Articles by Rob Katz
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Tuesday
April 17
2012Monitor and Acumen Research Highlights Why Impact Investing Needs Philanthropy
Today, we are thrilled to release From Blueprint to Scale: The Case for Philanthropy in Impact Investing, a new study by Monitor Group, in collaboration with Acumen, on the role of philanthropy in impact investing. From Blueprint to Scale is based on Monitor’s deep expertise, 60+ expert interviews and 10+ years of Acumen Fund data; it shows how grants are needed to bridge the gap when developing new business models that serve low income customers.
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Interviews
Tuesday
January 31
2012Insight into the Impact Investment Market: An Interview with Amit Bouri
J.P. Morgan and the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) recently released “Insight into the Impact Investment Market,” a report incorporating data from over 2,200 private transactions and the perspectives of 52 impact investors on returns, risk and impact measurement practices. GIIN’s Amit Bouri details the progress and obstacles identified in the report.
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- Impact Assessment
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Tuesday
September 6
2011Man on Wire: A Social Entrepreneur?s Delicate Balancing Act
Question: What do a 24-year old French performance artist and a 35-year old Indian electrical engineer have in common? Answer: Each has mastered a delicate balancing act, integral to his survival. Social entrepreneurs must purposefully navigate the path to scale keeping in mind three directions: mission, margin and mandate.
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Guest Articles
Tuesday
July 5
2011Striking a Balance: GIIN Leader On Impact Investment’s Role, Critics and Future
Not every investment is an impact investment; not every enterprise can (or should) be funded by impact investors. In our interview, Amit Bouri, Director of Strategy and Development at the Global Impact Investing Network, defines impact investing, discusses its role in the sector, responds to recent criticism of the field and charts a path forward.
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- Impact Assessment, Social Enterprise
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Friday
March 4
2011The Healthcare Infrastructure Conundrum
The new clinic is opening today. The town council, mayor, and other bureaucrats have been summoned. The company promoting the new chain of rural health clinics has sent its CEO, and its board chair, who has come from thousands of miles away in the west. The garlands have been prepared; chairs and a tent have been set up. This is progress.
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- Health Care
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Wednesday
November 3
2010Need Funding? Like Prizes? Innocentive May Be Your Answer
"But Rob, the impact investing community doesn’t do startups, doesn’t do angel. The traditional VCs won’t look at me because financial return expectations don’t match up; traditional philanthropists won’t because I’m a for-profit. Any ideas?"Welcome to my regular conversations with promising, early stage social entrepreneurs.
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Tuesday
October 12
2010What Khosla’s New Fund Says About the BoP Evolution
Billionaire Vinod Khosla made bucketloads of money on the SKS IPO. Rather than take his money and exit, his new fund will recycle the initial social investment capital into a new, high-risk sector: firms serving the base of the pyramid. What does this tell us about the evolution of the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) sector?
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Wednesday
September 8
2010Shilpa Shah is Building Leaders for Indian Social Enterprises
The Piramal Fellowship is a unique opportunity for aspiring business and community leaders to engage at the intersection of business success and social impact. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Shilpa Shah, founder of the Fellowship, which is accepting applicants until September 15th. It’s not too late to apply!
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