For the first time in months, The Story Exchange’s New York City staff has been able to walk outside without being greeted by bitter winds or swirling snowstorms. As spring slowly but surely approaches, we decided to feature flowers, fun dresses, pet treats and other fresh projects in this week’s crowdfunding column. Enjoy!
Check out these 5 women-led crowdfunding campaigns:
1. Helping A Blooming Business (via Indiegogo)
The Business: What began as a fun side project for Gillian Rose Galdy has quickly blossomed into an entrepreneurial opportunity. Two years ago, she was growing flowers and documenting her experiences on a personal Tumblr page. Today, she’s the owner of Bloomin’ Rose Flowers, a floral design venture that caters to the area surrounding her Durham, N.C. home base. Positive receptions from clients has helped her grow. Now, she wants to further spruce up her operation.
The Money: Within the next 17 days, Galdy hopes to raise $5,000 in order to purchase a walk-in cooler for storing flowers. Presently, she rents a space, but its use is subject to availability. Having her own cooler would allow Galdy to take on additional clients.
2. STEAM-Themed Dresses (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Jaya Iyer and Eva Everett are the duo behind Svaha, an online dress store that uses clothing to spread the idea that “women should not have to choose between loving science, technology, engineering, art and math, and being feminine.” Each eye-grabbing dress doubles as an homage to one of those five fields, featuring patterns ranging from double helixes to Javascript coding — and everything in between.
The Money: Iyer and Everett have already met and exceeded their $15,000 goal, and 21 days remain before their campaign closes. The money raised will be used toward production, shipping and other costs related to making and distributing their dresses.
3. Juice Storage, Inspired by Wine (via Kickstarter)
The Business: If you’re a fan of fresh smoothies, Tracy Miller has a product that might interest you. Her SANS travel bottle is designed to slow down the oxidization process that occurs when juice is left out in the open. The product concept taps Miller’s wine-centric past and uses vacuum-seal technology found in corked bottles to make fresher juice possible. She says her bottles travel well and easily disassemble for cleaning, making them perfect for on-the-go juice enthusiasts.
The Money: Miller has also reached her goal, which she had set at $20,000, and has until April 1 to raise more. Money from the crowdfunding campaign will enable her to produce a first run of the bottles make them available for distribution and sale.
4. A Feminist Feature Film (via Kickstarter)
The Business: “ALWAYS SHINE” is a film brought to life by Sophia Takal. Set to debut at the Tribeca Film Festival next month, it tells the story of two female friends who go on a trip to reconnect, but wind up in conflict. Takal explains that “‘ALWAYS SHINE’ is an exploration of … contradictions and confining notions of femininity and the toll it can take on a woman’s psyche.”
The Money: With the help of funds raised during this campaign, Takal and her team will be able to complete sound design, finish the score, work on color correction and cover other post-production costs. By or before April 2, she needs to raise at least $18,000 in order to be funded.
5. Hearty Treats for Healthy Pups (via Indiegogo)
The Business: A new business is taking root in New Paltz, N.Y., and it’s for the dogs. Good Dog Good Bone (its site is currently under construction) is just beginning to establish itself as a dog treat purveyor, partnering with area beef farms and refining what will become a subscription service for health-conscious pet owners. Owner Emily Crocetti is hoping crowdfunding money will help her new venture realize some key startup goals.
The Money: There is a month left in this campaign, through which Crocetti seeks to raise at least $2,000. If she succeeds, she’ll use the money to purchase a freezer, a vacuum sealer and packing supplies, as well as to complete the business’ website.
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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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