Kiva

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Model & Strategy

As the world’s first person-to-person lending marketplace for the poor, Kiva’s vision is to create a world where all people – even in the most remote areas of the globe – hold the power to create an opportunity for themselves and others. Kiva’s goal is to reduce global poverty by creating a platform where internet users can lend to and connect with a specific developing world entrepreneur online. Affordable capital helps low income entrepreneurs start or expand small businesses, creating a path towards economic self-sufficiency. Kiva enables a new channel for the delivery of such funds and creates equitable partnership relationships in the process.

At a Glance
Founded: 2005
Co-Founder & Special Advisor: Premal Shah
Co-Founder: Matt Flannery
Economic Empowerment
Location of work: Domestic, International, Africa, Asia, Latin America
http://www.kiva.org
Kiva
San Francisco, CA
Connect people through lending to alleviate poverty
Meet Premal Shah

Premal first began dreaming of “internet microfinance” while working at PayPal, the online payments company. In late 2004, Premal took a 3 month leave from PayPal to develop and test the internet microfinance concept in India. When he returned to Silicon Valley, he met other like-minded dreamers and quit his job at PayPal to help bring the Kiva concept to life and eventually to scale. Kiva today raises over $1 million each week for the working poor in 50+ countries and was named a Top 50 Website by TIME Magazine in 2009. For his work as a social entrepreneur, Premal was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and was selected to FORTUNE magazine’s “Top 40 under 40” list in 2009. Premal began his career as a management consultant and graduated from Stanford University.

Matt began developing Kiva in late 2004 as a side-project while working as a computer programmer at TiVo, Inc.  Matt helped to lead Kiva’s growth from a pilot project to an established online service with partnerships across the globe and hundreds of millions in dollars loaned to low-income entrepreneurs. Matt is Skoll Awardee and Ashoka Fellow and was selected to FORTUNE magazine’s “Top 40 under 40” list in 2009.  In 2011, Matt was chosen for the The Economist “No Boundaries” Innovation Award.

Neville Crawley has been the CEO of Kiva since 2019.  Neville brings nearly 2 decades of experience in global business and technology ventures, most recently as CEO of Quid, a platform that analyzes the world’s collective intelligence to help answer strategic questions.

IMPACT

To date, Kiva has facilitated over $1.4 billion in loans to 3.5 million micro-entrepreneurs across 83 countries. The repayment rate is 96%, and the average loan size is $400.

Increase capital access to underfunded, market-based, evidence-backed anti-poverty approaches: Kiva’s crowdfunding model creates a unique form of low-cost, risk-tolerant capital to help frontline innovators expand (e.g. One Acre Fund, myAgro, Komaza, etc).

Increase public awareness & engagement: Kiva seeks to create deeper public engagement in the pressing—and addressable— issues of our time. More than one million citizen lenders have participated, including programs at over 3,000 schools & universities.

Kiva News

All News

Learn More

  • Over 230,000 U.S. entrepreneurs have benefited from Kiva loans. Learn about one of the many organizations nationwid… https://t.co/UhrmHVdgo8
  • RT @GrameenFdn: Did you know that @Kiva has been an essential partner of our @WAGEGlobal initiative in El Salvador & Honduras? To date, we'…
  • RT @DrMCGregoire: Celebrating 7 years of loans @Kiva!! I’ll add a few more today!! #microloans #microfinance
  • RT @TaeYooCSR: What a great way for @kiva to celebrate 15 years - being awarded the Global Prize Winner of the 2020 Mission Billion Challen…
  • With the help of a Kiva loan, Pamela from Kenya now has her own jewelry shop. Using her #PowerInNumbers, Pamela als… https://t.co/wP52JR4Paw
  • RT @lmdo: Another Friday piece of fun was re-lending $543 in Kiva credit to projects in 22 different countries! Also. Yes, yes, I know, m…
  • RT @mortenhh: On October 28, @Kiva Protocol's Matthew Davie will be speaking at @awscloud's IMAGINE: Nonprofit Online conference. Join #n…
  • When the pandemic hit, it hit hard. Small business owners, emerging entrepreneurs, refugees on their journeys to a… https://t.co/K0FM85kw0M
  • RT @Ian_Holliday: I've now made 100 loans on @Kiva. Over the last 8ish years, I've deposited about (US)$800 and turned it into about $2,500…
  • RT @GrameenFdn: Happy 15th anniversary, @Kiva! Our @WAGEGlobal initiative partners with Kiva to provide financial support to women entrepre…
  • RT @DontForget2Move: Happy 15th anniversary @Kiva! #givingback https://t.co/BWmM74NaSQ
  • RT @Lendio: We're excited to announce that Lendio Gives, our employee-contribution and employer-matching program, has provided more than 20…
  • RT @MeganBarrow: FYI @Kiva helps women around the globe support hemselves & their families with micro loans. This is my 12th loan over 10 y…
  • RT @AWS_Nonprofits: The speaker line up is 🔥. Hear from @EBresearch, @Nature_org, @kiva, @blackgirlscode, @unitedwayoc & @joinviamo about h…
  • RT @benkeene: Starting in 2009 with with just $25 I've now loaned a total of $575 to 23 micro-businesses in 13 countries with a 3% failed r…
  • RT @CiscoCSR: More than 1.7 billion people worldwide are unbanked and don't have access to the financial services they need. That's why @Ki…
  • ICYMI: Kiva Protocol was just awarded the Global Prize for the 2020 @WorldBank Mission Billion Challenge →… https://t.co/0kNcnIGUVV
  • Nothing like trying something new! 💁🏽 With as little as $25, you can provide a student with supplies, a farmer wit… https://t.co/mnzH6MvAqI
  • Mark your calendar! On October 28, Kiva Protocol's Matthew Davies will speak at @awscloud's IMAGINE: Nonprofit Onli… https://t.co/UgWwOOvUF0
  • Danielle, VP at Allan Financial, motivated her team at work to start lending on Kiva. From 2014 to 2020, they’ve no… https://t.co/sXClcHLAou