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NextBillion - A WDI Publication

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

  • Monday
    October 15
    2007

    Rob Katz

    NextBillion Goes to PopTech This Week

    Every fall, a small seaside town in Maine hosts an ideas festival called Pop!Tech.? In the past, I’ve jealously followed conference coverage on the blogosphere, trying to picture myself wedged between Bruce Sterling and Stewart Brand while they discuss the future of environmentalism (for...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Friday
    October 12
    2007

    Rob Katz

    “Next Billion” Thinking and Big Business

    Guest blogger Bill Kramer was, until recently, WRI?s Director of Education and Training for the Markets & Enterprise Program, and Deputy Director of Development Through Enterprise. He now runs Global Challenge Network, an executive education and training company. His email is...

    Categories
    Education
    Tags
    academia

  • Friday
    October 12
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Guest Post: Coping With Abundance

    Guest blogger Bill Kramer was, until recently, WRI?s Director of Education and Training for the Markets & Enterprise Program, and? Deputy Director of Development Through Enterprise.? He now runs Global Challenge Network, an executive education and training company. His email is...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Monday
    October 1
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Sustainability Reports, SMEs, and the BoP

    Who reads the thousands of sustainability reports that corporations release each year? And more importantly, what do they think of them? As of today, there is a better way to answer those important questions. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and its partners?including the World...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Wednesday
    September 26
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Let’s Get (BoP Businesses) Started in Here: Doing Business 2008 Released

    NextBillion ally Chris Monasterski, editor of the excellent PSD Blog, wrote me a short e-mail this evening alerting me to the release of the 2008 Doing Business rankings.? This year marks the fifth edition of the annual rankings, which measures the ease of doing business in 178 countries...

    Categories
    Education
    Tags
    academia

  • Monday
    September 24
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Guest Post: Africa Needs Entrepreneurial Infrastructure

    Guest blogger Andrew Mack is the Founder and Principal of AMGlobal Consulting, and a former World Bank official. He blogs at Andy’s Global View and can be reached at: contact@amglobal.com By Andrew Mack In his piece last month about “incremental infrastructure", Ethan...

    Categories
    Education
    Tags
    academia

  • Thursday
    September 20
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Guest Post: Dr. Nancy Landrum on “Advancing the BoP Debate”

    Dr. Nancy E. Landrum is Associate Professor of strategic management at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.? Her teaching, research, and consulting expertise are in strategic management, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability.? Dr. Landrum received her Ph.D. from New Mexico...

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    Uncategorized

  • Wednesday
    September 12
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Introducing Abigail Keene-Babcock as a Staff Writer

    We at WRI’s Markets and Enterprise Program (which powers NextBillion.net) are happy to welcome Abigail Keene-Babcock to the team.? She will be a staff writer for NextBillion.net, among other research duties.Abigail joins WRI as an intern working in the Markets and Enterprise Program. She...

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