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
May 1, 2009 — 01:00 am
The social enterprise space is alive and well in India. This is my overarching conclusion having spent all day Tuesday at the inaugural Sankalp Forum, hosted by Intellecap in Mumbai. Sankalp - which means "pledge" or "determination" in English - focused on the role of business in driving social change.
April 30, 2009 — 05:05 am
Are you ready to go beyond profit, to explore the range of social enterprise? If you're reading NextBillion.net, the answer is probably yes. In this case, you're in luck - a new magazine just launched, targeting this very niche (beyond profit, beyond charity - the missing middle.)
April 27, 2009 — 02:00 am
"How do I get a job working with BoP strategy?" I get that question all the time. The truth is that there is no one answer - everyone's career is different. However, we can learn from those who have successfully transitioned into a career working with the base of the pyramid. This series - BoP Career Paths - will interview BoP practitioners to
April 15, 2009 — 11:51 am
Changemakers - the Ashoka spinoff that uses "collaborative competitions" to identify innovative social enterprise models - is at it again. Their latest competition, sponsored by the Gates Foundation - is looking for "[i]nnovative solutions that span the entire agricultural value chain – from seeds to sales."
April 8, 2009 — 08:00 am
The Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI) - the scholarship-only, base-of-the-pyramid entrepreneur bootcamp worth $20,000 - has announced its class of 2009. When it comes to taking good ideas and nurturing them into real, viable companies, GSBI is in select company.
April 7, 2009 — 05:00 pm
The Financial Access Initiative (FAI) - a consortium of development economists funded by the Gates Foundation - is at the forefront when it comes to financial research for base of the pyramid markets. I have long admired the work of Jonathan Morduch and Sendhil Mullainathan, two of FAI's directors.
April 4, 2009 — 02:47 pm
You know you want to be a Pop!Tech Fellow. Or you know someone who will want to be. Either way, now's the time to act. The 2008 Fellows were a great bunch - including base-of-the-pyramid innovators like Husk Power Systems, Por Fin Nuestra Casa, Mobile Metrix, Ushahidi.com and more. Think you have what it takes to join this select company?
March 26, 2009 — 05:56 pm
The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs launched today at the Skoll World Forum. Finally, a trade association for the rest of us. The fact that ANDE brings $750M in collective funding - and a $1M innovation challenge fund - to the table demonstrates its seriousness.
March 25, 2009 — 07:30 am
In an Associated Press article posted yesterday, Qualcomm announced its backing of a videogame startup targeting BoP markets. I heard about it in an e-mail from my father, who wrote under the subject line "tacky! tacky! tacky!". While my first instinct was to agree with his assessment, I've been thinking about it more and more.
March 24, 2009 — 07:30 am
Q: What's yellow, green and seen all over? A: The bright yellow, solar-powered ambulances of Ziqitza Healthcare (1298), an ambulance company serving low-income customers in Mumbai and Kerala, India. The solar ambulances are one of ten "Eco-Friendly Innovations" featured in a new photo essay on Forbes.com.
