Shivani Siroya

Founder and CEO of Tala

Shivani Siroya, founder and CEO of Tala, a $800M fintech company that provides microloans to people without credit histories.

Born in India, Siroya earned her BA in International Relations from Wesleyan University and a Master’s in Health Economics & Policy from Columbia University. She began her career as an analyst at PwC and Citigroup.

Her work interviewing 3,500+ people across South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa for the UN Population Fund highlighted a key issue: millions of eligible borrowers lacked credit access due to limited data.

In 2011, she founded Tala to address this gap by using AI to offer instant microloans in underserved markets. Here’s how it works:

► Instead of traditional credit scores, Tala’s AI analyzes 250+ data points, such as phone usage.
► A mobile app lets users apply for loans directly from their smartphones, giving results within seconds.
► Tala reports repayment behaviors to local credit bureaus, helping users create a formal credit history.

Today, Tala processes nearly $200M in transactions every month. The startup has been featured on Fortune’s Impact 20, CNBC Disruptor (5 times), and Forbes Fintech 50 (8 times).

Siroya's contributions to financial inclusion have earned her recognition in Fortune's 40 Under 40 list (2018). She was also nominated as a Wired Icon by Melinda Gates (2018).

My fave quote: “Be willing to take the risk, because otherwise, why are any of us doing this? Let’s not play safe.”