Raising money through Kickstarter.com
Hi Folks!
About a year ago I met a girl, Liza Adams, who was launching a really cool company called Decktout – which allows women to trade in those expensive purses from Chanel, etc. that are collecting dust in your closet and either get some $Cash$ or a brand (new to you) pocketbook! She used www.kickstarter.com to raise some initial funding and I thought that was an awesome idea!
How Kickstarter works:
Pick a goal. Our goal= $15,000 ! It’s lofty but we’re optimistic that we can make it. If we reach $14,990 we get nothing! We have to reach the threshold or we are left empty handed. So, help us by donating and it’s just a gamble anyway- if we don’t make it, you get your money back and it’s never charged.
Choose what “backers” will get when they pledge. We decided to actually pre-sell the shoes and offer awesome handbag hooks for less, etc.
Make a video- this was fun and funny!
So, it’s been two weeks and we are just short of our $3,000 mark. We need to get at least $1,500/ week to stay on target. Who will be the person that helps us reach the $3,000 threshold?
If you decide to donate and are the one who helps us reach the $3,000 mark, just email me your address and I’ll mail you the book: Do More Faster by David Cohen and Brad Feld if you’re the lucky one. (it was an awesome and easy read!)
We’ll be so grateful!
XOXO
Pitching Shoes in MassChallenge
Hello friends and hello week 2!
This week we’ve been extremely busy with pitching and promoting our product.
We made it to round 2 at MassChallenge!! - a competition
that helps early-stage entrepreneurs connect with the resources they need to launch and succeed. Our pitch went really well, and we didn’t only impress the judges: “This has by far been the best pitch of the day”, we were also wearing our prototypes during the presentation, which caused extra hype and excitement among people and groups around.Of course there’s another important part of our job – go out and promote our product. This week we visited the Macallan Whiskey tasting event in Boston, where we introduced our product to a bunch of Whiskey lovers, who like almost everyone, were very impressed with our product and wanted to know all about it.
The following week’s goals are to finalize our new shoe designs with our designer, to get some interns to help us in our Marketing attempts and to do more and more prototype testing and improvements.
Have a wonderful weekend!
written by Nadine
reposted by Candice
Traveling Stories
After I got this idea I thought surely a larger shoe company will come out with this soon. At the time, I certainly didn’t think I had any idea how to go about starting a shoe company and I was wrapped up in my fancy new corporate job. The idea has circled around in my head throughout the years….especially when traveling.
Throughout the years, I’ve backpacked throughout the Eastern Seaboard of Australia, Eastern Europe, Thailand, S. Korea, Japan and other countries. While backpacking unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of packing shoes like this….
I usually had 2 pairs of shoes, which were likely sneakers and sandals (or boots) depending on the weather and season. I inevitably found myself going out to dinner or a fancier event every once in a while and having to buy some heels. I sure wish I had some convertible heels at the time that would have served multiple purposes 
!
- Me in South Korea teaching English to the little kiddies !
Needless to say, I’m sure there are plenty of other women out there who will concur that traveling + shoes = problem! One that I’m trying to solve!
For you MEN out there, you’re so very lucky to be able to go away for a business trip with 1 suit, 3 ties, of , and 1 pair of dress shoes… Sometimes you’re lucky, in those instances and when you can just pee in the woods when running on Marathon Monday!
A more recent story had me longing for my convertible heels to be out the market, when I was out bridesmaid shoe shopping!
Ladies….tell me a story about traveling and shoe issues! I’m all ears.
- XOXO
How was the convertible high heel shoe idea born?
The Idea
Candice first thought of this idea as she was packing her suitcase for a business trip. The next day was going to be her first day of work at the first corporate position she landed after graduating from obtaining her undergraduate degree in college.
It was strongly suggested (by her male boss… of course) that she only bring a carry-on suitcase so she wouldn’t have the hassle of checking luggage. After packing, Candice looked down and realized that she had packed two suitcases and one of them was filled entirely with shoes.
