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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

  • Wednesday
    February 21
    2007

    Rob Katz

    International Private Enterprise Group – DC – February Meeting

    The DC chapter of the International Private Enterprise Group will hold its February meeting tomorrow, Thursday February 22. We have reserved the second floor of the Science Club (1136 19th Street, NW - between L and M, just a few blocks from DuPont Circle and Farragut Square) from 6:00 - 7:30...

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  • Monday
    February 19
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Michigan Announces BOP Conference 2007

    I received an e-mail from Ted London, Director of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan, to let me know that the web site for their upcoming conference is up and running. Business with Four Billion: Creating Mutual Value at the Base of the Pyramid will be held in Ann...

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  • Friday
    February 16
    2007

    Rob Katz

    The BOP Debate: WRI Responds

    By Allen Hammond, Bill Kramer, and Rob KatzThe recent debate over Fair & Lovely Whitening Cream, both in Aneel Karnani’s working paper and in Andrew Leonard’s column in Salon, brings up many interesting points. In response to Karnani, who argues that Fair & Lovely...

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  • Friday
    February 16
    2007

    Rob Katz

    The BOP Debate: Aneel Karnani Responds

    The debate between C.K. Prahalad and Aneel Karnani regarding the BOP proposition continues. As we reported earlier this week, Professor Karnani has published a new case study critical of Hindustan Lever Limited’s Fair & Lovely Whitening Cream, a product identified by Prahalad and...

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  • Monday
    February 12
    2007

    Rob Katz

    BOP Skeptics and Today’s News

    Today has been a very interesting day in terms of BOP news and notes. First, I heard from Professor Aneel Karnani at the University of Michigan. Many remember his paper, “Mirage at the Bottom of the Pyramid,” and C.K. Prahalad’s subsequent response. Professor Karnani sent me a...

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  • Friday
    February 9
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Aryty: Productizing Remittances Through Cell Phones

    Remittances are a big deal ? from an economic standpoint, a development standpoint, and a business standpoint. A lot has been written about the magnitude and impact of cross-border financial flows, both on NextBillion and elsewhere. The concept of productizing remittances ? sending goods...

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  • Wednesday
    February 7
    2007

    Rob Katz

    The Moneylender’s Paradox

    By NextBillion reader Lance Durham -Borrowers don’t have much collateral.-Little collateral means that they can only get small loans.-Moneylenders make these small loans at very high interest rates.-Very high interest rates mean that borrowers won’t make much profit.-After the...

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  • Monday
    February 5
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Link Drop: News, Reviews, Events, and More

    In the interest of time and efficiency, I am going to do an all-purpose link drop today. Some of the topics mentioned below will be fleshed out as blog posts; others will be added to the Activity Database, Events Calendar, or Newsroom. Keep an eye on this space as I try to dig out from under...

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