TurboTrails.com Launches Kickstarter Crowdfunding Campaign to Fund Its PakPit BBQ Grill, Flat-to-Pack Portable Fire Ring and Hot Rolled Steel Plate BBQ Grills

It’s Foldable Fire Ring and Portable BBQ Grills are Currently on Fire on Kickstarter and have exceeded their crowdfunding goal by 1025% on the very first day as Tailgaters, Backyard BBQers, Car Campers, Glampers, RVers, Boondockers and Other Outdoor Adventurers Buy New BBQ Grills for the 2021 Camping Season

Raleigh, NC – TurboTrails.com announced today that the outdoor adventure gear company has rolled out a brand new bullet proof, portable heavy-duty steel #PakPit #BBQ #Grill and #foldable #firepit #ring that measures a mere 0.56″ thick when all 4 pieces are disassembled, stacked and packed in their rough and tough fireproof traveling bag.

The PakPit, Flat-to-Pack BBQ Grills are on sale NOW on Kickster.com while supplies last for the $75 Earlybird specials at => https://buff.ly/2Qv5gzV.

https://www.facebook.com/TurboTrails/videos/330015061527784/

Its indestructible, hot-rolled steel plates are always an instant hit with tailgaters, campers, RVers, backyard BBQers and outdoor adventurers that are tired of buying cheap thin tin grills from Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes that burn out, rust out and wear out in a single season when used on a regular basis with hot fires that cause rapid rusting and oxidation.

Each of the four pieces of the PakPit are made from hot rolled steel that are 1/8″ thick. They will get hot and even glow red, but they will not melt or degradate. They are guaranteed to last longer than your lifetime. The PakPit will l probably be the last grill you ever have to buy because they are engineered to last.

When the cooking is done. They are easy to take apart, wash and scrub if needed, and stack perfectly on top of each other into a very slim profile that measures around 5/16’s of an inch. Once clean and cool they can be slipped into their travel bag. Their slim flat profile make them very easy to store in cabinets, closets; under RV, boat, car and truck seats or in the bed of trucks, car trunks and trailers. They make the perfect gift for every outdoor adventure guide or camping enthusiast that seems to have everything.

PakPit, flat-to-pack BBQ grills make the perfect firepit for beaches, city parks, state parks and the national forests that allow for dispersed or event camping, but do not have fire pit rings installed. They can be setup in less than 30 seconds. They can burn charcoal, firewood or setup to burn propane during burn bans.

The PakPits’ unique and patented design uses three sides that resemble the pakman video game character that slide together and connect to form a triangular base that lifts the fire off the ground so that it does not leave a burnmark trace on the ground, on wooden or rubberized picnic tables, or metal tailgates when used to grill out for a large group of friends. The round grill top fits perfectly into each piece’s carrying handle to provide a large integrated cooking surface area.

Once the cooking is done, leftover coals can be dumped into a tin cooking pan and completely extinguished with bottled water. We like to lean the hot metal plates against a rock and they will be cool enough to pack up in around 5 minutes. Their travel bags are fireproof so they can be put up while they are still warm without worries.

What is size is right for you?

Most people like to purchase the large 17″ PakPat complete with 26″ stand for backyard BBQs and firepits. It is the perfect solution for backyard BBQs for large parties, birthdays and sport tailgating events and has a 12-burger-at-one-time cooking capacity. People that travel prefer the smaller 13.5″ version unless they are traveling with a large family.

TurboTrails PakPit 17″ BBQ Grill and Firepit

TurboTrails PakPit 13.5 BBQ Grill and Fire Pit

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Kupper Mounts Appoints Jason Morris as New Vice President of Sales to Manage Business Development Opportunities in the United States and International Markets

Kupper Bike Rack Mounts are one of the most affordable, portable, secure, convenient & quick-to-install bike racking systems in the world. They will fit any car, truck or SUV, regardless of country.

Raleigh, North Carolina – Kupper Mounts (https://kuppermounts.com), a next generation bicycle carrier manufacturer, announced today the company has appointed a new Vice President of Sales, Jason Morris, to grow the company’s bicycle accessories sales by signing up  bicycle shops and bike resellers in the United States and international distributors and/or exporters/importers that will sell Kupper Mounts into over 30 global marketplaces.

