Posts by Lina M. Salazar Ortegón
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The BoP Isn’t What it Used to Be: IDB’s upcoming forum to focus on how income changes are leading to business opportunities
More than 400 million people in Latin America live at the base of the pyramid today, and they represent a $760 billion annual market. The Inter-American Development Bank’s BASE III Forum will provide an opportunity to discuss how to tap into this largely unexplored market.
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- Entrepreneurship, Environment, Health Care
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Wednesday
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May 20
2015Exploring the Base of the Pyramid in Latin America: A new IDB report and conference will discuss this vibrant, evolving market
Latin America’s BoP now encompasses 406 million people and represents a market of $760 billion. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will explore this market in a new report, to be released at the BASE III Forum, June 29-July 1 in Mexico City. In this Q&A, Luiz Ros, Manager of Opportunities for the Majority at the IDB, provides a sneak peak at the report and the forum.
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- Education, Entrepreneurship
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Celebrating World Health Day with Business Ideas
As their earnings increase, people at the BoP tend to consider health a priority expense, opening the door to businesses interested in serving this market. In celebration of today’s World Health Day, Lina M. Salazar Ortegón with Opportunities for the Majority, provides a few ideas for health companies and service providers in search of new opportunities.
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- Health Care
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Thursday
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March 12
2015Where Ethics and the Enterprise Intersect: 1,001 questions at the 2015 Latin American Impact Investment Forum (FLII)
What is an ethical business? During last month’s Latin America Impact Investing Forum (FLII) Avina’s Bernardo Toro, said it clearly: “It is a business that doesn’t prey on people; one that creates real value; one that pays attention to what’s important, not what’s showy.” Simple and to the point, so why do we struggle with it?
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- Education, Entrepreneurship, Impact Assessment
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Monday
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February 16
2015NexThought Monday – Counterintuitive Ideas are the Right Answer for Sustainable Enterprises
We often assume low-income communities will purchase a product or service simply because we think they would need it for more comfortable, better lives – just as we would. However, we rarely give enough importance to the social codes, the priorities, the calculations and mental process behind the actual decision-making.
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- Entrepreneurship
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Thursday
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July 24
2014How Abandoned Houses are Creating a Golden Opportunity: An interview with Antonio Díaz, Founder and CEO of Provive
Mexico experienced its own housing boom and bust. More than 7 million homes were constructed in the last decade, thanks in large part to government incentives. But the building wave left more than 600,000 abandoned homes, hot spots for drug abuse and vagrancy. Provive, a social impact enterprise that both renovates houses and revitalizes entire communities, is improving property values with an eye toward profit.
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- Entrepreneurship
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Thursday
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March 20
2014Understanding Risk, Then Adapting : How to overcome the fear of working with the base of the pyramid?
Facing risk takes an entrepreneurial spirit as well as managerial willingness to innovate. Innovating is equivalent to making mistakes; accessing BoP markets demands risk tolerance, and a trial and error dynamic. The question then is how to manage risk? In 2003, in the middle of the microcredit boom in Brazil, Tenda Atacado, a São Paulo-based wholesale company, faced what seemed to be a very risky endeavor.
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- Entrepreneurship
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Monday
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January 13
2014NextThought Monday: Three Assumptions You Should Avoid When Working with the BoP
My goal in Villa El Salvador — an urban, residential district on the outskirts of a desert area in Lima —was to supervise a focus group with inhabitants of this neighborhood that will be part of a broader study that IDB’s Opportunities for the Majority is developing as part of its 2014 knowledge production strategy. Many of participants in the focus group surprised me with some of their answers, as they went against many of my rooted preconceptions.
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- Entrepreneurship