The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan
@wdavidsoninst.bsky.social
Our Mission: To power entrepreneurs, enterprises & ecosystems in emerging markets with the business tools to succeed and scale impact.
Investment readiness is a team sport. Gagandeep Bakshi, CFA, WDI’s Senior Director, Impact Investing, is going to break it down at Tech-a Muna next month in Manila. Register: https://bit.ly/4AxgNQt
September 24, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Investment readiness is a team sport. Gagandeep Bakshi, CFA, WDI’s Senior Director, Impact Investing, is going to break it down at Tech-a Muna next month in Manila. Register: https://bit.ly/4AxgNQt
Announcing the winning business cases selected in the 2026 Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets Case Writing Competition from WDI Publishing. They were selected from a record 57 case studies submitted by109 authors across 24 countries. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3VvDNzf
September 23, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Announcing the winning business cases selected in the 2026 Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets Case Writing Competition from WDI Publishing. They were selected from a record 57 case studies submitted by109 authors across 24 countries. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3VvDNzf
New from WDI and The Partnership Lab: "Partnering by Design, Not Default" is a practical methodology for deciding when partnerships are critical to achieving impact. Our five-stage methodology: Decide, Choose, Select, Design, and Adapt
https://bit.ly/4yCTNO8
https://bit.ly/4yCTNO8
September 15, 2026 at 6:51 PM
New from WDI and The Partnership Lab: "Partnering by Design, Not Default" is a practical methodology for deciding when partnerships are critical to achieving impact. Our five-stage methodology: Decide, Choose, Select, Design, and Adapt
https://bit.ly/4yCTNO8
https://bit.ly/4yCTNO8
Capital raises get most of the attention, but who's actually building the infrastructure that makes companies investment-ready in the first place? Hosted by The Sidebar.
📆 2:30-4:00 PM, Sept. 21, 134 W 29th St. NYC.
📣 Open to the public.
Register : https://bit.ly/4h0yL4U
📆 2:30-4:00 PM, Sept. 21, 134 W 29th St. NYC.
📣 Open to the public.
Register : https://bit.ly/4h0yL4U
September 14, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Capital raises get most of the attention, but who's actually building the infrastructure that makes companies investment-ready in the first place? Hosted by The Sidebar.
📆 2:30-4:00 PM, Sept. 21, 134 W 29th St. NYC.
📣 Open to the public.
Register : https://bit.ly/4h0yL4U
📆 2:30-4:00 PM, Sept. 21, 134 W 29th St. NYC.
📣 Open to the public.
Register : https://bit.ly/4h0yL4U
We’re thrilled to welcome Naomi Kinyanjui as Program Manager, Energy & E-mobility, here at WDI.
Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Kinyanjui manages clean energy and e-mobility projects across Sub-Saharan Africa. Learn all about her: https://bit.ly/4qXzVTk
Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Kinyanjui manages clean energy and e-mobility projects across Sub-Saharan Africa. Learn all about her: https://bit.ly/4qXzVTk
Naomi Kinyanjui
Naomi Kinyanjui is Program Manager, Energy & E-mobility at the William Davidson Institute, based in Nairobi, Kenya. She manages clean energy and e-mobility projects across Sub-Saharan Africa, support...
bit.ly
September 9, 2026 at 8:15 PM
We’re thrilled to welcome Naomi Kinyanjui as Program Manager, Energy & E-mobility, here at WDI.
Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Kinyanjui manages clean energy and e-mobility projects across Sub-Saharan Africa. Learn all about her: https://bit.ly/4qXzVTk
Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Kinyanjui manages clean energy and e-mobility projects across Sub-Saharan Africa. Learn all about her: https://bit.ly/4qXzVTk
Ever leave a conference wishing the conversation could continue? That's how LEAP Africa & our Impact team felt after a session on co-creating innovation for incubators & accelerators. This community has grown to 32 professionals across 23 organizations w/ ~90% based in Africa.
https://bit.ly/4un2ydS
https://bit.ly/4un2ydS
Participatory Methods Community of Practice
The Participatory Methods Community of Practice brings together monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) practitioners, researchers, implementers and funders interested in participatory me...
bit.ly
September 2, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Ever leave a conference wishing the conversation could continue? That's how LEAP Africa & our Impact team felt after a session on co-creating innovation for incubators & accelerators. This community has grown to 32 professionals across 23 organizations w/ ~90% based in Africa.
https://bit.ly/4un2ydS
https://bit.ly/4un2ydS
"I realized that innovation does not come from having the smartest person in the room; it comes from bringing together different perspectives and learning from one another."
