This Mother’s Day, we’re going to do something different. Besides showing you all of the of cool stuff you can get for your mom on Indiegogo, we also want to showcase some of the amazing moms who have used Indiegogo to bring their ideas to life. We know that being an entrepreneur is hard under any circumstance, but juggling entrepreneurship with motherhood is especially impressive. Not only have these moms pushed through the exhaustion and endless diapers to make their dreams come true, but they have drawn inspiration from their children and their roles as mothers to make a difference.
Women in Tech
Women in business and tech are constantly battling the many latent biases that prevent them from reaching their potential. Many people have written about the fact that Silicon Valley is so heavily male, largely because historically more men than women have pursued education and careers in computer science. Even though it’s been recognized as a problem, few people have really explored why, so Staci Hartman and Robin Hauser Reynolds teamed up to make “CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap.” Through a series of interviews, they dove into the question of lack of diversity in computer science, and ultimately how we can improve it. Robin said that:
“Having daughters motivated us to look into the core reasons for the gender gap and digital divide in the tech industry. Daily, we are inspired by our kids’ determination, perseverance, and grit as they navigate the complexities of our educational system and our workplace culture as young adults. It’s an honor to be social entrepreneurs and to help create change through visual storytelling – we hope to have a small part in making a better world for our kids.”
Thanks to women like Robin and Staci, people are focusing on solutions to the gender gap in computer science so that all women and mothers will have the opportunity to pursue their passions.
Female Founders and Creators
Sometimes, the best inventions are the simplest ones, and just make small things in life easier. Mina Yoo of Lulabop created Qliplet, a lightweight carabiner that makes it easier to carry stuff – all stuff – and up to 50 pounds of it. Mina believes that:
“Motherhood creates the ultimate environment for coming up with inventions, and this is because as moms, we have so much to manage. Besides kids and family, we may have work outside the home, hobbies and housework. Juggling all of these things makes us come up with solutions to make life easier or more convenient. My product was the result of realizing — after having my first baby and climbing Mt Rainier soon afterwards — that some of the biggest adventures in life require lugging a lot of stuff. So, I invented something to reduce my load and make it more convenient to enjoy these adventures.”
Supporting Communities for Mom Entrepreneurs
Besides all of the new stuff that needs to be lugged around, motherhood and parenting are just plain hard, so two Arizona moms started an Indiegogo campaign for Modern Milk, a wellness and community center that supports moms in Scottsdale throughout their journeys. They offer advice for pregnancy and breastfeeding, pre- and post-natal education and even fitness classes, but perhaps most importantly they are bringing moms together to help and support each other. Stephanie Nguyen, one of Modern Milk’s founders said that:
“Our journey is all about motherhood! Becoming a mom changed my whole world and outlook on motherhood, which inspired me to create Modern Milk, a unique community concept centered around moms! Our amazing community of moms continues to grow and support each other, which makes this journey so rewarding!”
Modern Milk is so popular that they are actually planning to expand so they can offer even more help to moms and babies because “happy mom, happy baby.”
Similarly, the founders of cuddle+kind, were inspired to make life better for all children when they became parents. Jennifer Woodgate herself said it best:
“Almost nine years ago when our son was born, I instantly felt more connected to other babies, other moms and the world. As a mom of three little ones, I firmly believe that all children should have enough food to eat and the opportunity to thrive. So, when our family watched a documentary on the devastating impact of childhood hunger on millions of children around the world, it truly broke my heart for both the children and their mothers. We were motivated to start cuddle+kind, a social business whose purpose is to help improve the lives of children and to make a difference by providing meals.
On that day, the concept of 1 doll = 10 meals was born. Being a mother fundamentally fuels my passion for our cause, but it also helps me understand our supporters and create products that resonate. As a mom, I was searching for a stylish toy my child could love and cuddle, but that also had meaning. So, we wanted our dolls to be adorable and soft, but also handcrafted with love and help to support the women artisans who make them with a sustainable fair trade income. Having a gift that could give back and inspire conversations with our children about how they can help others and make a positive difference in the world was important to me. Ultimately, being a mom is at the heart of why we started cuddle+kind; it inspires us every day, and it’s why we provide 10 meals to help children in need for every doll we sell.”
Besides, it’s a pretty good feeling when you know that by buying a toy for your kid, you’ll be feeding other kids around the world.
Chances are that in some way your mom is an entrepreneur too, or she helped you become one. This Mother’s Day, don’t just celebrate all the amazing things your mom has done for you, but think about the other things she has managed to do amidst play dates, headlice infestations and piles of dirty diapers. Happy Mother’s Day to the moms that use Indiegogo to fund their projects, to the moms that drove us to the extracurriculars where we made our first films or built our first circuit boards, and the moms who are backing campaigns to make strangers’ dreams come true.
