Vandra Thorburn earned much of the organization’s seed funding when Vokashi was awarded an Excellence Award of $5,000 in the Brooklyn Public Library’s PowerUp Small Businesses Competition. She also has a long history with Launcht and crowdfunding, as Vokashi campaigned on Co-Founder Freeman White’s first ever crowdfunding platform. In this round of crowdfunding, Vokashi hopes to reach out to new composters and supporters while building a stronger financial base to expand further.
Beyond building a sense of community through community gardens, Vokashi includes several members of the Brooklyn community as part of its organization. Through a partnership with Pastor Jim O’Shea’s ReConnect project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, Vokashi receives much of its help from at-risk youth between the ages of 17-24 “who have an attitude for change.”
Learn more about Vokashi at www.vokashi.com.
Calee’s Shoes
Calee’s Shoes promises to fill a market gap that has been left open for too long: plus-size shoes for women. Shopping for shoes can be difficult enough as is, but for women who leave a larger footprint, there is very little available in stores that are comfortable, affordable, and stylish. Online shopping, the everyday alternative to shopping in stores, is far more difficult when it comes to shoes: if you need to wait for shipping just to try on each pair of shoes, shopping online can become a nightmare. As the company’s website explains, “We believe that every woman should have selections without limitations, regardless of her shoe size. Calee’s will offer fashionable options in large sizes shoes for women who too often have too few choices.”
Based in Los Angeles, and incorporated in March 2011, Calee’s Shoes will provide footwear for women from shoe size 9-13. The idea for Calee’s Shoes has been in the works for several years now, but Founder Lisa Carmichael is now crowdfunding to acquire seed funding to build inventory. The shoestore itself was named after Lisa’s daughter.
This crowdfunding campaign for Calee’s Shoes should be exciting for those armchair benefactors in the crowdfunding sphere, as the company truly is campaigning to get started. Funders will have a chance to say they have been been with Calee’s Shoes from the very beginning.
Visit the Calee’s Shoes website at www.caleesshoes.com.
BetterTymes
Have you ever felt as though you’re out of sync with your own watch? Perhaps it’s the method you’re using to tell the time of day. TrueTyme provides the time according to the location of the sun and moon in your area, giving users a more natural understanding of the 24-hour cycle. This can come in the form of an Android mini computer to use with an HDMI television, a wristwatch, or an Android app.
Like Launcht, BetterTymes is a Benefit Corporation, or B Corp, which are a new type of corporation which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. According to Founder Yale Landsberg, a stronger connection to circadian rhythms helps to fight against “social jet lag” that has been linked to obesity. Beyond this, a Scientific American report recently found that disrupted circadian rhythms can hinder fertility among mice, which suggests that TrueTyme could prove especially useful for women.
BetterTymes is crowdfunding to produce a version of their app that will be compatible with iPhones and iPads. A successful crowdfunding run will allow BetterTymes to expand its programs and improve upon its systems. Visit their website here.
The Platform
Beginning July 18, you will have the chance to view these social entrepreneurs’ crowdfunding campaigns and more on our upcoming Launcht.org platform. Contact michael@launcht.org if you too want to get launched on the leading crowdfunding platform for social entrepreneurs and change makers.
Entrepreneur Magazine and Mimvi Chose Launcht 
