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Announcements
This is a blog entry which doesn't highlight how tired I am. Why? For once, in a long while, I'm not. I'm relieved. Jeremy and I are on the verge of completing a software project which began in mid January and took slightly longer than we anticipated. We, along with Carl, essentially rewrote the Kiva web application. The code that will be up there on Monday will be a complete replacement of last year's code. We didn't add a ton of new user facing features to this release, instead we concentrated on the partner interface. As of Monday, our partners will be able to directly post businesses to the site, thus creating a much more distributed work dynamic.
Outside of this, there is a lot to report.
First, we just signed up and posted a new partner CREDIT, which is an MFI based in Cambodia that works in the World Relief network. We are honored to be in partnership. Our businesses section, today, displays 5 Cambodian entrepreneurs needing loans. The pictures they sent are some of the best I've seen on our site. Our first foray into Asia!
Second, Carl arrived in Uganda on Monday. I was sleeping on Jeremy's floor, in the middle of a 72 hour coding spree, and was awoken by Moses at the ungodly hour of 9 AM. Moses started the call like any Moses call, with a sequence of pleasantries and formal greetings characteristic of an East African orator. I responded to his speech with sleepy grunts. Then, he really surprised me by passing the phone to carl, who had just flown in. They were calling me from Moses' cell from the Kampala airport. It was quite disorienting to hear Carl and Moses on the same line. My worlds have truly collided.
Third, Premal Shah, from Paypal has formally joined Kiva as President. Premal and I will make a two person leadership team while Jessica calls the shots from behind the scenes as a student at the Stanford GSB. All three of us are now on the board. There is a long story as to how Premal ended up as the President of Kiva and it will come out piece by piece in blog entries to come. All I can say now is that having Premal at Kiva instantly boosted it's future hopes by an order of magnitude. If Kiva was a stock, it would have doubled with that announcement. Thank you Premal, you are a godsend to Kiva and an amazing partner to have on this journey.
Last, thank you Jessica for putting up with me over the last three months. For the most part, I was gone from the house -- spread across internet cafes and donut shops all over the Bay Area. I needed your support and you gave it to me. Thanks. I'm gonna go to bed early tonite.
Outside of this, there is a lot to report.
First, we just signed up and posted a new partner CREDIT, which is an MFI based in Cambodia that works in the World Relief network. We are honored to be in partnership. Our businesses section, today, displays 5 Cambodian entrepreneurs needing loans. The pictures they sent are some of the best I've seen on our site. Our first foray into Asia!
Second, Carl arrived in Uganda on Monday. I was sleeping on Jeremy's floor, in the middle of a 72 hour coding spree, and was awoken by Moses at the ungodly hour of 9 AM. Moses started the call like any Moses call, with a sequence of pleasantries and formal greetings characteristic of an East African orator. I responded to his speech with sleepy grunts. Then, he really surprised me by passing the phone to carl, who had just flown in. They were calling me from Moses' cell from the Kampala airport. It was quite disorienting to hear Carl and Moses on the same line. My worlds have truly collided.
Third, Premal Shah, from Paypal has formally joined Kiva as President. Premal and I will make a two person leadership team while Jessica calls the shots from behind the scenes as a student at the Stanford GSB. All three of us are now on the board. There is a long story as to how Premal ended up as the President of Kiva and it will come out piece by piece in blog entries to come. All I can say now is that having Premal at Kiva instantly boosted it's future hopes by an order of magnitude. If Kiva was a stock, it would have doubled with that announcement. Thank you Premal, you are a godsend to Kiva and an amazing partner to have on this journey.
Last, thank you Jessica for putting up with me over the last three months. For the most part, I was gone from the house -- spread across internet cafes and donut shops all over the Bay Area. I needed your support and you gave it to me. Thanks. I'm gonna go to bed early tonite.