‘After packing…Candice had two suitcases and one of them was just filled with shoes!!’
Her itinerary was packed with a tight schedule and a wide spectrum of events. For the chartered boat excursion, she had packed her short casual heels. She had her medium heels for walking around a tradeshow. For the upscale dining event, she had more elegant higher heels that looked great with a dress.
Candice realized that all of her shoes were essentially the same design with different heel heights and they were taking up a lot of space. She thought it would be great to have one pair of shoes that allowed her to interchange the heel heights…and her idea was born!
Since then, Candice has had many other instances where she’s thought that convertible heels would’ve really been a lifesaver, especially when traveling!
(reposted by Candice)
- XOXO
Vote for Day 2 Night Convertible Heels to win the MassChallenge competition!
Go to : http://masschallenge.org/profile/team/day2night-convertible-heels-0
1st There will be a yellow bar that will tell you to “register” or “login”
2nd Create a Username/ Password
3rd Roles: Click Observer/ Supporter
4th: Create new account
Go back to: http://masschallenge.org/profile/team/day2night-convertible-heels-0
On the right side it says Average:
Click the 5th start that is white next to the 4 red ones, it quickly changes from red to yellow and you are done!
Thank you so much !!
- Candice & Nadine
www.convertible-heels.com
Boston Harbor Angels Investment Meeting
Today, I went to my very first Angel Investment meeting as an observer and a guest to a member, Candida Brush. Candida is a professor at Babson College, where I just received my MBA. She is very involved with entrepreneurship at the college and with various other organizations throughout the U.S. and the world. There were 2 updates from companies that the Boston Harbor Angels (BHA) has already invested in and there were 3 new companies that presented. I was able to meet a ton of the members of the BHA, investors, as well as entrepreneurs themselves. Each company had roughly 5 to 10 minutes to present and a few minutes for questions and answers. At the end everyone discussed the pros and cons of investing in each of the companies.
Oculis Labs is providing an update. One of their cool products is a screen that goes over your laptop to help protect your privacy. Onlookers from just 2 feet away, can’t read what’s on your screen. They have a licensing deal for an upcoming tablet. They focus on 4 markets: Consulting, Financial, Healthcare, & Government. They are working with the FBI and the CIA who seem to be really interested.
Visibility increases Google search results for people and companies- helping to keep companies and people “top of mind” for relevant viewers on the web. They are talking with Reputation.com & Vistaprint.
This company makes it so easy for a layperson, a non-coder, or non-programmer to create their very own mobile application by just dragging and dropping images, and filling out databases and text boxes. An example is an app for diabetic patients to monitor their health and send the information to doctors. A custom-made app would’ve cost $25k but with MobiFlex its free to create and only $300/month to publish. I’m a huge proponent of WYSIWYG site builders and I’d love to check this out!
This company helps boat owner who might happen to fall off their boat. A wireless device they are wearing will send a signal to shut off the boat engine. It’s portable that can go from boat-to-boat. Traditionally boats have a red rope that you have that if pulled will shut the engine off. They also have a device called the Screamer which will sounds an alarm. Falling overboard is the leading cause of death in boat related accidents. They are launching their product into 70 West Marine Stores. I used to actually work in the boating industry selling software and I grew up in Wareham/ Marion- one of the sailing capitals and it seems everyone owns a boat down there in the summertime. So, I’m somewhat familiar with this space and the need for a product like this. The product is completely made in the US and retails for around $265.00 with very healthy margins. Their IP is on the kill switch as well as a proprietary software. Eventually the Coast Guard will mandate that a product like this is on every boat. These guys are truly saving lives!…not just solving a “pain in the marketplace”.
This company is helping to digitize photos at schools for Yearbooks. They are turning making a high school yearbook into a social media and joint effort from all of the students. They aggregate content from schools and create crowd sourced memory books. They place this information into a platform that can become standardized across the industry. They are at 7 universities today. Competition? Shutterfly, Snapfish, Photobucket are traditional online photobooks but they aren’t playing in the Yearbook space. Current alumni databases have significant shortcomings.
