Emerging Futures Lab
Founded in November 2007, the Emerging Futures Lab (EFL) is a small multidisciplinary team that aims to increase the understanding the people at the base of the pyramid across the developing world in order to improve the success rate of new ventures, products and services intended to serve this market in a holistically beneficial manner. A significant proportion of their primary and original research is published under the Creative Commons license. Past and ongoing clients include a global consumer electronics manufacturer, an energy giant, a leading mobile service provider and Finland.
Since 2011, EFL has offered full service customer centric innovation planning and new market strategy for corporate clients wishing to enter the BoP and emerging middle class consumer markets of Sub Saharan Africa. Recent clients include ToughStuff International and VillageTelco.org
Founder
Niti Bhan has been developing and implementing new market strategies for both the developed and developing world for almost two decades. Her experience spans advertising and marketing communications during the heyday of India’s market liberalization to new product and service launches in the United States. Niti’s key skill is her ability to take the long view when identifying opportunity spaces and new revenue generation strategies based on a big picture perspective. An established author and speaker, her research interests include the challenge of designing effective business and transaction models intended for those with irregular and unpredictable incomes.
Full list of articles and publications here.
Other research partnerships
TEKES /Helsinki School of Economics – EFL was appointed researcher on a 19 month project over 2009 – 2010 to uncover, collate and document innovative business models for and at the BoP across the developing world for the National Innovation Policy committee of Finland.
Relevant Publications
Design for the next billion customers – Core77, April 2008
The 5D’s of BoP Marketing: touchpoints for a holistic, human centered strategy – Core77, January 2009
Design for Social Impact Workshop hosted by Rockefeller Foundation, June 2008
