NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Starting on Monday we’ll publish a special series that looks at what 2010 meant for the Base of the Pyramid idea. We asked Staff Writers to share what was, in their view, the most significant event or idea related to the BoP domain. Some of their responses will be posted next week and some a few days after that.

The series made me think about the great diversity of voices that participate in this conversation on a daily basis. Everyone in this community (readers and writers) approach the debate idea from a different angle but with a common goal. The angle might be a region (take Diana Hollmann’s interest in the Middle East and North Africa) or a sector (think Saurabh Lall’s work on energy) or a discipline (take Heather Fleming’s work on design and Heather Esper’s work on impact metrics). Regardless of our angle, we’re all motivated by the common vision of a world where everyone is empowered to make his or her own choices, and everyone has access to the essential tools they need to pursue lives of purpose.

I was thinking about my own answer to “the best of” question and I’d mention maturity and shared ownership. Indeed, NextBillion and the industry it chronicles seem to be reaching a next stage of maturity. No longer is this a set of isolated organizations pursuing social change through business tools. More and more there’s an industry around it, greater efficiency and more of a common understanding of key definitions and shared goals. ANDE grew its membership base tremendously and made huge progress planting seeds around the world. The GIIN, similarly, hit some breakthroughs in making impact investing a true “asset class”.

Similarly, NextBillion is no longer the project of an individual organization. A larger group of institutions is now part of its operation and invests in keeping it active for the sake of the value ot provides. New organizations joined as partners, new writers and editors came on board and Scott Anderson joined as co.Managing Editor. He’s has done a great job as the first full time staff devoted to curating the NextBillion conversation and taking this platform to the next level. We’re excited about the year ahead and eagerly look forward to several new projects.

I will leave it at for today and invite you to tune back in after this holiday weekend. On behalf of the whole NextBillion team, here’s wishing you a good and peaceful weekend wherever you are.

In case you missed it: NextBillion this week

Rural Marketing Congress India 2010: Reaching the 700 Million, by Karthik Chandrasekar

Five Reasons BusinessWeek is Wrong About Pakistan, by Bryan Farris

Guest Post: ThinkImpact Offers A New Approach to Catalyzing Rural Entrepreneurs, by Saul Garlick

Practical Progress Via the ’Opportunity Collaboration’, by Scott Anderson