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

  • Wednesday
    June 8
    2005

    Rob Katz

    Rural Innovations Network and “Technology Outwards”

    Thanksto Jamais Cascio and his excellent World Changing weblog, I recently learned about India?sRural Innovations Network (RIN).RIN is a non-profit organization that functions as ?part business incubator,part fabrication and market research facility;? through partnerships...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Thursday
    June 2
    2005

    Rob Katz

    Bush Won’t Double Aid for Africa

    In today’s New York Times, Elizabeth Becker and David Sangerreport that President Bush refuses to deviate from his administration’s policynot to increase aid for Africa, despite strong supportfor such a proposal from US allies including Great Britain.? Thus, in the run-up to the...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Friday
    May 27
    2005

    Rob Katz

    Fast Company on Sustainability, NextBillion

    I subscribe to Fast Company, a cutting-edge business mag. Their sustainability section is particularly interesting, as are the Social Capitalist Awards. Check out the 2005 winners for some great models; if you think your organization might qualify in 2006, the application kit can be...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Wednesday
    May 25
    2005

    Rob Katz

    Water for the World: Congress Weighs In

    As its summer session gets going, the water temperature is already rising in the Capitol. The US Congress is currently debating legislation that would prioritize clean water projects within America’s international aid budget and push the private sector to get involved, too. The bill’s...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Tuesday
    May 17
    2005

    Rob Katz

    No Electricity, No Problem: Wind-Powered Phones

    I first read about these wind-powered, off-grid cell phone chargers on WorldChanging, which cites Gizmodo as a reference. The product, designed by students at the Indian Institute of Technology, is a small (fits in your pocket) wind-powered turbine that can quickly and easily recharge a cell...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Wednesday
    May 11
    2005

    Rob Katz

    Corporate Watch: Bringing the G8 Home

    Corporate Watch recently released a provocative report on the upcoming G8 summit to be held in Scotland this July. The G8 has had some important things to say about development and the role of private enterprise, especially in Africa under the UK’s presidency. The report, Bringing the G8...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Friday
    May 6
    2005

    Rob Katz

    Africa: The Impact of Mobile Phones

    Last night, I attended a panel session co-organized by the UN Foundation and Vodafone, the huge multinational telco based in the UK but active worldwide. The session highlighted a report recently released by Vodafone entitled, Africa: The Impact of Mobile Phones. At the session, the report’s...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Monday
    April 11
    2005

    Rob Katz

    Retailing in Poland

    Europe’s Hypermarkets Under FireThis economist.com story (Retailing in Poland) makes an interesting point - how do consumers react when large multinational companies enter low-income markets? In this case, so-called hypermarkets (similar to American Wal-Mart stores) have been gaining market...

    Categories
    Uncategorized
The Best of NextBillion in Your Inbox Each Week!
Subscribe to NB Notes for news, jobs & on-the-ground insights from the world of emerging markets business.
No Thanks
Thank you for signing up to receive the NextBillion Notes newsletter.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.
×
×