Netizen: Microfinance

Showing posts with label Microfinance. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Shivani Siroya, Founder CEO Of Tala, A Revolutionary Fintech Company

Masa should put his money in Tala, not WeWork. Although WeWork is fine. But Tala is way more impactful. Masa needs to put $30 billion into this.

Shivani Siroya
The Founder Of Tala On Her Leap From Finance To Fundraising For Her Mission-Driven Startup
Shivani Siroya
With $65M, Tala Goes Global: Q&A With Shivani Siroya and Female Founders Fund
GE 193: How TEDTalk Speaker Shivani Siroya Built Financial App Tala That Has Dispersed $50M+ in Emerging Markets to 1M+ Global Customers (podcast)
Shivani Siroya Of Tala On What It Takes To Build Company Culture Across Time Zones
With loans of just $10, this startup has built a financial services powerhouse in emerging markets
Shivani Siroya
Tala, a Company That Offers Loans for as Little as $10, Just Raised $110 Million
A Tech Founder on Why Being an Outsider Is a Strength
Give People Some (Micro) Credit—and Transform Their Lives
Bringing financial services to emerging markets with Shivani Siroya the Founder and CEO of Tala

Shivani Siroya, Founder CEO Of Tala, A Revolutionary Fintech Company @shivsiroya https://t.co/0jg1BiXSBf
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) September 11, 2019

Shivani Siroya, Founder CEO Of Tala, A Revolutionary Fintech Company @talamobile https://t.co/pBgUNjhc3R
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) September 11, 2019

Friday, July 03, 2015

Digitizing Money For The Poor

I have an enormous interest in finance for the people at the very bottom. I think magical advances are possible. And there is also a lot of money to be made.

Exponential Finance: Who Will Be the Instagram or Uber of Finance?

Instagram was acquired for a billion dollars the same year Kodak went bankrupt. Though Kodak invented the digital camera behind Instagram’s business model—they failed to fully embrace it and paid the price. Uber is a five-year-old transportation company worth $40 billion, and they don't own a single car or bus. ....... relatively small organizations are rapidly rising up to take on big traditional players with little more than an app on a smartphone. So, what models are leading contenders to become the Instagram or Uber of finance? ..... As smartphones become ubiquitous in the developing world, it's possible many of the world’s unbanked billions in developing countries will skip traditional finance, a little like how they leapfrogged landlines for cell phones. ....... bank-free, digital cash will be a force to be reckoned with. ........ blockchain’s potential is massive—not just for cryptocurrencies, but anything of value. The same technology that records and confirms Bitcoin transactions can, in theory, do the same thing for “a will, a deed, a title, a license, intellectual property, an invention, or any type of financial instrument.” ...... Machines doing what machines do best, and humans doing what humans do best. Better together than either one alone. ...... By more fully digitizing finance (parts of it are, of course, already digitized), we can supercharge commerce and reduce the cost of doing business. ...... Even now, the digital camera market is shrinking as point-and-shoot cameras are replaced by smartphones. ...... Reality has surpassed science fiction.

Thursday, March 05, 2015

Microfinance Is A Huge Business

English: ESAF Microfinance Geographical Coverage in India (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I don't think of microfinance as charity. I think of it as big business, like a hundred billion dollar business. How many companies in the world are past $100 billion in market value? Exactly.

China grew at double digit rates for close to three decades, no recession, nothing. That is magical. Well, America could not do that because, when you are America, you grow by inventing the industries of tomorrow. And that is hard to do. But when you are China in 1980, you are not having to do that. You grow at double digit rates because all you are having to do is catch-up. And India is about to realize that. I hope Africa is next after India. As in, Africa also starts growing at double digit rates by 2020. Political leadership is key.

People who avail of microfinance are like China in 1980. Only these are individuals and families, not countries. They can do well as business entities. Investing in them is smart.

I am super interested in this sector. Entrepreneurs are my favorite people. I'd like to service a ton of them. Entrepreneurs at the low end stand to transform this world like few others.

Done right this is about getting the Aam Aadmi (the common "man") in the rich countries to contribute a few hundred to a few thousand dollars as investments and touching lives a few hundred dollars at a time at the other end.

A for profit company is not a bad idea. A for profit company with strong social boundaries. The goal has to be to keep the interest rate as low as possible. But the for profit part is it has to have the efficiency of a well run corporation.

Saturday, January 31, 2015

SuperEntrepreneur Options

Boldness 2009 logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I think the SuperEntrepreneur concept has to start with the boldness of vision, it is about realizing the next big things are (1) Software (still) (2) Biotechnology (3) Nanotechnology and (4) Clean Energy. I am tempted to put Microfinance on par with the Big Four, and I admit to my Third World (Global South) bias.

You start with that boldness of vision. And you cultivate an eye for spotting for the companies of tomorrow. And you build and scale business processes, and fundraising, and you build your network, and you weave together Founder CEOs doing exciting things in their domains, the earlier you grab them the better.

If you are too much in tune with what is most talked about today (mobile?), you might be missing out on the biggest trends of tomorrow. Although I do think mobile has at least until the end of this decade to run strong.

The Founder CEO concept is key. The Founder CEO is the central hub in the SuperEntrepreneur concept. If you don't have the Founder CEO personality, you are too "clingy."