The Base of the Pyramid Promise: Building Businesses with Impact and Scale

Across 25 years and more than 80 countries, William Davidson Institute Senior Research Fellow Ted London has explored the intersection of business development and poverty alleviation. This includes deep involvement in the evolution of the base of the pyramid (BoP) beginning 15 years ago. At that time, the idea of the BoP was still considered a novel theory and the challenge was in helping the business and development communities see what was possible – that world’s poorest 4 billion people weren’t just recipients of donations, but active participants in a market economy. Since then, he has engaged with and heard from leaders of many organizations claiming success, but not fully understanding what was and wasn’t working. London is now at the forefront of the next evolution of the development of the BoP domain – when the question has changed from “Should we invest in a BoP enterprise?” to “How can we make our investment in a BoP enterprise work better?” For this latest phase, London has applied his accumulated research and knowledge for a new book. “The Base of the Pyramid Promise: Building Businesses with Impact and Scale,” published by Stanford University Press in 2016, was written with the specific goal of equipping enterprise leaders and their partners with the tools, frameworks, and actionable strategies to build sustainable and scalable BoP enterprises that truly alleviate poverty. Click here to learn more about the book, or to buy a copy: http://wdi.umich.edu/the-base-of-the-pyramid-promise-building-business-with-impact-and-scale/