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.
Martin Tschopp has been the CEO of Kiva since 2014. Previously, Martin spent 12 years at eBay, helping to build and grow marketplaces and eCommerce businesses in 20 countries.
IMPACT
To date, Kiva has facilitated over $935 million in loans to 2.3 million micro-entrepreneurs across 82 countries.
The repayment rate on Kiva loans is 97%, and the average loan size is $412.26.
Kiva News
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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
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Happy #InternationalDayofPeace. 🕊 “To every child—I dream of a world where you can laugh, dance, sing, learn, live… https://t.co/6n4K6g3oua
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RT @GraftedThe: @Kiva great company +doing great things = can't lose situation here
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Whoa, check out these stunning photos from scuba diving under Budapest. 🏊♀️https://t.co/1MGugWdxge
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We're hiring! Senior Product Designer, San Francisco https://t.co/toe5NT9GLG Calling fellow change makers and de… https://t.co/uRg3Wvh5kr
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"If we can overcome the education deficit in the developing world, everybody wins." — @rihanna wrote a powerful op-… https://t.co/FtJ8niViS7
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Getting education as a refugee is difficult, but 350 schools in Lebanon are working overtime to help Syrian childre… https://t.co/VNdvG4YrDK
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Translation: “The change is a joy!” 😍 Before receiving a loan, Arahama could barely afford enough food for her chil… https://t.co/uT9fZqaoXh
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RT @SJPeek: @TriciaWegner1 @Kiva @bobharrisdotcom When I receive @Kiva emails reporting that I've received 57 cents, I'm in awe of the loan…
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RT @TriciaWegner1: Why do I love @Kiva ?? One of the biggest reasons is that my money touches many lives! It can be anything from a cow to…
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Have you heard of jollof rice, fufu, or fish balls? 🤤 These are just some of the amazing dishes of Liberia! https://t.co/6qJZYUu2bl