Claudia Porras Scott Joins Startup Junkie as Kiva Capital Access Manager

FAYETTEVILLE, AR | February 7, 2023 | Startup Junkie Foundation announced today the addition of Claudia Porras Scott to lead the Kiva Northwest Arkansas Hub.

The Kiva hub, which launched locally in 2019, is a crowdfunded microloan program administered in Northwest Arkansas with support from the Walton Family Foundation. 

Scott joins the team as the capital access manager (CAM) to assist entrepreneurs with the Kiva microloan program process. She is fluent in Spanish and English, and she brings her expertise in helping entrepreneurs and small business owners in the region.

Scott most recently served as director of member engagement at the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce. Prior to that, she served as a programs assistant for the Downtown Springdale Alliance, and as a migrant recruiter and advocate for the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative.

 “We’re just thrilled to add Claudia to our team,” said Martha Londagin, executive business consultant with Startup Junkie and the current Kiva NWA capital access manager. “Claudia brings a heart for entrepreneurs and the Hispanic/Latina/Latino business community and excellent experience at bringing NWA resources to them. I know she will hit the ground running, putting that expertise to work for our borrowers so the Kiva loan program can reach more area entrepreneurs.”

“In the past three years, our Kiva NWA Hub has assisted 86 local business owners with fully funding Kiva small business loans. Of those, 33 percent identify as Black-owned businesses, and 81 percent as Women-owned. However, only 16 percent of our local borrowers identify as Hispanic/Latina/Latino-owned. We believe Claudia’s skills and professional background will help us serve more of this thriving business community,” Londagin added. 

Scott holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Strategic Communication from the University of the Ozarks, a M.Ed. in Human Resources and Workforce Development from the University of Arkansas, and is currently earning her doctorate in the same field of study as her master’s degree. 

“I am so excited to join the Startup Junkie team as their Capital Access Manager for NWA Kiva Hub,” said Scott. “A big part of what drew me to Startup Junkie is their commitment to removing barriers for historically underserved populations, ensuring everyone has equal access to entrepreneurial resources, and providing much-needed support to individuals seeking to establish or grow their business.” 

“This position truly encompasses my biggest passions of outreach, service, and communication while allowing me to help minority-owned small businesses in the region,” she added. “As a native Costa Rican who has found both prosperity and community living in Northwest Arkansas, this position speaks to me on more than just a professional level; I would love to help others achieve that same level of fulfillment through the Kiva NWA hub and Startup Junkie’s services. I look forward to advancing Startup Junkie’s commitment to inclusivity and service to others while expanding our network of talented, diverse small business owners in the region.”

Kiva is a 501 c3 non-profit entity that was established in San Francisco California in 2005. Through the NWA Kiva Hub, the Startup Junkie Foundation provides consulting and technical assistance to borrowers and small business owners in the form of assistance with the Kiva online application process, working step-by-step to increase the likelihood of approval to crowdfund a business loan on the respected kiva.org site ranging from $1,000-$15,000. While borrowers can seek loan approval through Kiva without going through the Hub, having a local partner like the Startup Junkie Foundation and a Kiva Capital Access Manager increases the likelihood of success for local entrepreneurs and business owners. Loans through the Kiva platform require five to 40 (depending upon the loan amount approved by Kiva) initial, private loans of as little as $25 from customers, friends, or family before launching to the international community of over two million Kiva lenders worldwide. These initial private local loans serve as “community collateral” for the borrower, replacing traditional requirements for personal and business property pledges and collateral. The process requires no minimum credit score, no collateral pledges, no official financial statements, nor is U.S. citizenship documentation required to apply. All Kiva lenders are repaid the loans made from the borrower via the Kiva repayment system to the lender’s PayPal account. The NWA Kiva Hub is one of over 40 hubs located throughout the United States and Puerto Rico in multiple cities and regions. 

Visit the Kiva NWA website for more information and contact links to reach Martha or Claudia for assistance.

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About Startup Junkie: Startup Junkie is a team of passionate people working every day to help entrepreneurs win and communities thrive. We exist to educate, inspire, and support entrepreneurs and innovators through no-cost, one-on-one consulting; events, workshops, and programs; and access to capital and talent. We truly believe that entrepreneurship improves lives, families and communities.

February 7,  2023

CONTACT: Caleb Talley

caleb@startupjunkie.org • 870-270-3988

startupjunkie.org