NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

To use public funds more effectively and mobilize private investment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has become a key concern of many development agencies and donor organizations. While the idea to create blended finance models is compelling, one specific approach holds particular promise: empowering high-impact enterprises with market-based solutions to scale and deliver positive impact in a sustainable way – a bottom-up approach.

This actionable, practice-driven program is specifically designed for providers of public or philanthropic funding, who strive to maximize the impact of their grants or investments and want to be on top of the most innovative solutions and trends.It includes outstanding lecturers, features inspiring live cases and received exceptional feedbacks in several program runs since inception in 2018. The three-day program will provide valuable insights on strategies and instruments to “leverage” own resources by blending it with private investment for small and growing businesses in developing and emerging countries. It will also shed light on the whole spectrum of finance for impact and international development.

A specific focus will be on catalytic financing tools that are able to attract additional capital for high-impact enterprises. The program is organized by the Initiative for Blended Finance at the University of Zurich, with program partners Roots of Impact, University of Zurich Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth, and Convergence.