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

Aavishkaar, the Indian micro venture capital fund that we’ve profiled on NextBillion and in GreenBiz, has been awarded the World Business Award as one of the top ten business models of the world contributing to the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals.

Other winners of the award include BOP stalwarts such as Cemex’s Patrimonio Hoy and TetraPak. I?m encouraged to see private sector-led solutions featured in an IBLF/UNDP awards program–maybe the multilaterals are finally getting the hint!

Thanks to David at the always-excellent MicroCapital blog for the heads up on Aavishkaar’s win. David also does a good job explaining the ins and outs of equity vs. loans for BOP start ups. Still curious? Browse our resources on mesofinance (the gap between micro and commercial finance) via the Search page.