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

  • Monday
    April 16
    2007

    Rob Katz

    How Will eBay Affect Peer to Peer Lending?

    Microcapital reports (via Auctionbytes) that eBay has moved into the peer-to-peer lending space with the purchase of MicroPlace.? This is significant because eBay is far from the first to enter this space - which is currently dominated by Kiva, Zopa, and Prosper. How will a big company like...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Wednesday
    April 11
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Intel’s World Ahead Program – Event Today in DC

    Sorry for the late notice, but if you don’t have lunch plans today and are in or around Washington, try to swing over to DuPont Circle for what promises to be a fascinating talk. Jeffery Galinovsky (of Intel’s Emerging Markets Platform Group) will present World Ahead, an Intel program...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Tuesday
    April 10
    2007

    Rob Katz

    BOP Job Announcement – WRI and NextBillion

    WRI’s Development Through Enterprise team (also known as the NextBillion staff) has an immediate opening for a full-time, paid intern.? This position will be responsible for research and writing assignments documenting the intersection between business and development.? As you know, we...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Monday
    April 9
    2007

    Rob Katz

    News Roundup: Good Capital and The $2000 Car

    An assortment of BOP-related news stories came out over the weekend (or over the last week or so).? Some are longer than others - particularly well-written are the two Forbes stories on Good Capital and Tata Motors. First, my friend Kevin Jones was profiled in Forbes late last week.? Kevin,...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Thursday
    April 5
    2007

    Rob Katz

    New Blogger Joins NextBillion.net Team: Tayo Akinyemi

    The NextBillion.net team is happy to welcome Tayo Akinyemi as our newest Staff Writer.? Tayo is a soon-to-be MBA with domestic and international experience working with nonprofits, for-profit companies, and start ups. She has hands-on knowledge in the areas of direct mail marketing, event...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Tuesday
    April 3
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Design for the Other 90 Percent

    Sunday’s New York Times featured an extra-large insert on design.? Most of the articles therein dealt with uber-modern furniture, clothes I would never dream of wearing, chic buildings on the Upper West Side, etc.? Not my speed.As I leafed through it anyway (it was a lazy, rainy Monday...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Friday
    March 30
    2007

    Rob Katz

    Behind the Scenes at the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship

    Kevin Jones is a principal with Good Capital. He has extensive entrepreneurial and private investment experience in a range of technology and social enterprises. Kevin has also been a columnist for Forbes and Business 2.0. He attended this week?s Skoll World Forum on Social...

    Categories
    Uncategorized

  • Wednesday
    March 28
    2007

    Rob Katz

    International Private Enterprise Group – DC – March Meeting

    The March meeting of DC’s International Private Enterprise Group is tomorrow, March 29.? We’ll be meeting upstairs at Zorba’s Cafe in DuPont Circle (map) at 6:00 - we have the whole space reserved, so it should be a good space to hear speakers while having a bite to eat.This...

    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.
×
×