EP 29: SHIVANI SIROYA
Shivani Siroya is the founder and CEO of Tala, the first financial platform for the Global Majority. Through Tala’s money app - customers across the globe can instantly access credit, deposit, and payment services. Over 9 million customers across Kenya, the Philippines, Mexico, and India have used Tala products to start and expand small businesses, manage day-to-day needs, and pursue their financial goals with confidence. Tala has raised nearly half a billion dollars in investments and debt, backed by visionary investors including IVP, Revolution Growth, Lowercase Capital, and PayPal Ventures. The company has been named to the Fortune Impact 20 list, CNBC’s Disruptor 50 five years in a row, and Forbes’ Fintech 50 list for eight years running.
Prior to founding Tala, Shivani worked as an analyst with UNFPA, holding thousands of interviews to understand the financial capacity of microcredit users in South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa. She has also held a variety of positions in global health and investment banking, including with Health Net, Citigroup, and UBS. Shivani is an Aspen Institute Finance Leader Fellow, a WEF Young Global Leader, Senior TED Fellow, and Ashoka Fellow. She holds a M.P.H from Columbia University and a B.A. from Wesleyan University.
In this week’s episode we discuss Shivani’s founder journey, how she raised nearly half a billion dollars in investments and debt, how she built a much-lauded corporate culture that spans multiple contents, and why she’s focused on creating credit solutions for the global majority.
Some takeaways:
🔸 The global majority represents 52% of the world population (4B people) and represents an economic opportunity of at least $10 trillion - $20 trillion
🔸 Financial infrastructure is not easily accessible for the global majority
🔸 Tala is solving for this by gathering user experience data, loan use data and creates a proprietary credit score that empowers them to gain credit
🔸 1.8B Android devices in these communities
🔸 2/3 of Tala’s clients had no access to credit prior to the app / service
🔸 Tala is looking into adding more financial products for existing client base
🔸 When fundraising for a start-up its all about how many swings you take
🔸 You never know which of your investors will be just as passionate about your business as you are
🔸 Sometimes its not about you - its about timing and the market
🔸 In preparing for later stage fundraising rounds, start talking with institutional investors long before you think you need them
Tala bridges digital and cash ecosystems to help customers seamlessly manage their financial lives, all in one app—from instant credit to easy money transfers to expansive bill pay options.