Kupper Mounts are a next generation bike rack that have very powerful suction cups that make it easy to install a bike carrier on any car, truck, van or SUV in less than two minutes. Kupper Mounts do not require a luggage rack or a trailer hitch for installation, a feature that is very popular with today’s mobile millennial cyclists.

Kupper Bike Rack Mounts are one of the most affordable, portable, secure, convenient & quick-to-install bike racking systems in the world.

Kupper Mounts also store easily in checked-bags for airline travel and solve the common problem of trying to find a bike rack that can be mounted on any rental car or SUV while on biking vacations and adventures. Kupper’s mounts work well with all types of road bikes, mountain bikes, triathlon bikes, cyclo-cross and commuter bikes.

Kupper Mounts Competitive Chart of Bike Racks and Bike Carriers

“After a very successful crowdfunding campaign we were struggling to keep up with the demand from customers who are searching for bike shops and independent bike dealers (IBD) in their local cities and towns that sell our Kupper Mounts,” said Andrew Jarrard, Kupper Mounts CEO and Founder. “As a 25-year-plus retail management veteran, sales rep and regional sales manager for various companies such as Accell Group (Raleigh, Diamondback), Dean, Janus Cycle Group, Merlin and Velosport Imports, Morris brings our team invaluable experience in setting up new independent bike dealer accounts as well as streamlining the operations of our rapidly growing sales & distribution networks.”

“I am very excited to accept my new role in setting up an independent dealer network in the United States for Kupper Mounts and look forward to expanding Kupper’s reach into international markets in Asia, Australia, Europe, and South America,” said Jason Morris, Kupper Mounts’ Vice President of Sales.

Morris continued, “In addition to being an excellent bike carrier, the great thing about Kupper Mounts bike racks is that they can be used as a great marketing tool; an effective Point of Purchase (POP) sales product that will bring more customers inside a bike shop; and, increase sales ticket totals by being able to show a new, high-end, easy to use, high-margin bike accessory that can increase accessory sales by $200 or more for every bike sold. The Kupper Mount’s Bike Rack system can also be used to hang bikes in various locations inside and outside the bike shop increasing display space.

Independent Bike Sales Reps

Kupper Mounts is now signing up new independent sales representatives with experience selling into bike shops and independent bike dealer networks.

Social Media Marketing Promotion

The company is also seeking to sign up social media marketers, influencers and brand advocates that have a special knack for promoting and selling products through social media networks.

Kupper Mounts Sales
Interested parties should call Jason Morris at (813) 616-0702 or send him an email at jason.morris@kuppermounts.com.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.

On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.

Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns.

British Columbia Ski Resort Raises $10 Million via Equity Crowdfunding Campaign

2,923 crowdfunding investors decided to “Fight the Man and Own a Piece of the Mountain” by investing a minimum of $1,000 each on StartEngine.com 

By Robert Hoskins

Rossland, BC – On August 22, 2016, RED Mountain Resort launched a $10 million crowdfunding campaign on StartEngine.com called “Fight the Man. Own The Mountain.” This was the first time a for-profit ski resort explored equity crowdfunding and nobody at RED knew what to expect in Phase I, of the “Test The Waters” campaign. As of last Thursday morning (Feb. 9), RED hit their $10MM Reservation Goal — an historic achievement within the North American ski industry.

RED Mountain Resort launched a $10 million crowdfunding campaign on StartEngine

“We went into this campaign feeling that these were uncharted waters,” says RED CEO Howard Katkov. “But the response was immediate, passionate, and unequivocal. Our choice to plant the flag for independent skiing and snowboarding during a time of high-profile mergers and acquisitions really resonated.”

Since launch, “Fight the Man. Own The Mountain.” has been featured many times in the mainstream press across North America, and has been covered extensively by ski and snowboard outlets. The videos created for the campaign have so far received over half a million views.

Equity crowdfunding is a new style of investment and RED’s choice to accept a relatively low minimum reservation of $1,000 allowed “everyone from Lifties to Learjet owners” to make a reservation for this unique equity financing campaign. (And they did!) RED’s campaign on StartEngine will continue to take reservations as they prepare their auditing and legal documents to be provided to investors for Phase II, which is scheduled to launch in the Fall of 2017.

