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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

  • Thursday
    January 3
    2008

    Rob Katz

    What’s in a Buzzword: Use and Misuse of “Bottom of the Pyramid”

    Today, I read with interest an article from the Business Standard entitled “TutorVista Readies Indian Rollout; To Raise $15m to Address Bottom of the Pyramid.” Perfect for the NextBillion Newsroom, right? Perhaps not. TutorVista, a leading online education firm, matches...

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  • Wednesday
    January 2
    2008

    Rob Katz

    Article Review: “Scents & Sensibility” Reveals USAID’s BoP Blind Spots

    Guest blogger Grace Augustine is a Research Associate with the William Davidson Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Prior to joining WDI, she worked in strategy & operations consulting for Deloitte Consulting. Grace completed her undergraduate education at the University of Michigan where she...

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  • Sunday
    December 23
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Holiday Hiatus – Back in 2008

    NextBillion.net, housed in the Washington, D.C.-based World Resources Institute, will not have any new content from December 24 through December 31, when most of our writers and contributors will be spending holidays with friends and family.? We’ll be back in January, 2008.Any story...

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  • Thursday
    December 20
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Job: Junior Equity Analyst, Gray Ghost Fund

    Position: Junior Equity AnalystLocation: New York, NY -- USAOrganization: Grassroots Capital Management/Gray Ghost Fund manages microfinance investments that seek to achieve medium and long-term capital appreciation together with a positive social impact through private equity investments in...

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  • Tuesday
    December 18
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Job: Research Assistant, Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA)

    Position: Research AssistantLocation: Washington, DC -- USAOrganization: The Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA) is an independent, member-based global industry association based in Washington, D.C., that promotes greater understanding of and a more favorable climate for...

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  • Monday
    December 17
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Job Opportunity: Rwanda Investment Fund Seeks CEO

    (Via Emeka Okafor and the International Private Enterprise Group) Equity Investment Firm in Rwanda seeks a CEO to oversee all of its investments. The position is based in Kigali, Rwanda. The firm is investing $25-50 million of equity into a portfolio of companies based in Rwanda. The CEO will...

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  • Wednesday
    December 12
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Piramal Prize: $25k for Healthcare Innovations

    Anand Shah, CEO of the Piramal Foundation and a NextBillion reader, alerted me to the recently-announced $25,000//10 lakh rupees Piramal Prize for Innovations that Democratize Healthcare.? In his e-mail, he notes that prize was created ...to encourage and support bold entrepreneurial ideas...

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  • Tuesday
    December 11
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Not Every Microborrower is an Entrepreneur

    (Photo: The Women of Akbarpura, by Flickr user lecercle, used under a Creative Commons license.) NextBillion readers often ask me why we don’t cover the microfinance industry more closely. After all, microfinance is a slam dunk BoP success story: a business strategy that helps...

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