MAS.665/15.375/EC.731J Development Ventures
MIT Emerging Market Innovations Seminar
Development Ventures (DV) is an exploratory Fall semester elective Action Lab on founding, financing, and building entrepreneurial ventures targeting developing countries, emerging markets, and underserved consumers everywhere. Particular emphasis is placed on transformative innovations and exponentially scalable business models that can enable or accelerate major positive social change throughout the world.
Course Information
| Instructors: | Joost Bonsen, Sandy Pentland |
| Semester Offered: | Fall (Offered since 2001) |
| Lecture Location: | E14-633 |
| Lecture Times: | R10-12 |
| Units (credit hours) | 12 |
| Class Size: | 40 students |
| Grading: | A/B/C/D/F |
Recent Projects
| 2009 | Adjuvant | Social Venture Franchising (India + East Africa) |
| DataLibre | Civic Sector Informatics (Philippines, US) | |
| Design ED | Educational Curriculum Development | |
| Genius | Medical Advice Network | |
| Global Citizen Water Initiative | Coupling of inexpensive water quality test kits with open source spatial mapping for community water quality monitoring | |
| Gona Games | Mobiles-Based Educational Games | |
| MedHelp | Home Healthcare Devices | |
| MobileBusiness | Mobile-Enabled Merchant Tools (Africa) | |
| Nautilus Power | Flexible Floating Power Systems | |
| Novo Brazil | Private Vocational Training (Brazil) | |
| NZ Capital | Micro-Banking Services (Zimbabwe) | |
| PowerUp! Technologies | Hand-Powered Electricity | |
| Prosthetics For All | Affordable Limb Augmentations (India) | |
| Quilombo Energy | Renewables-Power Plants (Africa) | |
| Sanergy | Sanitation + Energy + Fertilizer Systems (Kenya) | |
| SolSource | Rural Energy Product Distributor (Greater Himalayas) | |
| Thermoversion | Thermal-Powered Electricity (Kenya) | |
| UBIQ | Mobile-Enabled Financial Services (Nigeria) | |
| VALA | Mobile-Enabled Informal Market-Making (India) | |
| WoundPump | Affordable Wound-Healing Device | |
| 2008 | Civika | The "Facebook" for Civic-Sector Leaders (Africa, Philippines) |
| Covalent Global | Philanthropic Micro-Grant Network (Kenya, Africa) | |
| DuraAlok | Low-Cost Eyeglasses Distributor (India) | |
| Fair Goods | Urban Retailer Delivery Network (South Africa) | |
| Global Cycle Solutions | Bicycle-Powered Businesses (Tanzania, Peru) | |
| LinqUs | Infonet Connectivity & Services for the Elderly (India, China, Japan) | |
| Moringa Agri Products | Cooperative-Owned Exporter (Kenya, Africa) | |
| One Sol | Condominial Urban Sewer Solutions (Ghana, Africa) | |
| PANAH Network | Migrant Housing & Employment System (Asia, Africa) | |
| PayGo | Mobile Phone Payment System (Pakistan, Mexico) | |
| Prestige Incubator | Building Premium Import Brands (Latin America) | |
| SolSource | Rural Energy Product Distributor (Greater Himalayas) | |
| Vidya Vitta | Investor-to-SME Brokerage (Nigeria, Tanzania, Africa) |