This week in our crowdfunding series, we are highlighting innovative products and services from female founders and makers who are improving the lives of women, families, neighborhoods and citizens of the world.

Check out these 5 women-led crowdfunding campaigns:

1. Sports Bras to Support Life In and Out of the Gym (via iFundWomen)

The Business: Maria Mussetter and Natasza Congdon cofounded Brass Betty to support women like them who maintain busy lifestyles. The pair met in Santa Monica at a business incubator and then combined Mussetter’s experience in the startup world and women’s apparel with Congdon’s experience in marketing to launch the company. Their sports bra comes with three pockets, one under each underarm and one in the bra itself, that are deep enough to hold an ID, keys, phone and more. Multiple styles are available on their crowdfunding page that are appropriate for a range of activities, from hitting the gym to enjoying a night out.
The Money: Eight days remain for Brass Betty to meet its goal of $15,000. If the duo succeeds, they will use the money to launch a new line of products, including new sports bras and bra tanks.

2. Smart Baby Bottle to Track Feedings (via Kickstarter)

Smart Bottle by Naya Health. (Credit: Naya Health Kickstarter campaign)
Smart Bottle by Naya Health. (Credit: Naya Health Kickstarter campaign)

The Business: Naya Health, cofounded by Janica Alvarez, has returned with a new product following the success of its Naya Smart Breast Pump launched in 2016. The company’s new Health Smart Bottle will be compatible with the its existing tracking app, which lets parents monitor the feeding frequency, milk volume and calorie intake their baby receives. After using the device consistently, they can gain insights and see patterns in their baby’s feedings.
The Money: Naya Health is almost halfway to its $100,000 goal, with 17 days left in its campaign. The bottle is currently in the final stages of development, with several working prototypes already made.

3. Pittsburgh Business Pitch Competition for Women (via Indiegogo)

The Business: The Invest In Her Pitch Competition was created in 2015 by an all-female team to encourage female entrepreneurship in the greater Pittsburgh area. This month, eight finalists, narrowed down from 30 applicants, will pitch their businesses in front of a panel of judges and audience members. Organizers say in their crowdfunding campaign that they hope to award more capital to these business and help them achieve success. “A crucial part of that endeavor is identifying and elevating female talent at the intersection of leadership and creativity in the business world,” the team says on its website.
The Money: In one month, Invest in Her hopes to raise $3,000 for a pitch competition scheduled for Oct. 19 at the BNY Mellon Innovation Center.

4. Find the Pulse of Your Neighborhood (via WeFunder)

The Business: While some social networks connect people worldwide, a new app called Rumor wants to reconnects you to your local community. The app, created by cofounders Ghazal Sharif, William Bonhorst and Ch Ray, displays user-generated video content that shows people what is happening and trending in their area. Input from user-rating apps like Yelp and Foursquare are integrated into Rumor’s interface to give users a snapshot of what locals think about nearby establishments. Also, while the founders created the app for locals, users can also use it to explore cities they plan to visit. There are currently 10,000 signups for the app, which will launch first in San Francisco.
The Money: After initial success raising $84,970 from 149 investors on WeFunder, the founders of Rumor are pursuing a second round of funding on the platform through a second equity campaign. This time, they have set a goal of $50,000 to $415,000.

5. Safely Transfer Money Around the World (via iFundWomen)

The Business: GeeRemit is a new app that uses blockchain technology to securely transfer money to developing countries for a low transaction fee. SKJ Visioneering created the app under the leadership of Dr. Sandra K. Johnson, a leader in electrical engineering. The company says it aims to tap the $444 billion industry around remittances, or money sent by mail, starting with sub-Saharan Africa, a region that regularly receives mobile money transfers from other parts of the world. GeeRemit’s technology hopes to eliminate high transfer fees, security concerns and other problems that accompany the use of traditional money transferring facilities.
The Money: Just under two months remain for SKJ Visioneering to reach its $50,000 goal. The company’s campaign page does not explain how it plans to use the funds.

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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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