
Kiva
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.



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
-
Premal Shah: Small Business, the Backbone of the U.S. Economy, Needs a Jump StartKiva focuses on crowdfunding zero-interest loans to small-business owners who are excluded from other financing, have a social impact and create jobs: cafes hiring at-risk…Sep 2016
-
Two DRK Grantees Win $500k in Google Impact ChallengeThe Google Impact Challenge awarded a total of $5.5 million to Bay Area nonprofits this year. A panel of advisers narrowed the large pool of…Oct 2015
-
Agora Partnerships Announces New Partnership with KivaAgora Partnerships is excited to announce their very first lending opportunity on the Kiva platform:Aflore, a 2014 Agora Accelerator Alumni. Through Kiva, Agora Partnerships will be…May 2015
-
So sorry to all the lenders having trouble with https://t.co/5XJFc8E83o right now! We promise our site will be back… https://t.co/buK4BxU0qH
-
RT @FurberGareth: The work @Kiva does is incredible. For me it is super simple - I just set up an auto deposit. They then coordinate lendin…
-
RT @irjudson: Doesn't everyone start Tuesday by prepping Levain, Rolling fresh pasta, and lending with @kiva?! What?! You didn't!? Get on…
-
Looking for ways to support refugees? Look no further. Every day, Kiva lenders are backing people like Khetam, so t… https://t.co/pRrTaPPjVo
-
RT @paperkary: It had been a moment, but I just completed a new @Kiva loan, and was reminded i've been repaid for all my loans going on a d…
-
How do you make big decisions? For Khen and his wife Thon, getting a water filter was an expensive but necessary de… https://t.co/9olylGRLfx
-
In Albania, financing options are scarce. Help fund Albanian businesses today → https://t.co/qxwC7sd6qP Patriot sp… https://t.co/Ka0VWznjcW
-
It's repayments day again! Have you checked your account yet? Go to https://t.co/VCGrGfR0iu to find out and lend ag… https://t.co/vsJReNdD8i
-
RT @Olidelam: Today, I've lend 25$ for the 32nd time to borrowers in 20 countries, 75% of which were women. All this, having just put 50$ i…
-
It's almost Earth Day! You can get $50 in lending credits today when you sign up lend monthly in our eco-friendly c… https://t.co/9cgYzcirIo
-
RT @MicroCapital: @Kiva Refugee Investment Fund Closes with $32m to Scale Lending to Forcibly Displaced Persons, Host Communities Via Micro…
-
Yvette is making a difference in her community. Fund loans to Kenyan borrowers here → https://t.co/SyYiSAjbtD 70%… https://t.co/7aVsMMsfRf
-
RT @RAFLearning: A new case study from @Kiva highlights @eclofKenya's experience piloting & scaling an individual-liability loan, including…
-
Love this! 👏🏽 Here for a long time AND a good time. Thanks for being part of this community, Brian! 💚 https://t.co/W5XOiLPdYo
-
RT @McnabGareth: Just checked in on my @Kiva loans - makes me happy to see other people using my money for more good than I would have othe…
-
RT @mikementz: .@Kiva , y’all. It’s just so cool. Join the kindness and fun: https://t.co/cWdpvOcdAd
-
RT @johnmachacek: I'm giving a shout to all the current U.S. #microloan #crowdfunding #SmallBusiness campaigns on @Kiva as it looks like t…