The women behind the crowdfunding campaigns we are are featuring this week are eager to grow their ventures. From boat tours in the Caribbean to a film festival focused on the experiences of veterans, these women business owners are furthering already successful and exciting offerings.
Check out these 5 women-led crowdfunding campaigns:
1. Eco-Friendly Tours (via Indiegogo)
The Business: Allison Caton started Isle of Reefs Tours to introduce customers to the natural beauty of the Grenadines. Based in Carriacou, Grenada, her company offers visitors boat and hiking tours of the island, as well as turtle watching expeditions and introductions to local cultural programs. Now, the highly rated tour company is looking to expand. Caton has already purchased a second boat with her savings. She now hopes to outfit it with a low-emission, energy efficient outboard motor that will allow her to give longer tours with a smaller carbon footprint. Caton also wants to add bird-watching and kayak tours.
The Money: Caton is looking the raise $31,500 by Oct. 21, and has already raised 28 percent. The bulk of the funds will be used to purchase the new outboard motors. The $31,500 goal is flexible, ensuring that Caton will keep whatever her campaign receives, even if she falls short of her goal.
2. News You Choose (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Claudia Irving is looking to launch a Los Angeles-based digital news company and app called Commit News. According to her campaign, the outlet will give readers a voice in editorial and content decisions by allowing them to tell Commit News which stories they want hear more about, and which ones they want Commit to really dig into. “Unlike a lot of news apps out there, we don’t compete as a traditional news source or an algorithm that predicts what you’ll want to read,” she says.
The Money: Irving hopes to raise $50,000 in the next 19 days and has pulled in 23 percent of that total so far. If she reaches her goal amount, the funds will go toward developing a beta version of the app and hiring writers.
3. Telling the Troops’ Stories (via Indiegogo)
The Business: A daughter of Army veterans and former servicewoman herself, Laura Law-Millett started the GI Film Festival to educate civilians about the experiences of veterans through film. The festival, held in Washington, D.C., tells the stories of the women and men in the military both while they’re in battle and after returning home. A nonprofit, the GI Film Festival started in 2006 and has been attended by celebrities, service members and members of Congress. “After seeing too many movies portray veterans in a very negative light, I decided to do something about it,” Law-Millett says of launching the festival.
The Money: GI Film Festival is looking to raise $25,000 in the next 14 days, and is currently at 11 percent of that goal. The funds generated by the campaign will be used to hire staff. Law-Millett also opted for a Flexible Funding campaign, ensuring that she will keep whatever money people pledge.
4. Activewear That’s Got You Covered (via Indiegogo)
The Business: The idea for Oola came to Qatar-based entrepreneurs Haya Al Ghanim and Amina Ahmadi while climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro together. They were both frustrated about how difficult it was to find comfortable, loose-fitting and modest athletic clothing. Together with designer Lilian Barbosa, they started Oola and began producing athletic clothing designed to meet that need. “We designed Oola activewear for women to brave the outdoors, push their fitness goals and challenge their limits,” the team says in the campaign.
The Money: The trio has already raised their initial goal of $15,000, and are looking to reach their stretch goal of $25,000. The initial $15,000 will go toward finishing production of their tops and headpieces. Additional funding will be used to design new apparel including jackets, pants and swimsuits. Their campaign has 20 days to go.
5. A Classic Combo of Coffee and Donuts (via Kickstarter)
The Business: Founded in 2014, Cara Nader’s Lansing, Mich., coffee shop, Strange Matters Coffee, has become too popular for her current space to handle. So she found a new location that’s double the size of her old shop and is looking to move in by 2017. She hopes the bigger space will allow her to better accommodate the shop’s growing clientele and add an in-house bakery.
The Money: Nader is looking to raise $40,000 by Oct. 30. The money will go toward buying baking and kitchen equipment for the new space.
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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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