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

  • Rob Katz

    BOP Job Announcements – Intellecap and IAMFI

    A couple of BOP-related jobs have come across my desk lately.? Read on for the full descriptions:Intellecap is a consulting firm focused on capital advisory for the inclusive finance space and creating and delivering mainstream, profitable solutions to address the problems of poverty and...

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  • Rob Katz

    Big Blue Going to the BOP

    It’s been quiet here on NextBillion the last few days - not by design, but rather out of necessity. Al just returned from two weeks of travel throughout Asia, and met Tuesday and Wednesday here in DC with our partners at Intel and MicroVest. Meanwhile, Bill just returned from Dubai, and...

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  • Rob Katz

    Entrepreneurs Hope to Make it to “The Show”

    Ironically enough, I found myself reading this article in the New York Times on an New Jersey Transit express train this morning.? The irony is that I was on my way to a meeting with the Acumen Fund, talking about ways WRI and Acumen might work together. ? Why ironic (cue Alanis...

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  • Rob Katz

    Tom Friedman’s Perfect Column: Patient Capital in Africa

    I really like Tom Friedman - I have since high school, when a summer program I attended assigned his book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree. I’ve also seen him sitting in DC cafes, running to catch cabs, and even met him in person at WRI’s 25th Anniversary Dinner. Nice guy. Smart, too....

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  • Rob Katz

    Next Billion Customers? Intel’s Already a World Ahead

    Last week, I sat in a conference room full of DC development-types over lunch, listening to a presentation sponsored by the Society for International Development.? It was standard stuff - the woman next to me was reading the New York Times as folks shuffled in, and I spotted a few people I...

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  • Rob Katz

    Guest Post: Africa’s ICT Wave Reaches San Francisco Bay

    Andrew Mack is a former World Bank official and Principal of AMGlobal Consulting. He previously blogged for NextBillion .net about Rwanda’s IT development and leapfrog technologies, in January 2007. By Andrew Mack About three weeks ago, I sat in a conference hall in San Francisco...

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  • Rob Katz

    2007 Socially Responsible Business Plan Awards

    Aram Kang is Program Coordinator for the Sustainable Enterprise Program at WRI.? Originally from Seoul, Korea, Aram holds an MEM from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. By Aram Kang This past Friday, April 13th, WRI hosted the William James Foundation?s 4th Annual...

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  • Rob Katz

    How Will eBay Affect Peer to Peer Lending?

    Microcapital reports (via Auctionbytes) that eBay has moved into the peer-to-peer lending space with the purchase of MicroPlace.? This is significant because eBay is far from the first to enter this space - which is currently dominated by Kiva, Zopa, and Prosper. How will a big company like...

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