Amazon has lit the touch paper for Amazon Launchpad – a new online marketplace for startup companies to sell their products worldwide.
Joining Amazon Launchpad gives entrepreneurs access to the global store’s marketing and fulfilment power to supercharge the launch of their new products.
Although signing up for the program comes at a price, a lot of the go to market headaches of starting a new business are handled with the help of Amazon’s already established worldwide distribution services and mentoring from experienced entrepreneurs.
Amazon’s vice president Jim Adkins said: “Bringing a new product to market is a financial and logistical challenge for a start-up, so we thought we would do something to help by making the process a lot easier.”
Launchpad offers product placement inside a dedicated Amazon store front for new products from startups.
The package includes managing inventory, fulfilment and customer service.
Amazon is also working with crowdfunding partners such as Indiegogo to help startups raise seed capital to develop their products.
Investment bubble
Traditional investment advice is not to invest in a bubble – but Dr Zigs, a giant bubble entrepreneur wants backers to do just that.
Dr Zigs is the firm that manufactures equipment and bubble solution for entertainers to make giant bubbles.
The firm started in Paola Dyboski-Bryant’s kitchen and has expanded to a workshop in Bangor, North Wales, employing 10 permanent staff and 20 casual workers.
Now, the company is seeking crowdfunding of £5,000 on platform Indiegogo to redesign packaging to move the business on.
“We need the packaging to improve out branding so shops and other retailers will put us on their shelves. We need to look more professional and exciting to stockists and customers,” said Dyboski-Bryant.
The crowdfunding circle
Reality and fiction merge together with a crowdfunded movie documentary about crowdfunding called Capital C.
The producers raised just under $85,000 on Kickstarter from 586 backers top realise their dream of documenting the phenomenon of crowdfunding.
Filmmakers Jørg M. Kundinger and Timon Birkhofer follow a group of entrepreneur hopefuls through the process of setting up, promoting and starting up a business on crowdfunding platforms.
The film is the first full length movie on crowdfunding to win a bid and become fully funded.