In episode 207 of the Disruptors for Good podcast, I speak with Hardika Shah, Founder and CEO of Kinara Capital, on transforming lives and local economies, by providing access to capital for small business entrepreneurs.

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Takeaways

• Kinara Capital aims to transform lives, livelihoods, and local economies by providing fast and flexible business loans to small businesses in India.
• Access to formal credit is a challenge for small businesses in India, and technology is playing a crucial role in transforming the lending process.
• There is a significant credit gap in India, and Kinara Capital is working to bridge that gap by providing loans to micro and small businesses.
• Supporting women entrepreneurs is essential for economic growth, and Kinara Capital has programs in place to promote and empower women-owned businesses.
• The future goals of Kinara Capital include creating more jobs, disbursing a billion dollars in loans, and continuing to make a positive impact on local economies.

Quotes from the Episode

• "Technology is definitely the breakthrough piece that is required."
• "We were talking about banks taking three months to do a loan application. Other financial institutions probably would take half that time or a quarter of that time. Five, seven years ago, our average turnaround time from the application to disbursement used to be seven days. Today, we do that in 24 hours."
• "We would like to promote more by choice entrepreneurs and not by necessity entrepreneurs."

About Kinara Capital

Armed with a mission to empower the 70 million small business entrepreneurs in the country, Kinara Capital addresses the significant credit gap for MSMEs by offering swift and adaptable collateral-free business loans.

With AI/ML-powered data analytics driving credit decisions, the myKinara App provides a one-minute eligibility check and can finalize the loan process within 24 hours.

The company has disbursed more than $ 811 million to over 77,000 small business entrepreneurs ushering thousands into the realm of financial inclusion.

This transformative journey has not only spurred economic growth but has also been instrumental in supporting over 400,000 jobs in local economies.

About Hardika Shah

Before embarking on her entrepreneurial journey, Hardika honed her skills as a management consultant, working on projects for global companies across the USA, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Her passion for social impact led her to devote nearly a decade to mentoring emerging social entrepreneurs.

At Kinara Capital, the mission is clear: to transform lives, livelihoods, and local economies by providing access to capital for every entrepreneur. With a vision of a financially inclusive world, Hardika and her team continue to pave the way for a brighter future for small business entrepreneurs across India.

I hope you enjoy the conversation, until next time, stay humble and stay creative.