Join us on Friday, May 7 at 7 p.m. in the Nichols Hall auditorium at the Saratoga campus for an evening with acclaimed entrepreneur and visionary Matt Flannery, as he shares his motivation, challenges and experiences in creating one of the most innovative modern tools in the campaign against world poverty, Kiva.org.
Kiva brings the global reach and power of the Internet to the exciting and fast-developing world of microfinance. By creating a global electronic marketplace, Kiva encourages and empowers individuals to connect with small entrepreneurs around the world and easily, efficiently and transparently lend modest sums of money for worthwhile business enterprises.
The numbers speak for themselves. As of November 2009, Kiva has facilitated over $100 million in loans, helping over 300,000 entrepreneurs in over 100 countries. Kiva works because it matches the natural generosity and good business sense of contributors with the strong entrepreneurial spirit of people in developing areas who need access to often surprisingly small amounts of capital to fulfill their dreams of creating a better life for themselves and their families.
Kiva further shows that connecting people can also create relationships that extend well beyond financial transactions, building a global community that facilitates the support and encouragement of one another.
So join us on Friday, May 7 for your chance to meet, speak with and hear Matt Flannery as he describes one of the most exciting intersections of high technology and sustainable finance and development. Your outlook and hope for the world’s poor will likely never be the same. If you plan to attend this event, please RSVP by e-mailing HSSRSVP@harker.org.
About Matt Flannery
Matt Flannery began developing Kiva in late 2004 as a side project with while working as a computer programmer at TiVo, Inc. In December 2005 Flannery left his job to devote himself to Kiva full time. As CEO, Flannery 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. He is a Draper Richards Fellow, Skoll Awardee and Ashoka Fellow. He graduated with a B.S. in symbolic systems and a master’s degree in philosophy, both from Stanford University.
About the Harker Speaker Series
Launched in 2007, the Harker Speaker Series (HSS) invites leaders and visionaries from a variety of fields to share ideas and experiences with Harker parents, faculty and students as well as the greater community.
For more information, contact communications@harker.org.