Project Kiva
The barriers to Tribal broadband deployment are varied and can be found across sectors. From a lack of financial investing in Tribal communities and the…
Who WE ARE
Kiva Capital Group, LLC (Kiva) is an advisory and financial consulting firm focused on finance, housing, technology, and job creation. Native Americans have been left behind in the digital revolution due to a lack of financial investing in Tribal Communities and the immense geography and rural nature of locations and burdensome regulatory environments.
Our Services
Business Development
As founders of several companies and our collective business backgrounds the Kiva Team can provide business essentials to business formation, funding, and formulation of corporate governance.
Economic Development
Infrastructure is severely lacking on most reservations. There is a need for electricity, clean water, broadband connectivity, and housing. Many homes don’t have broadband connectivity those that do have speeds that are so slow they are useless.
Advocacy
The average Tribal Council is facing many challenges in a rapidly changing environment. For example, the Navajo have a heavy reliance on coal, and the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) has shut down due to environmental pressure.
Gallery
Our team
Joe F. Martinez
Chairman
Mr. Martinez is a financial and operating executive. He is a serial entrepreneur, Fortune 500 executive and an Investment Banker. He is the founder and CEO of Core Venture Partners a Merchant bank located in Irvine California and is the Chief Investment Officer and General Partner of Metis Legacy Partners a real estate investment fund. In addition, he is a C Level advisor to IPK Technologies, a high technology company in San Diego founded by a group of experienced business, technology, and engineering executives who have authored over 35 patents in network communications and related fields of interest. Of special interest to him is to work within Native Nations to provide enhanced technology to Tribes that will help with education, healthcare, and the tribal economy. Mr. Martinez has graduate degrees from the University of Denver.
Joe Herrera, Jr.
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Herrera was a senior executive with such dynamic companies as Honeywell, Siemens, Johnson Controls and Integrated Control Systems. He is a Native American from the Cochiti and Laguna Pueblos in New Mexico. His background is unique in that both his grandmother, Tonita Pena, and father, Joe H. Herrera, Sr. of Cochiti Pueblo are world renown artists, with their paintings hanging in many museums and private collections around the world. Throughout his career Mr. Herrera focused on environmental control systems (commercial HVAC) in local and national sales management. He co-founded Kiva to lead the mission of helping Native American Nations to become self-sustaining in energy, job creation, and be responsive to the health and safety needs of their communities. He graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in economics.
Cathy Verlench
Chief Financial Officer, COO
Ms. Verlench is a technology and financial executive having worked for such companies as Compaq Computer Corporation, Hewlett Packard, Stratus Technologies the leader in fault tolerant computer servers and software. Most recently she was a regional manger for the wholesale division of Sprint prior to its acquisition by T-Mobile. At Core Venture Partners she heads the consulting and financial practice and is an owner and General Partner. As consultant she was the CFO for a software company and has consulted in the areas of sales management and recruitment in the high-tech sector. Ms. Verlench has a business degree from Stephen College.