- Youssef Makhlouf, who just completed the Entrepreneurship Exchange
https://bit.ly/3U7BlhI
- Youssef Makhlouf, who just completed the Entrepreneurship Exchange
https://bit.ly/3U7BlhI
August 18, 2026 at 7:10 PM
"I realized that innovation does not come from having the smartest person in the room; it comes from bringing together different perspectives and learning from one another."
- Youssef Makhlouf, who just completed the Entrepreneurship Exchange
https://bit.ly/3U7BlhI
- Youssef Makhlouf, who just completed the Entrepreneurship Exchange
https://bit.ly/3U7BlhI
"Learning to sit with a perspective that does not mirror your own, and find the insight inside it rather than the friction, is something no module can fully teach you. It has to be lived."
-Merna Soliman, an undergraduate at American University in Cairo https://bit.ly/4bCb0hC
-Merna Soliman, an undergraduate at American University in Cairo https://bit.ly/4bCb0hC
August 6, 2026 at 9:13 PM
"Learning to sit with a perspective that does not mirror your own, and find the insight inside it rather than the friction, is something no module can fully teach you. It has to be lived."
-Merna Soliman, an undergraduate at American University in Cairo https://bit.ly/4bCb0hC
-Merna Soliman, an undergraduate at American University in Cairo https://bit.ly/4bCb0hC
Our August newsletter is out! Read and subscribe below. Our top item:
👋 Meet Jagadeesh Sivadasan, WDI's new Interim President and professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.
https://bit.ly/4pYDOXL
👋 Meet Jagadeesh Sivadasan, WDI's new Interim President and professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.
https://bit.ly/4pYDOXL
August 5, 2026 at 9:08 PM
Our August newsletter is out! Read and subscribe below. Our top item:
👋 Meet Jagadeesh Sivadasan, WDI's new Interim President and professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.
https://bit.ly/4pYDOXL
👋 Meet Jagadeesh Sivadasan, WDI's new Interim President and professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.
https://bit.ly/4pYDOXL
The WDI Board of Directors has named Jagadeesh Sivadasan, professor of business economics and public policy at U-M's. Ross School of Business, as interim President. Sivadasan's work is focused on understanding what drives growth across businesses. 👉 https://bit.ly/4q3cdof
August 4, 2026 at 7:24 PM
The WDI Board of Directors has named Jagadeesh Sivadasan, professor of business economics and public policy at U-M's. Ross School of Business, as interim President. Sivadasan's work is focused on understanding what drives growth across businesses. 👉 https://bit.ly/4q3cdof
While $1.50 hotdogs are not on the menu, last month Costco opened its first stand-alone gas station. This timely case study from WDI Publishing invites readers to consider the economics and brand strategy behind Costco's road trip experiment.
https://bit.ly/4hDCbwm
https://bit.ly/4hDCbwm
Case Study: Costco Wholesale Club: The Gas Station Strategy
Should a discount retailer built on rock-bottom prices bet big on standalone gas stations? Explore Costco's move into new territory as it opens its first gas station not attached to a warehouse club. This case invites students to consider the economics,...
bit.ly
July 29, 2026 at 9:10 PM
While $1.50 hotdogs are not on the menu, last month Costco opened its first stand-alone gas station. This timely case study from WDI Publishing invites readers to consider the economics and brand strategy behind Costco's road trip experiment.
https://bit.ly/4hDCbwm
https://bit.ly/4hDCbwm
Last month Costco opened its first stand-alone gas station in Mission Viejo, California. Amid summer road trip season, this timely case study from WDI Publishing invites readers to consider the economics behind the wholesaler's move into retail territory. https://bit.ly/3SQk789
July 16, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Last month Costco opened its first stand-alone gas station in Mission Viejo, California. Amid summer road trip season, this timely case study from WDI Publishing invites readers to consider the economics behind the wholesaler's move into retail territory. https://bit.ly/3SQk789
"I came into the program believing that having a great idea was the hardest part of #entrepreneurship. I left realizing that an idea is only the beginning." That's Abayomi Odole, after completing the third cohort of the Entrepreneurship Exchange program. https://bit.ly/44tate4
July 14, 2026 at 6:56 PM
"I came into the program believing that having a great idea was the hardest part of #entrepreneurship. I left realizing that an idea is only the beginning." That's Abayomi Odole, after completing the third cohort of the Entrepreneurship Exchange program. https://bit.ly/44tate4
28 pitches, 8 weeks & 3 winners! Our 3rd Entrepreneurship Exchange cohort just wrapped. Students from Egypt, Libya, Morocco, & the U.S. created biz concepts around skills development, irrigation & tech-enabled recycling. Check out the winning pitches! https://bit.ly/4eTTcko
July 9, 2026 at 9:12 PM
28 pitches, 8 weeks & 3 winners! Our 3rd Entrepreneurship Exchange cohort just wrapped. Students from Egypt, Libya, Morocco, & the U.S. created biz concepts around skills development, irrigation & tech-enabled recycling. Check out the winning pitches! https://bit.ly/4eTTcko
The capital exists. The investor-ready businesses don't – yet. The WDI Academy is launching the Investor Readiness Program for founders in Africa, South & Southeast Asia, and Latin America. https://bit.ly/4oL0cTU #impactinvesting #eso #DFI
Investor Readiness Program
At the WDI Academy, we partner with universities and training organizations in low- and middle-income countries to offer open and custom programs on a range of managerial topics, including strategy, s...
