Development Ventures hosts TR35 entrepreneur Amir Hasson

Development Ventures hosts MIT alumnus entrepreneur Amir Alexander Hasson to learn about how his business, United Villages, supplies rural Indian small retailers with essential goods and services. Tapped this year by Technology Review as a TR35 2010 Young Innovator, Amir is transforming the SME logistics scene by...

"...taking advantage of the rapid expansion of cell-phone networks to set up a for-profit wholesale service called E-Shop. Shop owners with phones that run Java applications can browse an online catalogue and place orders; data is transferred between the phones and United Villages using SMS text messages. This method is cheap and doesn't require powerful smart phones. In about 36 hours, the goods are delivered directly to the shop."

Companies such as Staples should take note -- this mobilized supply-chain in a key emerging market is very compelling!

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