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Correct me if I'm wrong, but this seems like a way to tug at people's heartstrings for free capital. If interest goes back to the original investors (donors), surely Starbucks is not going to track down everyone who contributed a dollar for their $1.05 back.

Someone is going to profit handsomely from this, unless all the proceeds are reinvested into other loans.

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Yeah, I have the same concern. "Americans themselves would start lending to small businesses" and " Starbucks customers would be able to donate money to the effort when they bought their coffee." don't really agree with each other. Donating isn't lending.

On the other hand, lending isn't a sure thing. We might be talking about people getting their $0 back from their $1 investment if the borrower defaults.

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