acumen Fund is excited to announce that the application process for the 2010-2011 Class of Acumen Fund Fellows is now open! (Full disclosure: I work at Acumen Fund and the organization is one of the NextBillion's Founding Sponsors.) Applications will be accepted online until 11:59pm EST on Thursday, November 5, 2009.
October 6, 2009 — 05:00 am
This past weekend, 100+ attendees convened in Ann Arbor, Michigan for "Creating a Shared Roadmap: Collaboratively Advancing the Base of the Pyramid Community." Despite the tortured title - one only an academic could love! - the 3-day event was incredibly vibrant and merits a quick report-out here on NextBillion.
