Rob Katz, a NextBillion staff writer, recently interviewed Martin Fisher, co-founder of KickStart, and Upendra Bhatt, co-founder of Aavishkaar, in writing an article for GreenBiz.com. KickStart and Aavishkaar are, dare I say, two of the most innovative and robust businesses operating at the BOP.
KickStart is an inventions and business incubation company in Kenya. They develop technologies (e.g., micro-irrigation pump, oilseed press) specifically for the BOP and build the linkages, from product manufacturing to micro-retailers, necessary to bring these technologies to market. Aavishkaar, an Indian company, is one of the world’s very few venture capital funds providing loans above microcredit amounts (say, USD 1000) and below traditional venture capital investments (below USD 1 million), in addition to providing business development services for loan recipients.
Find out more about Fisher and Bhatt’s perspectives toward doing business and growing businesses at the BOP in Rob’s article, “Strategic Thinking: Sustainable Business from the Bottom Up.”
