[ethansmith]

The micro-finance model, where many people pitch in small amounts of money to fund a larger need, has worked for both for-profit entrepreneurial ventures (LendingClub and Prosper) and also for non-profit social entrepreneurs (Kiva). Vittana is a new social entrepreneurial venture where people can pitch in small amounts of money to fund loans for people looking to get a college education in developing countries.

I recently had the pleasure of talking to the CEO and Founder of Vittana on the phone and also through email. He was kind enough to do an interview with me about how startups and more specifically non-profit social startups. He responded to my questions with some excellent advice and perspective that are definitely valuable for both social entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs looking to hit paydirt.

Check out the interview here - TheStartupist Talks Non-Profit Startups and Microfinance with Vittana.org

This is just the beginning for Vittana. I expect both them and the students that they fund to do some remarkable things in the near and even distant future.

Also, there are many different possibilities that still exist within the model of microfinance. What do think is next in the progression of the micro-finance model?