Matt Flannery
An Element of Serendipity
August 23, 2007 | by Noah on the writeup.. Jay on the Video | Permalink
KIVA.org is a company that needs little introduction. A micro-financing operation based out of a humble San Francisco office, KIVA.org has grown in a single year from a four-person company with little investment a year ago, to a company with more money than it knows what to do with today. This is a problem, but for co-founder Matthew Flannery, this problem is at least on the better end of the spectrum.
After a premature midlife crisis at 22, Matt spent 4 years working in a job he did not enjoy, but learned from immensely. His entrepreneurial spirit brought him to Los Angeles, and what followed were a series of failed ideas, ranging from DVD vending machines, to a personal online clothing rental service.
Matt’s passion for KIVA comes out of his love for his wife, through her love for Africa. What started as a social entrepreneurship program in Uganda, has now become a service for developing nations all over the world. But even an idea as sound as the one behind KIVA is not invincible; at many points the company seemed on the brink of disaster. National exposure, however, from the New York Times and PBS, has catapulted KIVA to levels of what seems to be socially entrepreneurial stardom.
Visit KIVA.org today, and see how you can personally fund dreams across any divide.
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THERE ARE 2 RESPONSES TO THIS INTERVIEW
Steve Says:
August 23rd, 2007
Video interview link…now that’s bringing IT HOME to us common folk. The interview of Matt on the video drove me to his website. I read more about KIVA and learned more about what they are doing. I probably would not have done that without the video play interview. You guys get better and better every day. Thank you…
kelly G Says:
August 24th, 2007
Video by Janae?
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