From cookbooks to beer, and from Paris to New York City, these women-led crowdfunding efforts are all over the map. Learn more about the ventures, products and goals of these entrepreneurial women looking for funding support below.
Check out these 5 women-led crowdfunding campaigns:
1. Hacking Into a Societal Dichotomy (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Helena Acosta and Miyö Van Stenis are two New York-based techie artists who are combining their talents — and those of other media-savvy, creative women — to create a unique art exhibit. “Beautiful Interfaces: The Privacy Paradox” is an online show that “explores the concept of privacy versus self-exposure,” or the conflict between individual privacy concerns and outward-facing behaviors on the Internet. The show is scheduled to open April 14.
The Money: By March 16, the team hopes to raise $1,290. Most of those funds will be used to pay participating artists, but some will also be used to purchase routers and cover installation and other costs.
2. Lovable Idols for Young Girls (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Neha Chauhan Woodward is hoping to inspire and empower future generations of women through Willowbrook Girls, her doll-making company based in New York City. Each of the dolls in her collection comes with a story and an empowering message for those who own them. Woodward has also carefully designed the dolls to represent girls from a wide range of racial and cultural backgrounds. “We’ve been disappointed in the lack of diversity in dolls,” her campaign says. “Willowbrook Girls is a modern doll line that better reflects reality, and features characters that are diverse in backgrounds, whether ethnic or socioeconomic.”
The Money: Woodward is trying to raise $30,000 by March 18. If she succeeds, the money will go to development and manufacturing of the dolls.
3. Sleek Scarves and More (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Across the pond in Paris, Léa Petitjean has been hard at work designing high-end silk scarves and other items for sale — an effort she undertook after initially designing clothing for only herself. After collaborating with fashion experts on the finer details, she’s now ready to debut her work through her company, Petitjean Paris. She prides herself on her minimalist, feminine, elegant offerings, now being offered in her debut “Les Jurassiennes” line.
The Money: Petitjean needs to raise $13,924 (in USD) by or before March 20 in order to be funded. If the campaign succeeds, the money will be used to pay for production of her line as well as packaging, development, administrative fees and more.
4. A Toast to Enterprising Women (via Indiegogo)
The Business: In Croatia, Ana Teskera and Maja Šepetavec are trying to establish the country’s first cooperative craft brewery. Already adept at brewing beer, the duo now wants to do more than refine their individual skills. They want to create a cohesive group of people that will work together to turn beer-making into a legitimate business. Teskera and Šepetavec hope this effort will create a positive ripple effect in helping others realize the power of working together. “Individually we are little,” the campaign says. “Working together in cohesion, we are a force of varied and crafty skills. If a group of people from Zadar can do it, the world can, too.”
The Money: Within the next month, the pair aims to raise $8,000 (though they will receive some of whatever amount is generated, thanks to Indigogo’s Flexible Funding program). The money will go toward buying a fermenter, bottles, labels and beer cases.
5. Gourmet Fare, Served in the Wilderness (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Denise Woolery, Lindsey Moran and Gail Kearns refer to themselves collectively as Gourmet Girls on Fire, and they hope to heat up the culinary world with their new camping cookbook. The tome will feature 140 recipes, as well as outdoor cooking tips and eye-grabbing imagery. It’s a chef’s twist on the concept of “glamping,” and the trio is hoping it will be an entertaining — as well as helpful — addition to the woodsy expeditions of their fans.
The Money: The trio set a goal of $30,000, which must be met or exceeded by March 26. That amount will cover printing and distribution costs for the cookbook.
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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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