Nanotechnology proponents expect that it will offer solutions to key problems facing developing countries. In this article, Doctors Noela Invernizzi and Guillermo Foladori argue that this optimistic view overlooks the social factors that shape science and technology development. Invernizzi and Foladori challenge what they see as overly optimistic assessments within recent articles concerning nanotechnology’s impact on developing nations. They argue that applications that may benefit poorer nations are only a starting point and that dominant socioeconomic hierarchies may still prevent nanotechnology from benefitting the poor. By recognizing these realities, the nanotechnology community can avoid repeating the mistakes of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and enable nanotechnology to become a tool to alleviate rather than widen disparity.