The William Davidson Institute (WDI) at the University of Michigan and the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University hosted "Business with Four Billion: Creating Mutual Value at the Base of the Pyramid." This was the first major "base of the pyramid" meeting since World Resources Institute convened the "Eradicating Poverty Through Profit" conference in December, 2004. By all accounts, the conference was a huge success. The event was sold out, and several of the sessions were streamed live online for more people to join in from afar.

The goal of the conference was to build on the growing global interest in venture-based strategies for serving the four billion poor at the base of the pyramid (BoP). It brought together nearly 400 of the leading BoP business managers, policy makers, social entrepreneurs, academics, non-profit experts, and development agency professionals. Conference attendees came from over 30 countries across six continents.

Overall, there was an increased focus at this conference on the poverty alleviation implications of BoP ventures. WDI has taken a leadership role in exploring the unique dimensions of the BoP perspective on poverty alleviation and developing a deeper understanding of the opportunities for implementing that perspective in the field, for evaluating the full range of poverty alleviation impacts of BoP ventures, and for using a collaborative approach to create business models that incorporate the voices of the BoP. (To learn more about WDI's BoP Initiative, click here).

The conference featured plenary sessions by leading BoP experts that delved into key issue facing the BoP community. Concurrent sessions provided an opportunity for participants to engage cutting-edge thinkers on specific topics. In addition, three "Interactive Networking Sessions" were dedicated solely to individuals and organizations interested in showcasing their on-going activities with other attendees.

The conference was sponsored by the Ross School of Business and the Erb Institute, both at the University of Michigan, and by Procter & Gamble.

Click to view a Participant List from the conference.

Click to read blogs posted during and after the event.


All Sessions


Sunday


Plenary Kickoff - Slides

Plenary Address

C.K. Prahalad, Founder/Chairman -The Next Practice, Paul and Ruth McCracken Professor of Corporate - Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

State of the Field: Base of the Pyramid Perspective on Poverty Alleviation - Slides
Ted London, Director - BoP Initiative, The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan
Stuart Hart, Founder - Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise and the Base of the Pyramid Learning Lab

The Next 4 Billion: Market Size & Business Strategy at the Base of the Pyramid - Slides
Al Hammond, VP for Special Projects and Innovation - World Resources Institute


Monday - Plenary


Setting the Agenda: Concurrent Sessions - Slides
Ted London, Director of the BoP Initiative, The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan
Robert Kennedy, Executive Director - The William Davidson Institute, Tom Lantos Professor of Business Administration - School of Business, University of Michigan
Mark Milstein, of the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise, Cornell University

Plenary - Landscape

Timothy Mahoney, Director - Office of Poverty Reduction, USAID
Luis Alberto Moreno, President - Inter-American Development Bank

Plenary - Development

Narrowing the Base: Eradicating Poverty Through Enterprise - Slides
Helene Gayle, President/CEO - CARE USA
World Wildlife Fund BoP - Slides
Carter Roberts,World Wildlife Fund


Monday - Concurrent Sessions


Landscape - Adapting Existing Innovations to BoP Markets

Moderator:
Robert Kennedy, Executive Director - The William Davidson Institute, Tom Lantos Professor of Business Administration - Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Panelists:
United Villages: Adapting Existing Innovations to BoP Markets - Slides
Amir Hasson, Founder/CEO - United Villages
The Electricity Now Project - Slides
Fabio Rosa, Founder/Executive Director - IDEAAS, Brazil


Development - BoP as a Development Strategy

Moderator:
Ted London,BoP Initiative, The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Panelists:
NetMark, Africa Malaria Program the Full Market Impact™ Model - Slides
Juan Manuel Urrutia, Deputy Director - AED, West Africa (Ghana)
Colin Beckwith, Director - CARE, Central America - Slides
Patrimonio Hoy - A Perspective on Its Evolution - Slides
Ricardo Charvel, VP of Institutional Relations & Commmunications - CEMEX


Capabilities - Discovering BoP Opportunities: Key Capabilities

Moderator:
Robert Katz, Research Analyst - Markets & Enterprise, World Resources Institute

Panelists:
Discovering and Creating Opportunity in Nicaragua: Strategy, Challenges, and Lessons Learned - Slides
Ben Powell, Managing Partner - Agora Partnerships
Nils Johnson, President/CEO - Gorilla Mobile
Maria B. Rodriguez, CEO - Procter & Gamble, Colombia/Ecuador


Landscape - Improving Lives and Productivity at the BoP: A Source of Innovation

Moderator:
Robert Kennedy, Executive Director - The William Davidson Institute, Tom Lantos Professor of Business Administration - Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Panelists:
Developing Solutions for Smallholder Farmers in Mexico - Slides
Rodolfo Lopez, Director - Ashoka, Mexico
Waterhealth: Leading the Blue Revolution - Slides
Katie de Fernandez, Vice President of Business Development - WaterHealth International
Eco-enterprises by the Community at the Bottom - Slides
Muthu Velayutham, Secretary of the Board - The Covenant Centre for Development (CCD)


Development - Understanding Impacts of BoP Ventures

Moderator:
Duncan Duke, Co-Director of the BoP Protocol Project - Cornell University

Panelists:
Weza Rural Energy Enterprises - Slides
Sameer Hajee, Global Business Development Manager - Freeplay Energy, PLC.
Arunesh Singh, Country Director - Scojo Foundation, India and Bangladesh


Capabilities - Building BoP Capacity: The Role of Gaming and Simulation

Moderator:
Jac Geurts, Professor - Tillburg University, Netherlands

Panelists:
Crossroads: The Base of the Pyramid Game - Slides
Anne Geurts, Management Consultant - Twynstra Gudde
Jac Geurts, Professor - Tillburg University, Netherlands


Tuesday - Plenary


Plenary - Capabilities
Kobus de Klerk, Global Lead - The Solae Company, Nutrition for Sustainable Development
Scott Johnson, VP - Global Environment & Safety Actions, SC Johnson & Son, Inc.
Erik Simanis, Co-Director - BoP Protocol, Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise
Closing Plenary: Insights and Learning - Slides
Ted London, Director of the BoP Initiative, The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan
Robert Kennedy, Executive Director - The William Davidson Institute, Tom Lantos Professor of Business Administration - Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
Stuart Hart, Founder - Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise and the Base of the Pyramid Learning Lab


Tuesday - Concurrent Sessions


Landscape - Building Connections: Innovation Based on Removing

Moderator:
Robert Kennedy, Executive Director - The William Davidson Institute, Tom Lantos Professor of Business Administration - Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Panelists:
Leveraging Technology for Development - ITC e-Choupal Model - Slides
L.N. Balaji, President - ICT Infotech
Honey Care Africa - Slides
Farouk Jiwa, CARE Canada & Honey Care Africa


Development - Expanding Poverty Alleviation Outcomes: Financing, Franchising, and Partnering Opportunities

Moderator:
Michael Gordon, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Business Information Technology - Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Panelists:
Greg Allgood, Director, Children's Safe Drinking Water Program, Procter & Gamble
Galeria Budinich, VP, Full Economic Citizenship Initiative, Ashoka
Brian Trelstad, CIO, Acumen Fund


Capabilities - Creating BoP Opportunities: Key Capabilities

Co-Moderators:
Erik Simanis, Co-Director - BoP Protocol, Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise
Patrick Donahue, Founder - BRINQ

Panelists:
Justin DeKoszmovszky, Manager Strategic Sustainability, SC Johnson & Son, Inc.
U. Purnachand, Business Manager, The Solae Company