The much-anticipated Kiva iPhone App is almost ready to be launched. According to the developers, they are 80% of the way there. And the home-stretch depends on the amount of help they can get for final modifications. If you're interested in helping, or just want to stay updated, follow the updates on Twitter @kiva4iphone. I met Jon & Laura, the app developers, at the Kiva Dev Happy Hour and then again at the Kiva Dev Garage. Their mission is to help Kiva spread the word, and to ultimately increase the amount of loans that change lives. They saw an opportunity to do this through the iPhone: "Say you're at a bar and want to explain Kiva to a friend. Our app lets you simply whip out your iPhone to easily show off the power of Kiva. Your friend will instantly get it." While Jon and Laura refined the bare-bones code base and product design that was in place, it is now and open source project. Developers, get moving and help launch the Kiva iPhone App! Now, more about the developers: Jon (Co-creator/Lead Engineer) is an iPhone app obsessed programmer who hails from Florida but now is happy living on Treasure Island. He loves coding, his dog Dixie, watching Lost, and social gaming. Laura (Co-creator/Product Manager) is a Bay Area local who is interested in new technology, microfinance, and surfing. She's an internet marketing buff and is the community manager for the SF Surfrider Foundation. After Jon heard about build.kiva, the idea to create a Kiva iPhone app became a no-brainer. It's the perfect union of two of his interests: building iPhone apps, and the microfinance opportunities Kiva enables. He then shared this idea with Laura and they began to nail down the specifics and think about features, product design, and how to spread the word. They find their inspiration to build.kiva from the amazing amount of potential to effect other people's lives for the better. "This open API lets us tap into the power of Kiva in innovative and interesting ways that will enable many other people to give loans that change lives through our app," said Laura.
"We also chose to embark on this project because while we may not be able to loan thousands of dollars through Kiva ourselves, we can give resources in the form of our talent, in a way that will enable even more people to access, discover, and ultimately lend with Kiva".