Can businesses profitably serve the poorest of the poor? A new study, “Reaching Deep in Low-income Markets,” suggests yes.

The study dug into the experience of 20 enterprises delivering basic services such as power, sanitation, healthcare, housing and education to customers at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

Most of the companies in the study received some sort of subsidy, at least in the early stages. Subsidized capital was then replaced by more market-rate funding, say the authors, “suggesting subsidy does not preclude businesses from eventually becoming self-sustaining.”

Read the full article on businesses profitably serving the poorest of the poor by Dennis Price at ImpactAlpha