Microloan
Kiva U.S.
Fit 88Cold inbound OK
Sample data — verify thesis, stage focus, and contact info before reaching out.
0% interest, no collateral, no minimum credit score. $1k-$15k crowdfunded by 2M+ individual lenders.
Stages
Idea-onlyPrototype builtPre-seedRevenue-stageLifestyle / bootstrapped
Geographies
us-only
Industries
sector-agnosticlocal-businessservice-businessecommerceconsumer
Business models
servicesmblifestyleproductecommerceany
Check size
$1,000 to $15,000
Founder segments
first-time-foundernon-technical-foundersolo-founderwomen-founderminority-founderveteran-founder
How to reach them
Apply at kiva.org/borrow (30-60 min). Review takes 1-3 weeks. Then a 15-day private fundraising window (5-40 friends/family lend $25+ each) before public crowdfunding opens.
- Website
- www.kiva.org ↗
- Submission link
- Apply or pitch ↗
Known weaknesses
- Small max check (~$15k)
- Requires PayPal-linked business bank account
- Not available in NV or ND
Outreach starter
Pick a material kind or ask AI to rewrite with your voice.
Venture capital cold email
Subject: {{idea name}}: {{one-line description}}
Hi Kiva U.S.,
I'm {{founder name}}, building {{idea name}}.
In one line: {{one-line description}}
Where we are today: {{1-2 sentences of traction}}
We are raising {{ask amount}}. Saw your work with {{portfolio company you back}}, the closest analog to what we're building, which is why I'm reaching out to you specifically.
Deck and demo: {{website url}}
Worth a 20-minute conversation?
{{founder name}}Fill in: idea name, one-line description, founder name, 1-2 sentences of traction, ask amount, portfolio company you back, website url
Need every material at once? See the full outreach generator.