NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Results

• Blog Post
  Social Capital Markets 09: Funding High Impact Ventures

  One overarching theme of SOCAP09 has been the question: how can capital be appropriately allocated to the right people in the right format at the right time? Tuesday’s breakout session, Funding High Impact Ventures in Developing Markets, moderated by Pawan Mehra (founder of Intellecap) took a stab at answering this question.

• Blog Post
  Using Platforms to Gain Scale in BoP Markets (Part 3 of 3) – By Francisco Mej?a and Manuel Bueno

  Achieving scale is essential for BoP firms to maximize social impact. In this third of a series of three, we explain in more detail the different characteristics of platforms belonging to mass consumer goods, construction and microfinance firms, and conclude the series.

• Blog Post
  Beyond the Grid – Connecting the Roma in Bulgaria

  In 2004 a colleague tried entering a caf? in Pazardjik, a Bulgarian town located on the old Orient Express train line between Istanbul and Sofia. As an American whose family originally hailed from India, she didn?t have time to say a word before the proprietor shuttled her out the door. It was a case of mistaken identity - the owner thought

• Blog Post
  The Next: 2010 Case Writing Competition

  The William Davidson Institute (WDI) has partnered with Acumen Fund and the World Resources Institute (WRI) to launch The Next: 2010 Case Writing Competition on NextBillion.net. The purpose of this competition is to engage students in writing high-impact case studies with their professors to help further the overall base of the pyramid movement.

• Blog Post
  Can Members of the Diaspora Work Effectively at the Base of the Pyramid?

  Three years ago I took part in my first Nollywood marathon. It was a bit of a reunion actually; one of my friends was in town from Nigeria while I was visiting another friend in DC. One of the movies, called Dangerous Twins, struck a chord. The story is about two businessmen; one lives in the UK and the other in Nigeria.

• News
  From Chulhas to Defibrillators: Can Philips India Be All Things to All People?

  Philips India was once unchallenged in India’s lighting and electronics arena. With more than 75 years in the country, the nearly wholly owned subsidiary of the Dutch multinational Royal Philips Electronics boasts impeccable parentage. But competition eroded its vaunted position, and today Philips has redefined itself as a "health and well-being company." "Through consumer insight, we understood that people perceive health and well-being as a combination of superior lifestyle and av...

• Blog Post
  A Lesson Learned

  In this article, I discuss the importance of disruptive business models, using the success of the Amazon Kindle as a disruptive innovation and business model to the publishing world. Unfortunately, what once could have been a device that could have had a significant impact to the BoP, is now another gadget for the well-to-do.

• News
  Startup addict: Ars interviews Microsoft’s Amit Mital

  Amit Mital, corporate vice president of the Unlimited Potential Group and Startup Business Accelerator, should have his title scrapped and replaced with "startup addict." You might be asking what a startup addict is doing at Microsoft, but even a software giant still needs someone to come along and turn ideas into new products. During his 15 years with Microsoft, Mital has been in a leadership role for the shipping of 11 products. His most recent launch was Live Mesh, where he was...