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

Contributor.

Rob Katz

After co-founding NextBillion.net and spending 8-plus years working at the intersection of business and international development, Rob Katz is currently pursuing a MBA at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

 

Prior to Stanford, Rob was Acumen Fund’s Knowledge Manager, leading Acumen’s efforts to understand where markets work –and where they don’t – in terms of solving the problems of poverty. Most recently, he co-authored From Blueprint to Scale: The Case for Philanthropy in Impact Investing(Monitor Group and Acumen Fund, 2012.) In addition to writing reports, he was responsible for applied research and writing efforts across the firm; he also oversaw Acumen’s knowledge management systems.Rob joined Acumen Fund in 2008, managing online communications as well as knowledge before shifting full time into applied research work.

 

Before Acumen Fund, Rob worked with the Markets and Enterprise Program of the World Resources Institute, where he began his career researching, writing and speaking about “base of the pyramid” business approaches to poverty alleviation. At WRI, he co-founded www.NextBillion.net, a web site and blog about enterprise and development, and co-authored The Next 4 Billion: Market Size and Business Strategy at the Base of the Pyramid (IFC and WRI, 2007).

 

Here at NextBillion, Rob is both a member of our Advisory Board and a contributor to the blog.

 

Rob earned his B.A. in Political Economy from Georgetown University.

 

Follow Rob on Twitter @robertkatz.

 

Articles by Rob Katz

  • Friday
    November 7
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Guest Post: Data That Count

    Guest blogger Bill Kramer is principal of The Global Challenge Network, LLC, an executive education and training company. From 2001 through mid-2007, he worked on pro-poor business strategies with WRI. Previously, Bill founded a non-profit focusing on the relationship of knowledge to economic...

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  • Thursday
    November 6
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Hot Off the Stove? Envirofit Sells Out; Ramps Up

    Last month, NextBillion ally and BOPreneur Paul Hudnut reported on his blog that Envirofit, a company he helped start, had already sold 10,000 high-efficiency cookstoves to BoP consumers in India. This week, Envirofit announced that it was ramping up production to meet demand - though not on...

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  • Thursday
    November 6
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Pop!Tech: MobileMetrix Makes the Base of the Pyramid Visible Again

    "Who are they?” Melanie Edwards asks us.? Frankly, we don’t know ? and neither does the government.? These are the people of Morro de Macacoes ? Portuguese for “Hill of the Monkeys” ? and they are among the 1 billion people worldwide whose existence has no...

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  • Tuesday
    November 4
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Video: Al Hammond on Rural Franchise Pharmacies

    Al Hammond - a NextBillion.net Staff Writer and one of the site’s progenitors - is featured in a short video produced by his new employer, Ashoka. In it, Al describes why he moved over to Ashoka and what he’s doing there - specifically, he tells viewers about his work mentoring 7...

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  • Sunday
    October 26
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Pop!Tech: Rice Power to the People With Husk Power Systems

    Chip Ransler is the co-founder of Husk Power Systems (HPS), a for-profit company that cost-effectively converts rice husks into electricity. HPS utilizes a proprietary technology to run 35-100 kilowatt mini power plants, delivering pay-for-use electricity to un-electrified villages in...

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  • Saturday
    October 25
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Pop!Tech: Keeping It – Your Medicine – Real with PharmaSecure

    You’re sick, so you go to the doctor.? He prescribes you drugs.? The medicine makes you better, right?? Unfortunately, that’s not always the case ? especially for the billions of people living at the base of the economic pyramid.? Taylor Thompson and Nathan Sigworth are on a...

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  • Friday
    October 24
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Pop!Tech: Brian McCarthy Builds Dream Homes for the Base of the Pyramid

    Brian McCarthy wants to live in a shipping container ? seriously.? And based on what I?ve seen of his work, I would be thrilled to live in one, too.? McCarthy is the founder of PFNC, a manufacturer and provider of affordable housing. PFNC stands for Por Fin, Nuestra Casa ? a Spanish...

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  • Thursday
    October 23
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Pop!Tech: Paul Polak on Scaling the Bottom of the Pyramid

    Paul Polak is wearing a sweater vest.? This will come as no surprise to anyone who?s met him or seen him speak.? The man loves sweaters ? cardigans, sweater vests, pullovers.? Hell, in Camden today ? with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees in the midday sun ? Paul?s sweater...

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