The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Encyclopedia
The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid is a book by C. K. Prahalad
C. K. Prahalad
Coimbatore Krishnarao Prahalad was the Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University Professor of Corporate Strategy at the Stephen M...

 that discusses new business models targeted at providing goods and services to the poorest people in the world. It makes a case for the fastest growing new markets and entrepreneurial opportunities being found among the billions of poor people 'at the bottom of the [financial] pyramid'. According to Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...

, it "offers an intriguing blueprint for how to fight poverty with profitability."

The book consists of a number of case studies, one to a chapter, about businesses that have thrived with such models. These include the businesses Casas Bahia
Casas Bahia
Casas Bahia is a in Brazilian retail chain which specializes in furniture and home appliances. It was founded in 1957 in São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo, by Polish immigrant Samuel Klein , who began his career as a peddler selling products to immigrants from the Brazilian Northeast...

, Patrimonio Hoy, Bank of Madura
Bank of Madura
Bank of Madura was established in 1943 by Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar. It acquired Chettinad Mercantile Bank and Illanji Bank in the 1960s. Bank of Madura was a Chettiar bank with a large customer base of 2 million plus customers and a network of more than 280 branches and 40+ ATMs centres...

, Aravind Eye Hospital
Aravind Eye Hospital
Aravind Eye Care Hospital is an ophthalmological hospital with several locations in India. It was founded by Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy.The hospital is named after Sri Aurobindo, one of the 20th century’s most revered spiritual leaders...

, Jaipur rugs
Jaipur Rugs
Jaipur Rugs is a socio-economic business model based at Jaipur, India dealing primarily in floor coverings. It is intended to connect the rural poor of India to the Affluent World through the traditional art of carpet weaving. Headquartered in Jaipur, they have their operations encompassing a...

 and Project Shakti and how they were founded.
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