5 ms·

Everyone Can Learn Angel Investing Using Kiva

26 points by adammcnamara 13y ago

swombat 13y ago
If you're running a successful startup and looking for some kind of charity outlet for some of those profits, I highly recommend Kiva loans. Find some entrepreneurs trying to start tough businesses in tough environments, like a tailor in Liberia or a corner shop in Congo, and loan them solid chunks of money (e.g. $500 at a time). If they repay the loan (which the ones I loaned to have so far), then: 1) you've helped start a business in a deprived part of the world, possibly changed someone's life 2) you've got the money back to help another business And in either case: 3) you've done something very tangible to help another entrepreneur who is dealing with business risks you are lucky to never need to consider in your entire entrepreneurial career.
GFK_of_xmaspast 13y ago
I'm not comfortable with microloans for a number of reasons, most importantly because I don't want to be a usurer. (forex: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/world/14microfinance.html http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/world/14microfinance.html)
- testrun 13y ago
  The article you link to is about loan sharks. You can loan money out to people using Kiva at 0% interest.
  - naturalethic 13y ago
    You can't loan at interest on Kiva. Which makes it a charity, not an investment.
  - rhc2104 13y ago
    With Kiva, you can lend money at 0% interest to a microfinance institute, which utilizes the interest-free capital to give a loan at a slightly lower interest rate than it otherwise would. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiva_%28organization%29#Current_interest_rate_statistics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiva_%28organization%29#Current... As of January 7, 2010, 35.21% is the Average Interest Rate and Fees Borrowers Pay (Portfolio Yield) to All Kiva Field Partners.
JumpCrisscross 13y ago
Kiva loans have a negative expected (financial) return with no possibility of making back your money in real terms - you cannot, by definition, "invest" in a Kiva loan. Kiva is a fun place to do some good. I do not think, however, that it is any kind of training for investing.
wmaiouiru 13y ago
Alternative to Kiva, there is lending club. I wonder if there are any startups that could aggregate all these investment opportunities...
orionblastar 13y ago
What if you don't have any money to invest because you are out of work or disabled?
dylanblanchard 13y ago
This is awesome.
dragon1st 13y ago
This is awesome, but I think this is more likely charity rather than investing.

26 points by adammcnamara 13y ago

If you're running a successful startup and looking for some kind of charity outlet for some of those profits, I highly recommend Kiva loans. Find some entrepreneurs trying to start tough businesses in tough environments, like a tailor in Liberia or a corner shop in Congo, and loan them solid chunks of money (e.g. $500 at a time). If they repay the loan (which the ones I loaned to have so far), then: 1) you've helped start a business in a deprived part of the world, possibly changed someone's life 2) you've got the money back to help another business And in either case: 3) you've done something very tangible to help another entrepreneur who is dealing with business risks you are lucky to never need to consider in your entire entrepreneurial career.

GFK_of_xmaspast 13y ago

I'm not comfortable with microloans for a number of reasons, most importantly because I don't want to be a usurer. (forex: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/world/14microfinance.html http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/world/14microfinance.html)

testrun 13y ago
The article you link to is about loan sharks. You can loan money out to people using Kiva at 0% interest.
- naturalethic 13y ago
  You can't loan at interest on Kiva. Which makes it a charity, not an investment.
- rhc2104 13y ago
  With Kiva, you can lend money at 0% interest to a microfinance institute, which utilizes the interest-free capital to give a loan at a slightly lower interest rate than it otherwise would. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiva_%28organization%29#Current_interest_rate_statistics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiva_%28organization%29#Current... As of January 7, 2010, 35.21% is the Average Interest Rate and Fees Borrowers Pay (Portfolio Yield) to All Kiva Field Partners.

JumpCrisscross 13y ago

Kiva loans have a negative expected (financial) return with no possibility of making back your money in real terms - you cannot, by definition, "invest" in a Kiva loan. Kiva is a fun place to do some good. I do not think, however, that it is any kind of training for investing.

wmaiouiru 13y ago

Alternative to Kiva, there is lending club. I wonder if there are any startups that could aggregate all these investment opportunities...

orionblastar 13y ago

What if you don't have any money to invest because you are out of work or disabled?

dylanblanchard 13y ago

This is awesome.

dragon1st 13y ago

This is awesome, but I think this is more likely charity rather than investing.