Shivani Siroya is the CEO and founder of Tala; headquartered in San Francisco, the company has lending operations focused on the developing world having launched in Kenya in 2014; the company's app is the fifth most downloaded app in the country; Shivani shares her background, how the company got started, details on their lending product, and how they successfully serve those in developing countries. Source
California-based startup Tala has raised $30 million for its marketplace lending platform; investors in the funding round included IVP, Ribbit Capital, Lowercase Capital, Data Collective and Collaborative Fund; the firm offers loans in Kenya through alternative credit underwriting which utilizes accessible data on payrolls, savings, payments history and social network activity; it plans to expand to Mexico and India. Source