Aug
26
2010
Stop Traffick Fashion and Bad Girl Ventures had more great coverage today in the Cincinnati Enquirer! Thank you to Laura Baverman for the story.
Eight women-owned firms to vie for loan
A soon-to-open Over-the-Rhine restaurant, a Findlay Market pet supply store and a West Chester animation studio are among the eight woman-owned companies that will soon be considered for a $25,000 loan from Bad Girl Ventures.
The start-up microfinance organization, founded in March to provide educational resources and early-stage financing to female entrepreneurs, announced on Tuesday night its first participants in a six-week crash course on starting and running a business. At the end of the program, one of those companies will be chosen for to receive a loan, funded by dozens of local private investors.
The finalists are:
Darcy Vorhees, founder of Flaming Medusa Studios Inc., an animation, illustration, art and character design studio.
Emily Hill, founder of Stop Traffick Fashion, a website that sells jewelry, handbags and T-shirts made by survivors of human trafficking.
Nicole Willis, owner of Party Sitters LLC, an agency that provides on-site child care at parties or events.
Caitlin Wilkerson, co-founder of WouldURather.com, a website that provides consumers with deep daily discounts to local businesses.
Ellen Smith, president and CEO of Electronic Interiors, a professional consulting and design firm for video, audio, security and telecommunications systems;
Heather Curless, founder of Greener Stock, a store in Columbia Tusculum that sells non-toxic and eco-friendly building products.
Ellen Faeth, owner of Mullane’s Parkside Café, a new restaurant in Over-the-Rhine that will offer a menu of fresh and local ingredients along with revolving art shows and live music.
Michele Hobbs and Amanda Broughton, co-owners of Pet Wants, a pet food and supply store recently opened at Findlay Market in Over-the-Rhine offering only foods made in Ohio.
The BGV board of directors selected the winners after a thorough review of 68 applicants. Credit checks and interviews with family members yielded the final eight. Members of an investment committee (made up of those who have invested $500 or more) will select a recipient for the first loan after reviewing the progress and efforts of the women during the six-week program.
To date, the organization has raised $100,000 from local private individuals, said its founder, lawyer Candace Klein.
“I had no idea on March 3 what this would look like today, but it totally fuels the fire for me that we’re doing the right thing,” she said.
At the Tuesday evening event, held at the Hyde Park Country Club, Klein also announced a new partnership with Fifth Third Bank to serve as BGV’s fiscal agent. Bad Girl Ventures will also partner with the Economic and Community Development Institute of Columbus, a nonprofit small business lender that funnels micro-sized federal loans to businesses across Ohio.
Both organizations could provide additional funding to Bad Girl Ventures participants upon completion of the program.
“One of our goals is to help more small businesses be more bankable,” said John Marrocco, business banking executive with Fifth Third Bank. “We want to find a way to share our resources in the community and help our environment.”
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