A biotech firm seeking $5 million dollars to pre-clinical trial studies. They are addressing Inflammatory Bowel Disease which is related to Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.
This product has to do with using cows to produce anti-bodies. 1 cow will help 10 patients! They have 5 filed patent applications wholly owned by Avaxia. They have a full pipeline of future products for various other diseases and health conditions, including Celiac Disease!
They have Venture Capitalists handing them term sheets, but they’d rather stay with Angel Investment funds. Biotech companies have so much R&D with huge upside potential that usually take years to realize your return on investment.
Interesting stuff! :)
- Candice Cabe
Bridesmaids Need Convertible High Heel Shoes !
I got this email from someone this weekend:
“My name is Hannah and I have been searching for bridemaids shoes but I have the same problem you had. 3 of my maids are 5 foot 3 and one is 5 foot 11. I want them to wear the same shoes but need different heel heights. Can you help me?? Also where are you based? I am in the UK. Do you deliver? Hope to hear from you soon. My wedding is in July this year! Many thanks. Hannah”
I just went home this weekend and was talking with my friend that just got married and we were discussing this. Apparently, other ladies are having the same problems; The bride wants her bridesmaids to wear the same shoes but depending on the girls’ individual heights or heel height preferences they don’t want the same heel heights.
Here’s one of my best friends, Cori, and the bridesmaids! Because we’re all leaning in, you can’t tell our height differences but MaryBeth on the left is the one that’s 5’11″
I can’t wait until my shoes are available and I can make brides and bridesmaids happy everywhere. As part of the favors for being in the wedding, Cori got all of us girls gold flip flop sandals because she knew after the pictures were taken and everybody had done their share of dancing we would all have sore feet. Any guys reading out there??? It’s a huge problem, just ask your wives, girlfriends, moms, daughters, cousins, and friends
Don’t worry, brides- you’ll get your wishes soon enough!
Okay Shoe Lovers ….Pink High Heeled Shoes
I was searching around for some shoe designs for my convertible heels and came across these absolutely gorgeous pink shoes by Guess, named Carrie. 
Hmmm… after Carrie Bradshaw? I don’t typically just blog about shoes, and I’m actually not one of those girls that are absolutely obsessed with shoes.
I’m not usually someone who has a closet full of shoes, although I’ve purchased more shoes in the past few months, than I’ve ever purchased in my entire life….. And, the sad part ? I’ve had to cut them open, rip them apart, glue them, stitch them, screw through them with power drills, and even hack through them with a chainsaw! All this to perfectly good and brand new shoes. I was searching for a pair of pink shoes to place on my website when I came across these shoes.
Anyone that knows me, knows that I’m totally obsessed with color pink. I have a pink case for my Android phone, a pink camera, a pink colored To Do List, pink business cards, and even pink ski pants! Guess!….please make these again! I want to purchase these.
So, quick update- after 9 or so prototypes and many more variations of each design - we think we have a winner and it’s getting printed as we speak! We are utilizing 3D printing which prints in layers of plastic and takes about 10 hours to print 1 heel! I’m also getting the shoe portion made in China and should have something in a few weeks. Yay! We will have these convertible heels soon enough! 
In the mean time, these pink heels would look great when I do my pitch at the BizSpark meeting coming up! I’ve already Googled, Amazoned and Zappoed these shoes and can’t find them anywhere, so if anyone finds them….Please send the link my way! Or, the shoes… Size 8 please
Opinions? Do you like the shoes as much as I do?
XOXO-
MassChallenge at the White House
Today at MassChallenge we had a press conference and mini reunion from all of the “alumni” of the first ever MassChallenge competition. It looks like the “World’s Largest Startup Competition” is about to get larger….much larger! It was just announced that President Obama’s administration had invited John Harthorne and Akhil Nigam (founders of MassChallenge) along with folks from TechStars here in Boston, to go down to Washington D.C. They were celebrating the announcement of a new white house initiative that they are hoping will fuel the economy and get America back to its roots of capitalism and entrepreneurship.
