Editor’s note: Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” feature to highlight area entrepreneurial efforts to accelerate businesses or projects. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know by contacting news@startlandnews.com. Today’s featured campaign is from Kansas City, Kansas-based Plant Powered Community.
Your name and title with the business?
Ryan Langton, owner.
What’s the name of your company and what does it do?
Plant Powered Community LLC.
I’m the owner and currently sole employee. I’m founding Plant Powered Community to create a social platform designed to help people share and learn more about plant-based/vegan foods. Because of recent documentaries on Netflix (“Conspiracy,” “What The Health,” “Forks Over Knives,” etc.) as well as health organizations pushing the benefits of a plant-based diet, we’ve seen quite a boom in the population giving it a try lately and this trend is set to continue into the future. Even if you’re not going plant-based yourself, chances are somebody in your circle of friends or family is, and you may need to cook for them or pick an accommodating restaurant. Plant Powered Community will make finding that information and make learning fun, easy, and interactive.
We have a real need for a complete platform to help, not just another recipe app. People need easy accessible information about three major categories — recipes, restaurants, and other resources (health information — where do I get my protein? Is soy ok for me? etc.), and they need to be able to connect with others to talk about it. I feel like the current social atmosphere is often not very inviting or a good place for this. Bringing up diet on Facebook is like bringing up religion or politics. I’m creating Plant Powered Community to be that inviting place with exactly what you need and putting in features to encourage positive community involvement and improve quality of content.
How much money do you hope to raise with your campaign?
I am attempting to raise $25,000 through Kickstarter.
What do you plan to use the funds for?
These funds will help me move this project from a night and weekend passion project to full-scale development, as well as give me the ability to hire designers and developers to help. Once I have the funds, I’m confident I can push a release date in 2018. This is important to me because the new year is when people are motivated to make positive life changes. I want to have Plant Powered Community available to them before the turn of the year.
How are you differentiating your campaign or bringing attention to it?
Because Plant Powered Community is all about improving our world and good ethics, I want to give back to other companies that do great work in these areas such as disease research, health initiatives, environmental conservation, animal wellness, etc. I’m pledging 20 percent of all profits for the company back into these charitable organizations.
I created a Facebook page and Instagram account and am sharing information on all of those platforms. I’m also writing blog posts, speaking with plant-based business owners and health professionals who might be interested.
What’s some advice you have to others launching a crowdfunding campaign?
It’s been a crazy experience so far with very little sleep, but I’ve learned a lot in the last week about promotion and effective communication. This experience is going to be great for me moving forward into business ownership. I recommend to anyone thinking about it, dive in and do it. If nothing else, you’ll gain some great skills.
Check out the Kickstarter here.
