Premal Shah, President Kiva.org
Premal Shah leads Kiva.org - a website that lets you make micro-loans to low-income entrepreneurs. Kiva raises over $1 million each week for the working poor in +50 countries and was named as a Top 50 website by TIME magazine in 2008. Prior to Kiva, Premal spent 6 years at PayPal, an eBay company and began his career as a management consultant in New York. During a sabbatical from PayPal, Premal began developing the internet microfinance concept while volunteering at a women's economic empowerment organization in India. His work as a social entrepreneur harnessing technology has now been recognized widely in the press, including Good Morning America, NPR, Fortune and Al Jazeera. Premal was a featured speaker at the Clinton Global Initiative and was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Premal graduated with a degree in Economics from Stanford University.
Leslie Witt
Leslie is co-founder of Healthy Living at IDEO, a group created to promote physical, emotional and financial health. She is currently focused on the ‘financial’ dimension of healthy living.
Here's our PROGRAM for Thursday (see attached poster):
5:00 - A thought starter from Leslie Witt – Microlending is credit’s crown jewel – empowerment through the extension of capital. What can the developed world learn from this?
5:15 – Developing Kiva.org - Premal Shah will tell the story of developing Kiva.org and describe some of the challenges encountered as he went from an idea to an organization that raises over $1 million each week for microfinance.
5:50 – Discussion – Leslie Witt will moderate a discussion.
*The Know How Talks are usually held on Thursdays at 5:00,
in IDEO's Palo Alto cafe next to our lobby at 100 Forest.
Enter from the alley between Alma St and High St.
The talks are open to the public. No need to RSVP.
To join the announcement list, please add yourself to the IDEO Know How Talks group:
http://groups.google.com/group/IdeoKnowHowTalks
Bill Moggridge
IDEO
100 Forest Avenue
Palo Alto
CA 94301
(650) 289 3400
bmogg...@ideo.com
www.ideo.com
---