Crowd Sourcing: Making today's ideas a reality
Announcement posted by Andable 16 Jan 2013
Kyrgyzstan’s Next Top Model (of empowerment): A new Sydney-based ecommerce site for cool products brings opportunity to all corners of the globe
Sydney, 16 January, 2013. This is Gulsaana. She's a mother of five from Kyrgyzstan. She is one of 30 million people every year[1] who have a chance to start or expand their business in a new way, in effect bypassing traditional banking.
Gulsaana's life is in the process of transformation. She is one of 20 who have recently received a micro loan from Andable. Andable is a new online marketplace for indie sellers. A recycled photo frame made outside Melbourne purchased by a woman in Sydney helped fund Gulsaana's loan.
Andable is one of a handful of new businesses that are helping people like Gulsaana and others that banks wouldn't consider funding. Crowd-sourcing is an important new movement in funding, spurring opportunities for millions, from impoverished people in developing nations to entrepreneurs needing funding right here in Australia. Other crowd-sourcing models include:
• Kiva: Andable's micro loan partner. Funded $392mil worth of loans to people i need to help them pull themselves out of poverty. Over 875k people have lent on Kiva[2]. Kiva facilities the loans from Andable.
• Kickstarter: A platform that helps back creative projects via crowd funding. $396mil in funding for 82,775 projects[3]
These new businesses are paving the way for millions of people who would otherwise be left in the shadows of the banking system.
Make a resolution to buy good this year with Andable. Supporting small business, both here and abroad.
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About Andable
Founded in Sydney, Australia in July 2012, Andable is an online marketplace with thousands of products from independent sellers from Australia and abroad. For women, for men, for you, for home.
Andable is a social enterprise. Every sale helps fund a micro loan to a person in need, which is facilitated through our partner Kiva. Because it’s a loan, it gets repaid, and we pay our sellers their contribution after three months, guaranteed.
The Andable platform is for designers, creatives and independent stores each with a unique story to tell. Every product on Andable is a little bit FRESH:
Fair Trade or better business practices
Reborn, vintage, antique, upcycled
Eco-friendly
Supports local business
Handmade
Andable | When you buy, we share.
[1] World Bank report
[2] Kiva.org/about