Was invited to give a guest lecture at microfinance post-graduate class at Pace University, New York. Structured as a part lecture, part focus-group with the students, the class surfaced interesting discussions into the promising future of leveraging innovations elsewhere in the sharing economy and low-cost digital connectivity/payment mechanisms to further unlock idle capital to tackle small business financial exclusion in the USA.

1. Technology,
Microfinance and
Inclusion
Center for Social Entrepreneurship
Pace University, April 3 2013

2. “We are all familiar with the concept of a
Church with no walls...
...Kiva Zip is a new kind of wonder - a
lending organization with no physical
bank, no profit, and no interest. It exists
purely.....on faith.”
Ted Jefferson, Bronx Shepherds Restoration Corporation introducing
Kiva Zip to fellow leaders of faith-based organizations

4. TECHNOLOGY HUMANITY

5. TECHNOLOGY HUMANITY
Digital Payments
Social Connectivity
Crowdsourcing

6. TECHNOLOGY HUMANITY
Digital Payments Character
Social Connectivity Generosity
Self-Service Human ties

7. TECHNOLOGY HUMANITY
Digital Payments Character
Social Connectivity Generosity
Self-Service Human ties

8. Zero cost to serve
Zero Interest
Crowd-funded Loans
= to small business
borrowers more
“trustworthy”
than their credit score
suggests

9. The Need
9

10. The
Solution:
unlocking wealth
from ‘idle capacity’?

11. share share
Space Skills
share
Stuff

12. share share
Space Skills
share share
Stuff Spare $

13. Smallbiz Lending
without Charging,
without Credit Scores and
without Collections.
13

14. Re-thinking
Smallbiz Lending
with simple, pervasive
connective technologies
14

15. What IF ?
No branches or staff, 0% interest, no
zero marginal cost profit, no fees
No credit Character &
scoring Competence
No collections agency *Trust* via
connectedness
Target “risky”/ low Get crowd to fund
income / unsexy /new startups other 15
startups lenders cannot

16. How Kiva Zip works in practice:
Victor’s Cafeto Coffeeshop
Kiva Zip Story
16

17. Victor, Cafeto and a 0%, $5,000 loan

18. Victor’s ‘trustee’, MEDA

19. MEDA ‘endorsed’ Victor

20. Victor’s
‘crowd’ of
lenders

21. Lenders
expressing
support,
and even
becoming
customers

22. Victor
updating
his
lenders

23. Victor is now 100% repaid…

24. …And he’s applying for a second, larger loan
for his 2nd coffee shop 1 year later!

25. Victor then endorsed his friend Rocio for a loan

26. Examples of Organizations
partnering Kiva Zip as trustees
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
Institute for Veterans & Military Families
SEEDSPOT
Incubator, AZ
GREENHORNS
nonprofit, small farm-innovation
Oakland City Church
(Pastor Josh McPaul)
TEAM ETSY LITTLE ROCK
Community Center for African American Business
St Louis, MO
26

27. Ideal trust intermediaries
Character
&
Competence
27

28. Future of Financial
Inclusion?
“Anyone”

29. Don’t need a special idea, or great
marketing or videos to get funded
38%
27%
Food
9% Shops
Access, Craft
Contractors, Cleaners, Mechanics
5%7% 8% Farms
tech/apps
7% other

30. So, now you.

31. LEND $25:
Zip.kiva.org/loans
Help spread the word?
m: sulin.lau@fellows.kiva.org
t: @SulinLau
DRINK (for a good cause)
9.30pm April 13. Pera Soho