bit.ly
June 23, 2026 at 9:29 PM
The capital exists. The investor-ready businesses don't – yet. The WDI Academy is launching the Investor Readiness Program for founders in Africa, South & Southeast Asia, and Latin America. https://bit.ly/4oL0cTU #impactinvesting #eso #DFI
WDI is heading to #LondonClimateActionWeek. Sr. Directors Diana E. Páez (Energy and E-mobility) & Gagandeep Bakshi, CFA Bakshi (Impact Investing) will be on the ground for conversations at the intersection of energy & e-mobility & blended finance in emerging markets.
June 20, 2026 at 12:06 AM
WDI is heading to #LondonClimateActionWeek. Sr. Directors Diana E. Páez (Energy and E-mobility) & Gagandeep Bakshi, CFA Bakshi (Impact Investing) will be on the ground for conversations at the intersection of energy & e-mobility & blended finance in emerging markets.
45% of the world now lives in cities - and urban heat is a growing crisis. Join CoolCoalition to explore passive cooling research from Brazil, Colombia and Burkina Faso. Tomorrow! Time: 09:00 – 10:00 AM ET
Register today: https://bit.ly/4a5PaT1
#UrbanHeat #ClimateAction #PassiveCooling
Register today: https://bit.ly/4a5PaT1
#UrbanHeat #ClimateAction #PassiveCooling
June 17, 2026 at 9:34 PM
45% of the world now lives in cities - and urban heat is a growing crisis. Join CoolCoalition to explore passive cooling research from Brazil, Colombia and Burkina Faso. Tomorrow! Time: 09:00 – 10:00 AM ET
Register today: https://bit.ly/4a5PaT1
#UrbanHeat #ClimateAction #PassiveCooling
Register today: https://bit.ly/4a5PaT1
#UrbanHeat #ClimateAction #PassiveCooling
45% of the world now lives in cities - and urban heat is a growing crisis. Join CoolCoalition to explore passive cooling research from Brazil, Colombia and Burkina Faso. Tomorrow! Time: 09:00 – 10:00 AM ET
Register today: https://bit.ly/4a5PaT1
#UrbanHeat #ClimateAction #PassiveCooling
Register today: https://bit.ly/4a5PaT1
#UrbanHeat #ClimateAction #PassiveCooling
June 16, 2026 at 9:15 PM
45% of the world now lives in cities - and urban heat is a growing crisis. Join CoolCoalition to explore passive cooling research from Brazil, Colombia and Burkina Faso. Tomorrow! Time: 09:00 – 10:00 AM ET
Register today: https://bit.ly/4a5PaT1
#UrbanHeat #ClimateAction #PassiveCooling
Register today: https://bit.ly/4a5PaT1
#UrbanHeat #ClimateAction #PassiveCooling
Africa captures 40% of global blended-finance deals, but just $6B of a $277B annual need. The problem: blended finance here substitutes for commercial capital instead of catalyzing it. New @nextbillion.bsky.social piece by WDI's Gagandeep Bakshi + Intellecap's Santosh Singh: https://bit.ly/4vQVTIO
Understanding Africa's Broken Climate Finance System: How the Missing Layers in the Capital Stack are Holding the Market Back
Analysts explore how the missing layers in Africa's climate finance capital stack are preventing the emergence of a more balanced market.
bit.ly
June 16, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Africa captures 40% of global blended-finance deals, but just $6B of a $277B annual need. The problem: blended finance here substitutes for commercial capital instead of catalyzing it. New @nextbillion.bsky.social piece by WDI's Gagandeep Bakshi + Intellecap's Santosh Singh: https://bit.ly/4vQVTIO
The #Mobility & #Sustainability Case Collection from #WDIPublishing puts students in the driver's seat, tackling real decisions around #climate, #innovation, and #governance at some of the world's most recognized companies. https://bit.ly/4uuDrF4
#CaseStudy #BusinessSchool
#CaseStudy #BusinessSchool
June 11, 2026 at 6:51 PM
The #Mobility & #Sustainability Case Collection from #WDIPublishing puts students in the driver's seat, tackling real decisions around #climate, #innovation, and #governance at some of the world's most recognized companies. https://bit.ly/4uuDrF4
#CaseStudy #BusinessSchool
#CaseStudy #BusinessSchool
Catalytic capital has one job: unlock new investment - not replace commercial capital.