The new initiative is called, “Startup America” and it seeks to “celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation.” They featured an 18 year old young woman who had started a fashion clothing company. She explained how a high school program helped her learn how to write a business plan, pitch to investors, price her clothing for maximum profitability, track inventory, engage with suppliers and distributors, optimize manufacturing, etc. They did this through classes, resources, and mentors. This is exactly what MassChallenge set out to do and has certainly succeeded!
This past year there were close to 500 original applicants. I’m sure with this new partnership, MassChallenge should expect to double or even triple their applicant numbers. They are doing a great job and I’m sure each year will get better and better. I’m glad to be an alumni and look forward to meeting the 2011 batch of entrepreneurs.
I’m lucky to still be in the space until the first of June when the new batch rolls on in and kicks us veterans out. Today I have one of my interns organizing all of my business card contacts. I’m going to need to weed through them really soon. I am putting the final touches on my executive summary (the 2 page snapshot of my 30-40 page business plan). I am working on a better tag line, playing around with a better logo, and pulling out quotes from the various press articles, news, television, magazines, etc.. that I’ve been featured in. Busy day, but fun stuff.
Most importantly (and this is why it’s so great to be in the MassChallenge office space at the fan pier)….a fellow entrepreneur, Dave Perry of Osmopure, is an unbelievable engineer who has generously donated his time, expertise, and advice and has created a kick a** new prototype on Solidworks. It has all of the features I want (let’s keep our fingers crossed) and we are going to print it out in 3D printing (rapid prototyping) to test it. I cannot wait! I’ve been waiting for this for sooo long. Ladies will be clicking in and out of their heels…soon enough!
Here’s an article that was written by MassHighTech:
MassChallenge, TechStars join with Obama’s Startup America Partnership
By Rodney H. Brown
TechStars, the Colorado-launched accelerator that has a local branch called TechStars Boston, and the MassChallenge Startup Competition and Accelerator have been chosen as two of the initial programs to partner with the brand new Startup America Partnership, the White House-backed effort to promote innovation entrepreneurship that has been funded by the Kauffman Foundation and the Case Foundation.
Along with TechStars, MassChallenge will become one of the programs that will be used to help Startup America Partnership’s stated goal to “celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation,” according to the partnership’s website.
In addition to MassChallenge and TechStars, other local organizations that are part of the new partnership include The Deshpande Foundation, the innovation promotion effort founded by serial entrepreneur Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande. Additional partners include Intel, IBM and The Blackstone Foundation. According to an IBM spokesman, the Armonk, N.Y.-based technology giant will be committing $150 million in 2011 to fund programs both through its own efforts such as its Global Entrepreneur initiative and under the Startup America umbrella.
Just last week, MassChallenge created a new chief mentorship officer role and appointed entrepreneur and MassChallenge judge and mentor Karl Büttner to the position. Büttner co-founded enterprise software firm 170 Systems in 1990 and helped lead the company through its 2009 acquisition by Kofax plc. MassChallenge finished its first operating year last October, helping 111 companies with shared office space and mentors, and giving out a total of $1 million to the competition winners from those 111 startups. Steve Case, the founder of AOL and The Case Foundation, delivered the keynote address at the ceremony announcing the competition winners in October.
In November, TechStars Boston appointed former Microsoft employee and early-stage startup investorKatie Rae as managing director of its two-year-old Boston program, a little over a week after former director Shawn Broderick announced he would step down. Rae is co-founder of Project 11 Ventures with Reed Sturtevant, her former colleague at Microsoft.
Convertible High Heel Shoe Survey
Ladies!!
Please help me out by taking this survey. It will help me as I progress in making these fan-tab-ulous convertible high heel shoes.
http://www.impressity.com/Survey/sl.aspx?SurveyLinkId=pabivctqehsirkmvmtmg
Thank you so much!
Stay tuned,…
- Candice
