NextBillion - A WDI Publication

India Journal: Where?s the Upside at the Base of the Pyramid?

For a company to do business at the base of the pyramid, it must see financial upside. For the past several years, that upside has been conceived as a "fortune" to be tapped largely by selling goods to poor customers. Indeed, many companies believe that growth will come from this market. However, many have struggled to find the right products, prices, and distribution routes through which to make this fortune materialize. With the exception of a tenacious few, most companies have not be...

Source

The Wall Street Journal (link opens in a new window)

’One Laptop Per Child’ Founder Recalls Challenges

Nicholas P. Negroponte, the driving force behind One Laptop Per Child-the non-profit organization that provides low-cost laptops to children around the globe-recalled the entrepreneurial obstacles he faced despite his philanthropic mission. His presentation, jointly sponsored by the Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business and the Leadership Institute at Harvard College, provided students an opportunity to engage with a successful social entrepreneur and hear about the difficult progress...

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The Harvard Crimson (link opens in a new window)

English in Action: Mobile Learning in Bangladesh

In her role as the Content Producer for the SOCAP conference series, Amy Benziger has the opportunity to interview innovators from around the world on how they are changing the landscape of social enterprise. For this installment of Mobile Message, she interviews Sara Chamberlain, project director for BBC Janala , an initiative based in Bangladesh that incorporates on-screen English tutoring through a ...

Source

National Geographic (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Dell Foundation Picks 5% In Waterlife International

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation picked up approximately 5 percent by way of fully and compulsorily convertible debentures of the Hyderabad-based Waterlife India Pvt Ltd, a water purification company. The actual amount pumped into the firm is not known. Waterlife is engaged in building, operating and maintaining community water systems. In 2009, Aavishkaar, a micro equity fund, had invested in Waterlife India Pvt Ltd. for a significant minority stake. Waterlife has been founded...

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VCCircle (link opens in a new window)

Can India’s Tata Make Cheap, Distributed Energy?

BOSTON--For the most part, the world’s energy system is highly centralized. Tata Power of India is exploring whether smaller-scale distributed energy can work in a country where hundreds of millions of people don’t have access to electricity. Earlier this month, I met with Avinash Patkar, the chief sustainability officer of Tata Power, which is the power division of India-based Tata, an industrial giant with businesses in steel, software, autos, chemicals, and telecommunications...

Source

CNET (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Archbishop Desmond Tutu to Give Keynote Address at Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship

OXFORD, England, March 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Skoll World Forum is the leading international platform for accelerating entrepreneurial approaches and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing social issues. The theme for the 2011 Forum is ’Large Scale Change - ecosystems, networks and collaborative action.’ The programme covers a wide variety of complex global issues such as water, energy, food security, climate change, peace and security, social equity and eme...

Source

Sys-Con Media (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Education

Region

Europe & Eurasia

$18 Bn Worth of Projects Discussed at India-Africa Conclave

NEW DELHI: Projects worth $18 billion were discussed at the India-Africa conclave that concluded here on Tuesday after two days of deliberations in sectors ranging from education to energy. The seventh edition of the CII-Exim Bank conclave on India Africa Project Partnership was attended by two prime ministers and over a dozen ministers from Africa. The conclave witnessed the largest ever participation with 650 delegates, who discussed 204 projects worth $18 billion.

Source

The Economic Times (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

To Catch A Dollar: Poor Women, Small Business And a Chance to Succeed in America

Patricia, a Guyanese immigrant living in Queens, N.Y., had long dreamed of running her own business. An avid baker, she hoped to open a shop where she could sell the cakes and pastries she made on a smaller scale in her spare time. But she lacked the seed money to afford the necessary supplies. And without savings or collateral, she certainly didn’t qualify for a loan. Determined to make her vision a reality, Patricia connected with a local branch of ...

Source

The Huffington Post (link opens in a new window)