Why Kiva's Business Model is so successful?

Kiva Microfunds is a non-profit organization that allows people to lend money via the internet to low-income entrepreneurs and students in over 80 countries. Kiva's mission is "to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty." Since 2005, Kiva has crowd-funded more than a million loans, totaling more than $950 million, with a repayment rate of between 98 and 99 percent. As of November 2013, Kiva was raising about $1 million every three days. The Kiva platform has attracted a community of well over a million lenders from around the world.

Social impact: self-transcendence

Life changing: provides hope, motivation, affiliation/belonging, self-actualization

Emotional: reduces anxiety, rewards me, provides access, badge value

Functional: makes money, connects, integrates, reduces cost, reduces efforts, saves time, avoids hassles, simplifies, quality, organizes

Blue ocean strategy:

The blue ocean approach is predicated on the premise that market limits and industry structure are not predetermined and may be reconfigured via the actions and attitudes of industry participants. This is referred to as the reconstructionist perspective by the writers. Assuming that structure and market boundaries exist solely in managers' thoughts, practitioners who subscribe to this perspective avoid being constrained by actual market structures. To them, more demand exists, primarily untapped. The core of the issue is determining how to produce it.

Crowdfunding:

Crowdfunding is the technique by which a large number of people contribute to a project. Contribute modest sums of money to support a new business endeavor. Crowdfunding leverages the ease of accessing vast networks of people, connecting investors and entrepreneurs through social media and crowdfunding websites. It can increase entrepreneurialism by widening the pool of investors further than the traditional ring of owners, relatives, and venture capitalists.

Community-funded:

The critical resource in this business strategy is a community's intellect. Three distinct consumer groups comprise this multifaceted business model: believers, suppliers, and purchasers. First, believers join the online community platform and contribute to the production of goods by vendors. Second, buyers purchase these goods, which may be visual, aural, or literary in nature. Finally, believers may be purchasers or providers, and vice versa.

Crowd deal:

Numerous consumers develop into a single transaction technique as a group of more than a particular degree of involvement or disclosure buying. Based on the professional backgrounds of users, for example, it is probable that at least some members of a crowd possess expertise on how to innovate in the manner a company provides or collects value.

New job trends:

The workforce as a whole is gravitating toward remote, dispersed teams comprised of freelancers and independent contractors. Workplace customization extends beyond IT and gadgets; workflow, behavior, and expectations are modeled after real-world applications. These are novel methods of job search.

On-demand economy:

The on-demand economy is described as economic activity generated by digital marketplaces that meet customer demand for products and services via quick access and accessible supply. The supply chain is managed via a highly efficient, intuitive digital mesh built on top of current infrastructure networks. The on-demand economy is transforming commercial behavior in cities worldwide. The number of businesses, the categories covered, and the industry's growth rate are all increasing. Businesses in this new economy are the culmination of years of technological progress and customer behavior change.

Power on:

This method allows the modification of current structures via the use of cutting-edge technology, as shown by growing political unrest, a crisis in representation and governance, and upstart companies upending established sectors. Nevertheless, the nature of this transition is often exaggerated or severely underestimated. As a result, some cling to delirious fantasies of a new techno-utopia in which greater connection results in direct democracy and wealth.

Lean Start-up:

The Lean Start-up methodology is a scientific approach to developing and managing businesses that focuses on getting the desired product into consumers' hands as quickly as possible. The Lean Startup method coaches you on how to guide a startup?when to turn, when to persevere?and how to build a company with maximum acceleration. It is a guiding philosophy for new product development.

Sharing economy:

The sharing economy eliminates the necessity for individual asset ownership. The phrase sharing economy is an umbrella word that encompasses various definitions and is often used to refer to economic and social activity that involves online transactions. Originally coined by the open-source community to refer to peer-to-peer sharing of access to goods and services, the term is now occasionally used more broadly to refer to any sales transaction conducted via online marketplaces, including those that are business to consumer (B2C) than peer-to-peer.

P2P lending:

P2P lending removes the intermediary layer from borrowing and lending, making financing a feasible financial choice for individuals. Peer-to-peer lending (P2P) is a kind of debt financing that allows people to borrow and lend money without using a traditional financial institution. Peer-to-peer lending eliminates the intermediary but requires more time, effort, and risk than conventional brick-and-mortar lending.

Two-sided market:

Two-sided marketplaces, also called two-sided networks, are commercial platforms featuring two different user groups that mutually profit from the web. A multi-sided platform is an organization that generates value mainly via the facilitation of direct contacts between two (or more) distinct kinds of connected consumers (MSP). A two-sided market enables interactions between many interdependent consumer groups. The platform's value grows as more groups or individual members of each group use it. For example, eBay is a marketplace that links buyers and sellers. Google connects advertising and searchers. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are also bidirectional, linking consumers and marketers.

Technology trends:

New technologies that are now being created or produced in the next five to ten years will significantly change the economic and social landscape. These include but are not limited to information technology, wireless data transmission, human-machine connection, on-demand printing, biotechnology, and sophisticated robotics.

Peer to Peer (P2P):

A peer-to-peer, or P2P, service is a decentralized platform that enables two people to communicate directly, without the need for a third-party intermediary or the usage of a corporation providing a product or service. For example, the buyer and seller do business now via the P2P service. Certain peer-to-peer (P2P) services do not include economic transactions such as buying and selling but instead connect people to collaborate on projects, exchange information, and communicate without the need for an intermediary. The organizing business provides a point of contact for these people, often an online database and communication service. The renting of personal goods, the supply of particular products or services, or the exchange of knowledge and experiences are all examples of transactions.