A B.C. startup that that uses "friend-funding" to raise money to build schools in developing countries took first prize at a travelling startup funder called Startup World during a whistle stop in Vancouver July 29.
Startup World travels around the country hearing pitches from startups and awarding seed capital. Change Heroes, one of nine local startups to make pitches Monday, claimed the grand prize of $80,000, according to Techvibes.
Change Heroes uses crowdfunding – with a twist. It asks people to get 33 of their own friends and family to commit to donating $3.33 per day for three months to raise $10,000 to build a school in developing countries, like Africa.
Change Heroes' founder Taylor Conroy, a realtor, got the idea after a trip to Africa. He was able to raise $10,000 simply by texting his friends and getting them to commit to the project's first school building project in Kenya.
Since then, several others have used Change Heroes to raise $10,000 to build schools in Africa.
