Pinkubator And Crowdfunder Announce Partnership For Women's-Focused Entrepreneurial Businesses

RALEIGH, N.C., March 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pinkubator, a virtual startup incubator, and Crowdfunder.com, an equity crowdfunding platform, have announced a partnership to provide support for women's-led or -focused entrepreneurial businesses. Participating companies will receive access to a suite of services including investor connections to raise capital, business counseling and mentorship program, networking opportunities, and other support measures.

The partnership aims to streamline start-to-finish business processes for entrepreneurs: from accessing Pinkubator's membership services including national mentorship and networking programs, to linking with Crowdfunder's strategic investors for equity crowdfunding opportunities.

The announcement follows Crowdfunder's recently-implemented complete pay transparency initiative and equal wage policy. Implemented by the company's president, Steven McClurg, and inspired by Cindy Whitehead, founder and CEO of The Pink Ceiling, the move positions Crowdfunder as a market leader in addressing wage-gap issues, especially within financial services, fintech and tech arenas. Since implementation in 2016, Crowdfunder's employee structure is now over 50% female; development staff is over 65% female; and revenue has increased fourfold month-over-month.

"Closing the gender-wage gap is an unequivocally important social and economic justice issue that requires action by women and men alike. We commend our partners at Crowdfunder for their solution-oriented measures and hope increasingly more companies will follow suit," said Cindy Whitehead, founder and CEO, The Pink Ceiling. "Through this partnership, our goal is to empower women across the globe and change our economic future. As it stands, only 7 percent of venture capital funding goes to female founders. Crowdfunder's democratization of the equity process is changing the conventional VC landscape: people can now freely seek out ideas they connect with, especially women helping women to build great companies.

"Crowdfunder's top priority is ensuring the wellbeing of our employees, who have invested in our company both professionally and personally. The decision to implement pay transparency and equal wage was undoubtedly the right thing to do," said Chance Barnett, CEO at Crowdfunder. "We're proud to be at the forefront of companies taking actionable measures to close the gender-wage gap. Beyond signifying mutual goodwill between Crowdfunder and its employees, the move has translated to better business results."

Pinkubator is the mentorship program of the The Pink Ceiling, which provides strategic consulting and seed investing for startups focusing on a variety of women's issues. The company was founded by Cindy Whitehead, best known as the former CEO of Sprout Pharmaceuticals, which brought to market Addyi, the first-ever FDA-approved drug for low sexual desire in women. The Pink Ceiling team will operate as an extension of its clients to catalyze ideas from startup stage to commercial viability.

For more information on Pinkubator, visit www.thepinkubator.com and follow Whitehead on social media at @cindypinkceo.

About The Pink Ceiling/Pinkubator
Pinkubator is a membership service for women led or women focused entrepreneurial businesses looking for networking and mentorship. We've walked a mile in your stilettos and will now walk alongside you offering access to influencers and marketing specialists that shape your strategies and success. Founded by Cindy Whitehead, a serial entrepreneur who built two businesses from scratch and sold them for record setting returns. Her exits total more than $1.5B. See why Fortune called her "a tireless force of nature" and Entrepreneur Magazine put her on their cover of Women to Watch. The Pinkubator membership offers two levels (virtual and on-site) to best fit your individual needs. To learn more, visit: www.thepinkubator.com.

About Crowdfunder
Crowdfunder is the leading equity crowdfunding platform, with 125,000 members in its investment network, with 30,000+ companies submitted online seeking financing, and $120 million invested into companies on the platform to-date. Entrepreneurs use the platform to tell their story and raise equity investment from a community of institutional and individual accredited investors. The company played a significant role in JOBS Act legislation, helping to create the new market for equity crowdfunding that brings private investing online. For more information, visit Crowdfunder or follow them on Twitter.

CONTACT

Media:
Jamie Bezozo | Sunshine Sachs
[email protected] | 212-691-2800
The Pink Ceiling / Pinkubator:
[email protected] | 844.746.5267

SOURCE The Pink Ceiling