Winner Announced in National Small Business Crowdfunding Contest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

NASE: Kristofer Eisenla, Luna Eisenla Media

kristofer@eisenlamedia.com | 202-670-5747 (mobile)

SBE Council: Savannah Bentley

sbentley@sbecouncil.org | 703-242-5840

FUNDABLE: Laura Moller, Media Relations Coordinator

lmoller@fundable.com | 614-364-4523 ext. 4523 (office)

Winner Announced in National Small Business Crowdfunding Contest

Las Vegas Small Business – The Cookie Bar – Wins $10,000 Competition

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE), the nation’s leading advocate and resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses, and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council), an advocacy and research organization for entrepreneurs, and Fundable, a crowdfunding platform partner focused exclusively on startup companies, announced Las Vegas small business, The Cookie Bar, as the winner of their national crowdfunding contest.  The national contest was created as a way to show their commitment to supporting America’s small business community in their goal of raising and securing capital through the powerful platform of crowdfunding.

The Cookie Bar, a Las Vegas, NV small business that specializes in alcohol infused and non-alcoholic cookies and treats was the first company to reach their fundraising goal, thus winning the national competition.  In addition to the money The Cookie Bar has already raised through their Fundable page, they will also receive an additional $10,000 in funds from the contest sponsors.  The owners of The Cookie Bar – Jenny and Wendy Baumgartner – have stated that the money will go towards obtaining a small storefront location for the business.

"We congratulate Las Vegas small business owners, Wendy and Jenny Baumgartner, founders of The Cookie Bar.  All of the small business finalists were terrific and we thank them for taking part in the contest and tapping into the incredibly powerful tool of crowdfunding.  All along, our hope and goals for the contest were to help the participating businesses and showcase crowdfunding as a way for start-ups and small businesses to achieve their funding goals," said Karen Kerrigan, President and CEO, SBE Council, Katie Vlietstra, Director of Government Affairs, NASE, and Eric Corl, President and Co-Founder, Fundable.

"We're incredibly excited to have taken part in this national contest. Of course we are extremely grateful for the sponsors, who are helping us grow our local, family-owned small business. The Cookie Bar is a mother-daughter venture, and we have big dreams for this small business.  The capital we've raised through this crowdfunding contest, along with the additional $10,000 in prize money, will help us realize our goal of opening a storefront business in our community," said Wendy and Jenny Baumgartner, owners of The Cookie Bar. 

The Cookie Bar, recently featured in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, can be found online at www.thecookiebarlv.com/, and on Twitter and Facebook @thecookiebarlv.  The Cookie Bar’s individual fundraising page at Fundable is located at http://www.fundable.com/the-cookie-bar.

For media interested in speaking with a representative from The Cookie Bar, please contact Jennifer Baumgartner at 702-335-9307 or via email at thecookiebarlv@gmail.com.

With new rules pending at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to expand equity and debt-based crowdfunding, there has been an increased interest in the viability of this method to raise funds for new and growing businesses.  A national crowdfunding contest is an effective approach to increase awareness, educate business owners and stakeholders, and promote entrepreneurship. The contest’s sponsors are also dedicated to elevating the issue of raising and accessing capital for small businesses.

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The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is the nation's leading resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses, bringing a broad range of benefits to help entrepreneurs succeed and to drive the continued growth of this vital segment of the American economy. The NASE Small Business Locator helps identify and connect our nation’s smallest businesses. The NASE is a 501(c) (6) nonprofit organization and provides big-business advantages to hundreds of thousands of micro-businesses across the United States. For more information, visit the association's website at NASE.org

SBE Council is a 100,000 member nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy, research and training organization dedicated to protecting small business and promoting entrepreneurship. For more information please visit www.sbecouncil.org.

Fundable is a crowdfunding platform for startup businesses, offering both rewards and equity funding options. Founded by veteran entrepreneurs, Fundable seeks to empower startups across the country by providing access to early stage growth capital.