Skip navigation

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

  • Thursday
    September 11
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Job: Executive Director, Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs

    Position: Executive Director, Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs Location: Washington, D.C. Organization: The Aspen Institute, founded in 1950, is an international nonprofit organization.? Its mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Tuesday
    September 9
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Nachiket Mor: Revolutionizing Financial Services in Rural India

    Want to lull me to sleep?? First, start your event at 6:30 and go until 8:00 in the evening; I get to work early, so I’m often exhausted by the end of the day.? Second, draw the blinds to keep out natural light; exacerbate the soporific effect by dimming the lights (so I can see the...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Friday
    September 5
    2008

    Rob Katz

    This Might Just Be Your BoP Dream Job

    Jocelyn Wyatt was.? So were David Lehr and Keely Stevenson.? John Tucker is.? Joel Montgomery is about to be.? Pablo Halkyard might have been; in fact, I might have been also. What the heck am I talking about?? The Acumen Fund Fellows Program, of course. (For the record, Pablo took...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Friday
    September 5
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Job: Research Associate, Growing Inclusive Markets

    Position: Research Associate / ConsultantLocation: New York City, United States Organization: Growing Inclusive Markets Initiative, United Nations Development Programme.? The new flagship UNDP multi-stakeholder Initiative on “Growing Inclusive Markets” is UNDP’s most visible...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Thursday
    September 4
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Event: How Everyone Can Be a Social Investor

    NextBillion ally and friend Kevin Jones passed along word that the Good Business Network is hosting an interesting event next week in San Francisco about social investing and low-income markets.? If you’re in town, be sure to check it out. Event posting: How Everyone Can Be a Social...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Saturday
    August 30
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Market Creation at the Base of the Pyramid: It Isn’t Easy

    "...you can have the very best technology in the world, and if you don’t get it out there and market it, if you don’t have a distribution network, then it doesn’t have any impact.” Martin Fisher, Co-Founder and CEO, KickStartCreating markets at the base of the pyramid...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Saturday
    August 30
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Moving NextBillion.net’s Servers – We’re Back Online

    Thanks for your patience.? We’ve moved NextBillion.net’s servers and re-activated commenting.? Everything should be working as usual.? If you run into any issues or have questions about why we’re making the change, feel free to contact us or leave a comment. (Wondering what...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Thursday
    August 28
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Moving NextBillion.net’s Servers

    Around 12:00 Eastern Daylight Time today, NextBillion.net will be moving to a new server. During the changeover, comments will be disabled throughout the site. Blog posts, news stories, events, resources and other existing materials will be accessible - you just won’t be able to chime in...

    Categories
    Uncategorized
Subscribe to Our 'Business in Global Development' Newsletter!
Our new weekly LinkedIn newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with curated news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage of impact-focused business in emerging markets.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.
×
×