Thousands of startups from across the country have competed, but only a few were selected to showcase in the first-ever entrepreneurial store featuring crowdfunded products. Created by Fundable and sponsored by Staples, the inaugural Crowd2Shelf contest enabled winners to crowdfund a concept into a Staples product.
“We’re pleased to see the winners of the Crowd2shelf contest now available on Staples.com,” said Wil Schroter, CEO, Fundable. “The contest has been an incredible journey for each of these startup companies, and given each of them the opportunity of a lifetime to turn a great idea into a household name.”
To demonstrate market demand and social support, contestants gathered votes and crowdfunding pledges to be judged based on the success of each crowdfunding campaign. A panel of judges including Fundable and Staples executives selected the following winners for displaying the characteristics of a successful startup:
- Folding Bluetooth keyboard, Jorno – Los Angeles, Calif. (exclusive to Staples)
- Remote-controlled recessed LED lighting, EVA – Wilmington, DE (exclusive to Staples)
- Outlet-mounted Bluetooth music player, The Plug Radio – Hollywood, Calif. (exclusive to Staples)
- Smartphone-controlled lighting, Plum – Austin, Texas
- Secure tablet holder, nHand – Tulsa, Oklahoma
“We’re proud to showcase our Crowd2Shelf entrepreneurs through our new online store and help them launch their ideas,” said Daniel Reilly, Director of Product Design and Innovation at Staples. “We were incredibly impressed with the caliber of startup product companies that participated and are thrilled to offer our customers these innovative new products to help them make more happen.”
Winning products are available for purchase at Staples.com.fundable.
