The Short Story:

We are Alyssa and Kiera, two college sophomores with a love of adventure and learning. In our travels, we have come across amazingly talented people with stories that deserve to be shared. This has led us to our idea for Radiate--to launch an online marketplace that links these artisans with the average consumer. Our goal is to provide artisans around the world a chance to share their stories, while giving consumers an easy-to-use, reliable way to buy beautiful, authentic goods. Our Indiegogo campaign will provide us with the seed money we need for the design and launch of this marketplace. 

The Long Story:

Our goal is to empower women from developing regions in radiating joy and prosperity by providing an avenue for increased income, while creating a new and dynamic practice of exchanging artisanal goods.

How we're going to do it:

• Create a cohort of five artisan women from a single region

• We hope to work with women who align with or are open to growing towards Radiate’s core values of environmental and economic sustainability, ethical business practices, and appreciation of diverse cultures

• Foster relationships and solidarity with each woman and their community through in-depth immersion by travelling to each region

• Our desire to understand the contexts of her life will help us to see her unique challenges and identify untapped opportunities in order to develop an individualized path through Radiate’s program

• Create a web-based interface where our five women can access a larger market using Radiate as a tool to build their own business

• Radiate’s prices will reflect the item’s true value plus an established price markup, which will be influenced by demand in the targeted market and Radiate’s operating costs

• Develop program in which each cohort of five women has 3 years to sell in Radiate’s market and receive business assistance throughout
  

• Business assistance offered to women will include the first-hand experience of selling in the marketplace as well as formal business classes developed through strategic partnerships

• The Radiate program will guide women towards the graduation goal of creating an individualized website for the selling of their goods which will be recognized and promoted by Radiate, Inc.

• Develop Radiate, Inc. brand to increase following and traffic to the online marketplace

• Aim to appeal to a mainstream market of people looking to purchase authentic and unique goods on a realistic budget

• As demand increases and business grows, increased class sizes and other adaptations will be considered

The Benefits:

for the women-

• increased financial security

• becomes an image of respect, opportunity, and gender equality for family, friends, and community

• education and practical skills of running a business

• increased sales and recognition of their goods

for the communities-

• increased economic stimulation

• celebration and preservation of craft as a reflection of culture

• create a ripple effect for economic empowerment of women

for the greater good-

• an economically and environmentally sustainable approach to commerce

• increased exposure to and recognition of international cultures

• a location to find authentic, well-made products

Questions or Comments:

whatwillyouradiate@gmail.com

Instagram @whatwillyouradiate

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