Base of the Pyramid Conference 2007

Dear BoP Colleagues,   

The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan and the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University are pleased to have hosted "Business with Four Billion: Creating Mutual Value at the Base of the Pyramid." This conference was held in Ann Arbor, Michigan on September 9-11, 2007 and was sponsored by the Ross School of Business and the Erb Institute both at the University of Michigan and Procter & Gamble. Click here for post-conference materials.

By all accounts, the conference was a great success. The event was sold out, and the response from the attendees has been extremely positive. Our goal was to build on the growing global interest in venture-based strategies for serving the four billion poor at the base of the pyramid (BoP). We brought together nearly 400 of the leading BoP business managers, policy makers, social entrepreneurs, academics, non-profit experts, and development agency professionals. These attendees came from over 30 countries across six continents.

The conference featured plenary sessions by leading BoP experts that delved into key issue facing the BoP community. Also, the concurrent sessions provided an opportunity for participants to engage cutting-edge thinkers on specific topics. In addition, to maximize interaction at the conference, we were delighted to offer three sessions solely dedicated to individuals and organizations interested in showcasing their on-going activities with other attendees. They were our "Interactive Networking Sessions."

One outcome of the conference we were especially pleased about was the increased focus on the poverty alleviation implications of BoP ventures. At WDI, we have taken a leadership role in exploring the unique dimensions of the BoP perspective on poverty alleviation. In particular, our expertise lies in a deep understanding of the opportunities for implementing the BoP perspective in the field, an ability to evaluate the full range of poverty alleviation impacts of BoP ventures, and a collaborative approach to creating business models that incorporates the voices of those at the base of the pyramid.

Moving forward, WDI will continue to provide cutting-edge research that enhances our understanding of market-based approaches to poverty alleviation. Our goal is to create and share new actionable knowledge that has immediate practical implications. We will do this through our field-based collaborations, future conferences, and new research partnerships.

To learn more about WDI's Base of the Pyramid (BoP) Initiative, please visit our website at:  http://www.wdi.umich.edu/ResearchInitiatives/BasePyramid/

If you would like to receive updates on WDI’s latest BoP research, collaboration opportunities, and upcoming conferences, please click here to join our mailing list.

On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to thank all of our speakers and participants for adding real value to the conference and helping to make it such an outstanding event.

We look forward to seeing you at our future events!