WDI CEO Wendy Taylor moderated this conversation at the Africa HealthTech Summit in Toronto.
#AfricaHealthTech #CatalyticCapital #GlobalHealth
WDI CEO Wendy Taylor moderated this conversation at the Africa HealthTech Summit in Toronto.
#AfricaHealthTech #CatalyticCapital #GlobalHealth
June 10, 2026 at 7:18 PM
Catalytic capital has one job: unlock new investment - not replace commercial capital.
WDI CEO Wendy Taylor moderated this conversation at the Africa HealthTech Summit in Toronto.
#AfricaHealthTech #CatalyticCapital #GlobalHealth
WDI CEO Wendy Taylor moderated this conversation at the Africa HealthTech Summit in Toronto.
#AfricaHealthTech #CatalyticCapital #GlobalHealth
Founders get feedback from investors all the time. Rarely do they get to give it back. WDI + @acumen.org want to change that. "Founders in Focus" surveys founders across Africa, Asia & Latin America on their real experiences with impact capital. Survey closes June 26. Add your voice. 🔗
Flipping the Script on Investor Feedback: A New Survey Gives Entrepreneurs a Platform to Assess — And Influence — Their Impact Investors’ Practices
nextbillion.net/flipping-the...
@wdavidsoninst.bsky.social @acumen.org #ImpactInvesting #SocialEnterprise #SocialEntrepreneurship #entrepreneurs
nextbillion.net/flipping-the...
@wdavidsoninst.bsky.social @acumen.org #ImpactInvesting #SocialEnterprise #SocialEntrepreneurship #entrepreneurs
Flipping the Script on Investor Feedback: A New Survey Gives Entrepreneurs a Platform to Assess — And Influence — Their Impact Investors’ Practices
A new research initiative aims to explore social entrepreneurs' actual experiences with impact investors — both the good and the bad.
nextbillion.net
June 10, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Founders get feedback from investors all the time. Rarely do they get to give it back. WDI + @acumen.org want to change that. "Founders in Focus" surveys founders across Africa, Asia & Latin America on their real experiences with impact capital. Survey closes June 26. Add your voice. 🔗
Wildfire season is now year-round. In June's case of the month from WDI Publishing, students explore how State Farm can stay viable in California's incendiary insurance market. 🔗 https://bit.ly/4odgR2d #Wildfires #ClimateRisk #BusinessEducation
June 9, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Wildfire season is now year-round. In June's case of the month from WDI Publishing, students explore how State Farm can stay viable in California's incendiary insurance market. 🔗 https://bit.ly/4odgR2d #Wildfires #ClimateRisk #BusinessEducation
Clean cooking taught us: distributing stoves isn't the same as reducing emissions. Clean cooling is approaching the same inflection point - and risks building infrastructure that incentivizes asset ownership, not outcomes.👇 https://bit.ly/4eQkxnT #worldenvironmentday
Beyond the Horizon: What off-grid solar and clean cooking can reveal about the road ahead for clean cooling
Clean cooling is at an inflection point. The need is clear, proof-of-concept technologies exist, and the market is forming. The decisions made now will shape the sector for a generation. The experienc...
bit.ly
June 5, 2026 at 8:49 PM
Clean cooking taught us: distributing stoves isn't the same as reducing emissions. Clean cooling is approaching the same inflection point - and risks building infrastructure that incentivizes asset ownership, not outcomes.👇 https://bit.ly/4eQkxnT #worldenvironmentday
We're grateful to the 22 leaders from 11 countries who joined this spring's NGO Leadership Workshop in Bratislava, Slovakia. They were joined by a very special guest equally grateful for their work. Zuzana Čaputová, the former President of Slovakia. @umichWCEE
June 4, 2026 at 10:13 PM
We're grateful to the 22 leaders from 11 countries who joined this spring's NGO Leadership Workshop in Bratislava, Slovakia. They were joined by a very special guest equally grateful for their work. Zuzana Čaputová, the former President of Slovakia. @umichWCEE