Loan that change lifes

Kiva's mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending.



Pendo Luisi, 27 years old, borrowed $175 to open a cafe in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Kiva was born of the following beliefs:

•People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.


•The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.


•By connecting people we can create relationships beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another.


Kiva promotes:
•Dignity: Kiva encourages partnership relationships as opposed to benefactor relationships. Partnership relationships are characterized by mutual dignity and respect.


•Accountability: Loans encourage more accountability than donations where repayment is not expected.


•Transparency: The Kiva website is an open platform where communication can flow freely around the world.


As of November 2009, Kiva has facilitated over $100 million in loans.


Administration
Chelsa Bocci | Community Marketing Director
Chelsa has been with Kiva from the beginning and was responsible for establishing Kiva's Microfinance Partnerships program where she managed a great deal of relationships with Kiva's Field Partners, primarily in Africa, and oversaw Kiva's Microfinance Operations programs; Inventory Management and Kiva's expansive Fellows Program. Chelsa is currently responsible for growing and further engaging Kiva's community through three channels: Kiva Lending Teams, Social Networks, and Events. Prior to Kiva, Chelsa was a Corporate Recruiter and Immigration Specialist with Barclays Global Investors. She returned to the U.S. following a period of extensive world travel and work abroad; including Social Work with HIV-positive children in South Africa and tsunami relief efforts in Thailand and Indonesia. Chelsa received her B.S. in Psychology from Santa Clara University, and has completed certifications in Social Performance Management, Framework for Reporting/Analysis/Monitoring/ Evaluation (FRAME), Behavioral Interviewing/Talent Selection, Risk Management Strategies, and Human Resources Management.

Ali Carroll | Customer Service Coordinator
Ali comes to Kiva with an entrepreneurial background and experience living in rural East Africa. As the Customer Service Coordinator, she works to provide Kiva lenders with the best possible experience on Kiva and she ensures that the thousands of emails and phone calls that come into Kiva every month get answered. Ali graduated from Wake Forest University with a B.A. in Communications and Studio Art.

Austin Choi | General Counsel
Austin has served as Kivas General Counsel since July 2008 and brings over 10 years of legal experience working with global high technology companies. He has previously held positions in the legal departments of ArcSight, Inc., InVision Technologies, Inc./GE InVision, Inc., and the law firm of Fenwick & West LLP. He also served as a judicial law clerk at the United States Court of International Trade. Austin holds an A.B. in Economics from Harvard College, where he studied economic development issues, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Matt Flannery | Co-Founder and CEO
Matt began developing Kiva in late 2004 as a side-project with while working as a computer programmer at TiVo, Inc. In December 2005 Matt left his job to devote himself to Kiva full-time. As CEO, Matt has led Kiva's growth from a pilot project to an established online service with partnerships across the globe and millions in dollars loaned to low income entrepreneurs. Matt is a Draper Richards Fellow, Skoll Awardee and Ashoka Fellow. He graduated with a BS in Symbolic Systems and a Masters in Philosophy from Stanford University.

Bennett Grassano | Director of Development
Bennett comes to Kiva with a background in Social Enterprise, Technology, and Nonprofit Development & Fundraising. He has worked as a leader in community-based arts and education in San Francisco's Richmond district, a Web Developer at the Internet search engine LookSmart, and as a founding partner in an open source Web development & hosting company in San Francisco. Prior to joining Kiva, Bennett served as Director of Institutional Development for TechSoup Global where he earned a grand prize in the inaugural Yale School of Management-Goldman Sachs National Nonprofit Business Plan competition for TechSoup Stock, a self-sustaining online service that has distributed over $1 billion in technology product donations to NGOs in 24 countries. Bennett is a graduate of West Virginia University with a BA in History, Philosophy, and Foreign Languages. He is an avid musician, Tae Kwon Doist, yogi, snowboarder, and bicycle commuter.

Jen Hamilton | Chief Financial Officer
Jen comes to Kiva with an entrepreneurial background and has extensive finance experience through her roles in the corporate and investment banking world. She began her career working with Citibank Canada in Toronto and later moved to the Bay Area to become a technology investment banker first at DLJ and later Credit Suisse and UBS. Jen's passion for international travel and culture led her to found On The Road Travel (www.ontheroadtravel.com) an online resource for independent travelers in Latin America. Jen holds an MBA from INSEAD (Fontainbleau, France) and a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen's University (Kingston, Canada). Jen is an avid yogi, cyclist, skier and recovering triathlete.

Stefanie Madrid | Accounting Manager
Stefanie serves as Kivas Accounting Manager joining Kiva in July of 2008. She brings with her seven years of accounting experience in varying industries, her most recent of which as the Finance Director at VolunteerMatch, a San Francisco based nonprofit focusing on using internet technology to help everyone find a good place to volunteer. She is responsible for maintaining Kivas financial record keeping, the annual audit, and business analytics. Stefanie earned her B.S. in Finance and Business Administration from the University of Southern California and is currently pursuing her MBA at the University of San Francisco.

Rupa Modi | East Coast Development Manager
Rupa is responsible for developing East Coast operations in efforts to build awareness, fundraise, and seek new business opportunities. In 2007, Rupa contributed to raising program funds for Kiva from renowned foundations and donors. Additionally, Rupa was a featured speaker at the Wharton Technology Conference and moderated the Social Entrepreneurship Panel at the Wharton Entrepreneurship Conference in Philadelphia. Rupa is the Founder and CEO of ModiaDesigns, and she carries a deep interes