Mayor Kenney and StartupPHL Announce iFundWomen Philadelphia Crowdfunding Platform and Pitch Competition
Women entrepreneurs to receive free crowdfunding coaching as part of special partnership with the City of Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA – Mayor Jim Kenney, StartupPHL and iFundWomen, a crowdfunding platform for women-led startups and small businesses with a pay-it-forward model, together announced the iFundWomen Philadelphia Crowdfunding Platform and Pitch Competition. Women-led businesses in the region are strongly encouraged to apply, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
iFundWomen Philadelphia is a platform designed to help the region’s women entrepreneurs raise the capital needed to get their ideas off the ground. Businesses selected for the Philadelphia Cohort will receive free crowdfunding coaching and have the option to start their crowdfunding campaigns immediately.
“It is undeniable that women, particularly women of color, have gone underrepresented in the world of business for too long,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “To close the gap that currently exists, we must make deliberate efforts to support more women entrepreneurs, and an important piece of that is increasing access to capital. iFundWomen Philadelphia will allow current and aspiring business owners in our area to tap a national network of funders and receive personalized coaching and resources from the platform’s staff.”
Campaigns that are fully funded by May 1, 2018 will be eligible to participate in the first-ever iFundWomen Philadelphia Pitch Competition. This spring pitch event will give select top-performing crowdfunders a chance to pitch their ideas and raise even more capital and visibility for their businesses.
“We are thrilled to partner with Mayor Kenney and StartupPHL to raise money for local startups and to launch our first-ever Philadelphia Pitch Competition. iFundWomen is committed to supporting female entrepreneurs as they raise their first round of capital to launch and grow their businesses. We are taking our startup funding program one step further with the introduction of this regional pitch competition, encouraging the entrepreneurs who successfully crowdfund with us to then have the opportunity to pitch their businesses for a cash prize,” said iFundWomen CEO, Karen Cahn.
iFundWomen Philadelphia offers access to one-on-one expert crowdfunding coaching and video production services to help entrepreneurs pitch their concepts and effectively tell their stories. The platform is a one-stop resource for those who want to support and grow women-led businesses through financial contributions of any amount. Backers can discover businesses, choose unique rewards for their support, and track the financial progress of all campaigns featured.
“Since joining the City, one of my main priorities has been increasing access to resources for traditionally underserved entrepreneurs,” said Francisco Garcia, Director of Business Development for Innovation and Technology. “Our partnership with iFundWomen is a positive step towards providing women-owned businesses with a fair chance at launching and growing in Philadelphia.”
Entrepreneurs interested in applying for iFundWomen Philadelphia should visit www.beta.ifundwomen.com/philadelphia and fill out the one-minute application form.
About iFundWomen
iFundWomen is on a mission to increase access to capital for female entrepreneurs, empowering women to start and grow better businesses. iFundWomen drives funding to startups and small businesses through a flexible crowdfunding platform with a pay-it-forward model, expert startup coaching, professional video production, and a private community for our entrepreneurs. iFundWomen is changing the business of how businesses launch.