Faces in the Crowd: WNC crowdfunding initiatives

Photo from the GoKnuckles™ Kickstarter page

Crowdfunding platforms make it possible for individuals and organizations of any size to harness social networks and raise start-up capital for projects that might otherwise fail due to lack of funding. Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd.

INVISIBLE MOTHERS BOOK

Emily Long describes herself as an author, counselor and invisible mother — the latter being the subject of her Kickstarter book project, Invisible Mothers. According to Long, an invisible mother is a woman who has lost a baby before or after birth and who has no other living children. Long’s book assembles experiences from 50 women across six countries to explore “the isolation, grief, and lack of effective support for mothers who experience pregnancy and baby loss, as well as what is needed to promote healing and understanding around this sensitive topic.” She hopes to distribute Invisible Mothers at hospitals, birthing centers, counseling clinics, libraries and infertility clinics. Long aims to raise $7,500 by Oct. 15, to have the book professionally edited, designed, published (in early 2015) and marketed.

GO KNUCKLES

Ryan Klinger launched his company GoWorx in 2013 and with The Original Handle, “revolutionized” the way sports enthusiasts utilized GoPro HERO cameras, according to his company website. Klinger’s latest design “GoKnuckles™” combines style and functionality, giving active individuals even more flexibility to capture the high-five and nosedive moments of sport adventure. GoKnuckles are a rubberized plastic take on classic brass knuckles, making them easy to hold but hard to drop, and their mount allows a HERO camera to face toward or away from the user. Klinger aims to raise $4,500 by Oct. 18, to manufacture his invention.

Send your crowdsourcing campaign news to kmcreynolds@mountainx.com. A limited number of campaigns will be highlighted each week, at Xpress’ discretion. Campaigns must be locally based and should represent a current project with an achievable goal. Conditions are subject to change.
SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Kat McReynolds
Kat studied entrepreneurship and music business at the University of Miami and earned her MBA at Appalachian State University. Follow me @katmAVL

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.