Body paints, designer marshmallows, coloring books and more — the women in this edition of our ongoing crowdfunding column are the creators of delightful, diverse offerings. With the money they’re raising, they hope to bring their innovations to eager audiences near and far.
Check out these 5 women-led crowdfunding campaigns:
1. All-Natural Skin Care and Makeup (via Indiegogo)
The Business: Our skin is absorbent, which means that most anything we put on it has the potential to get under it — literally. Business owner Ana Congdon is helping consumers enhance their looks while loving the skin they’re in with her line of all-natural cosmetics and beauty products. Through her Portland, Ore.-based venture, LeVert Beauty, makeup and skincare enthusiasts can purchase safe, responsibly made toners, scrubs and more. “We have deepened this movement of clean beauty, as we find it hugely important to the overall health of both men and women,” she says in her campaign pitch. Her products have already been recognized by the likes of InStyle. Now, she wants to take LeVert Beauty to the next level.
The Money: Congdon’s campaign will be live for the next 18 days. Before it ends, she hopes to raise at least $30,000. (However, thanks to Indiegogo’s Flexible Funding option, she will receive a portion of whatever amount the campaign generates.) With the money, she will refine formulas, source ingredients and design packaging.
2. Fluffy, Delicious Favorites (via Kickstarter)
The Business: As if marshmallows weren’t delicious enough, two Chicago-based female entrepreneurs are taking them to new heights. The enterprising duo of Lindzi Shanks (who also owns a boutique called The Trendy Sparrow) and Kathryn Chelsea Connor have opened XO Marshmallow, a purveyor of handmade, small-batch, specialty marshmallows that come in a variety of unconventional flavors — for example, honey bourbon and champagne. Connor cooks them up, while Shanks markets them to the masses. Together, they’ve created a small, sweet empire by partnering with nearby shops and suppliers. Now, they hope to grow their venture.
The Money: By or before Oct. 13, Connor and Shanks hope to raise at least $5,500. The funds will be used to help the pair secure a larger commercial kitchen space so they can meet growing product demand and roll out new flavors. They also hope to update their packaging and purchase new equipment.
3. A ‘Colorful’ Path to Inclusion (via Kickstarter)
The Business: In her pursuit of a better life, despite troubling anxiety, marine biologist Sara MacSorley turned to coloring books as an effective stress-free, hands-on coping mechanism. Now she wants to share this tool with others, while also promoting women in the STEM fields, with “a book that highlights women who are not only scientists but also educators, authors, artists, mentors, entrepreneurs, advocates, and true leaders in every sense of the word,” she says. MacSorley hopes, through this effort, to not only help others manage their anxiety, but to inspire current and future generations of women in STEM.
The Money: MacSorley has already met and exceeded her original goal of $6,000. But she has set a stretch goal of $15,000, and has until Oct. 15 to reach it. The funds will go toward publication and distribution of the books.
4. Painting the World, One Face at a Time (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Tiffany Beckler is the founder of Body Color Cosmetics, a new company in Greensboro, N.C., that makes water-resistant, boldly colored body paints that don’t contain irritants or require the use of an airbrusher. A makeup and body artist herself, who appeared on season three of the Game Show Network’s “Skin Wars,” Beckler was inspired to start up because of a dearth of such products in the current marketplace. After several years of work, she says she has “developed a solution for the magical people that desire a product for longevity, and water resistance.”
The Money: Beckler intends to pay for bulk orders of ingredients for her paints with the money raised during her campaign. She has until Nov. 6 to raise the $20,000 she needs.
5. Sheets to Make You Love Your Bed (via Indiegogo)
The Business: A good night’s rest is one of the most important components in overall good health. And in Durham, N.C., entrepreneur Rachel Cash is hoping to help clients get the sleep they need to be at their best. She has crafted a line of designer sheets that she’ll sell through her new business, Rachel Anne Linens. Beyond wanting to ensure deeper sleep for herself and her customers, Cash also wants “to produce goods that are worth the time that people have invested into their development,” she says. “Goods that employees will be happy to own and proud to produce.”
The Money: A month remains on Cash’s campaign. She hopes to generate at least $25,000, but has also chosen to take advantage of the crowdfunding site’s Flexible Funding option. Any money she raises will be used to manufacture the sheets.
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Want to be featured in The Story Exchange’s Crowdfunding column? Drop us a line and tell us about your campaign at [email protected].
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