One friend helped Annie Klaver get into her corporate job, and 131 helped her get out. More specifically, 131 people pledged a total of $15,556 on Indiegogo, enabling Klaver to launch her new outdoor company, River Queen Voyages, this month.
Klaver is one of a growing number of entrepreneurs who have bypassed traditional funding sources to finance their businesses or creative endeavors, instead using online crowdfunding platforms like Indiegogo and Kickstarter to raise money from friends and fans.
Klaver said the idea of starting a river outfitter came to her after 15 years of working for corporations and startups. Several years ago she and husband, Robby Hecht, a singer-songwriter, moved to a riverfront house on Neely’s Bend.
That’s where she started taking stock of her life, and decided to spend less time in front of a computer screen and more time outdoors, as she had done growing up in Wisconsin.
Klaver quit her job at (continue reading)