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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
    November 22
    2006

    Rob Katz

    Village: The Game Update

    I first reported on Village: The Game ? think SimCity meets social entrepreneurship ? back in August.? At the time, the game’s web site featured little more than a proposal and the passionate musings of its creator, Darian Hickman.? I checked back in on Village: The Game today, and...

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  • Wednesday
    November 22
    2006

    Rob Katz

    Don’t Miss the Fast 50 Awards!

    As I looked over the Social Capitalist Award winners (again) this morning, I couldn’t help thinking about the Fast 50 Awards - also done by Fast Company. While the Social Capitalist Awards include NGOs and charities that are using business strategies to make the world better, the Fast...

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  • Tuesday
    November 21
    2006

    Rob Katz

    BOP Job Announcement – Monitor Group

    I received an e-mail from Chris Coldeway, a Worldchanging colleague who recently moved to India to work for the strategy consulting firm Monitor Group. Chris is working with Monitor to build its consulting practice in Mumbai around “market-based strategies to create social change.” ...

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  • Wednesday
    November 15
    2006

    Rob Katz

    News Roundup: Wal-Mart, SCJ, Acumen, Marketplace

    I’ve been busy lately, partly because I’m trying track a slew of recent BOP news stories appearing in the mainstream media.? (For readers who subscribe to the main NextBillion RSS feed, you may want to consider subscribing to the News Feed for daily updates).? Four stories set...

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  • Wednesday
    November 15
    2006

    Rob Katz

    WRI and Worldchanging Book Launch on Friday

    On the shameless self-promotion front, I want to mention that we’re co-hosting a book launch and networking event with Worldchanging here at WRI on Friday.? Full details of the event are on the World Resources Institute web site; the basic gist is that we’ll have presentations from WRI...

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  • Tuesday
    November 14
    2006

    Rob Katz

    Internet for All: A Field Report on the Wireless Revolution

    Guest blogger Darrell Owen is an international consultant specializing in Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in developing countries. Prior to forming his own company, he worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development. This week, he will present some of his on-the-ground...

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  • Monday
    November 13
    2006

    Rob Katz

    Back from the BRINQ

    If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be doing base of the pyramid work on the ground, you should talk to NextBillion friend and ally Patrick Donohue.? Patrick got his start in the BOP universe as a MBA student of Stuart Hart’s, back when Stu was running the Center for...

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  • Thursday
    November 9
    2006

    Rob Katz

    Paul Braund Interview: The Business of Technology and Development

    Paul Braund is Co-Founder of RIOS Institute (Research and Innovation for Organizations and Societies Institute) in Berkeley and Silicon Valley, California. He has worked as an architect and award-winning industrial designer and has developed numerous patents. He has spent 20 years working in...

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