“Our goal was to hit $10 million in reservations by April, but we managed to hit that number months in advance. We now sincerely hope that a large percentage of the RED fans that pledged their support will convert their reservations to a real investment when the Phase II launches this fall,” says Katkov.

There are two exciting aspects of “Fight the Man. Own The Mountain.” in investment terms. The first is the “Last In, First Out” feature. What this means is that investors in Phase II — whether they’re in for $1,000, $25,000 or more — would receive their investment back before all previous equity investors. The second is the “rewards” associated with each level of investment, from lift tickets, custom skis or snowboards, season and family passes and access to a purpose-built clubhouse and overnight cabins. These rewards are laid out in the StartEngine platform.

RED Mountain is the oldest ski resort in Western Canada and has been the site of many firsts: First World Cup ski race in Canada; one of the largest terrain expansions in North America in over 40 years… This campaign marks another first — the opportunity through equity crowdfunding to own a slice of world-class ski resort for as little as $1,000.

“The groundswell of support from the snow community, the press, and investors has been nothing short of astonishing,” says Katkov. “The success of the campaign, thus far, has been a nice reminder of just how passionate and free-spirited the ski and snowboard community really is. It’s been an incredible winter so far and I’ve had a number of guests come up to me and say they booked their ski week at RED after hearing about us through the campaign. Some of them invested, some of them didn’t, but all of them sensed that we have something special going on in Rossland and needed to check it out in person. And to us, that means more than anything. We can’t wait for what the future holds.”

RED is the last great, unspoiled resort. Located in Rossland, BC, 1st stop on Canada’s famous Powder Highway, RED delivers 2,877 acres of pristine, unfettered skiing. RED recently added nearly 1,000 acres of intermediate to advanced terrain on Grey Mountain.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.

On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.

Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns.

RED Mountain Resort Makes History to Secure Future via Title IV Regulation A+ Equity Crowdfunding

“Fight the Man. Own the Mountain.”

By Robert Hoskins

Rossland, BC – RED Mountain Resort, the oldest ski resort in Western Canada, is dropping into the history books this week. The fierce, independent mountain that is the first stop on British Columbia’s famous Powder Highway is bucking the trend of MegaResort mergers and acquisitions and taking its next capital campaign to the people via equity crowdfunding. 

RED Mountain Resort Makes History to Secure Future via Equity Crowdfunding Campaign

RED’s equity crowdfunding campaign through StartEngine.com goes live August 23rd and will allow hardcore skiers, snowboarders and savvy investors to put their money where their heart is — and come away with actual ownership of a marquee ski resort.

On August 23rd, you can access the campaign page here. 

“RED started as a ski club that was owned by the community,” explains RED CEO Howard Katkov. “You can feel it in the spirit of the place, the camaraderie, the spark. We have done everything in our power these last 12 years to keep that flame alive and this StartEngine.com campaign is simply the latest expression of our intent to keep RED independent and thriving. Our shared community values and the current consolidation of the resort industry make NOW the perfect time to help save this ‘endangered species’. We’re ‘ReBooting’ the Red Mountain Ski Club Community Ownership Model from 1947 — only this time the clubhouse will have wireless!”

The sport of skiing truly has changed immeasurably in the last 20 years with luxury shopping malls at base areas, covered escalators to the lift line, water parks — with all of this ‘growth’ funded by skiers whether they support it or not. Regular ski families are routinely being priced out by corporate decisions made many time zones away from the mountain communities they affect. Skiing and snowboarding are now on the cusp of becoming pursuits for the elite like polo or Formula 1 and RED Mountain is keen to reverse this corporate tide before it’s too late.

“RED Mountain is an endangered species within the ski resort world,” says Katkov. “We have the snowfall, vertical drop and world-class terrain to go boot-to-boot with the Big Guys, but have consciously maintained our mom ‘n’ pop/weird uncle feel for over 100 years. We’re tired of seeing families priced out of a premier ski vacation by chains. And we think that RED Mountain’s preservation as a fiercely independent, non-corporate entity is beyond worthwhile.”

Round 1 of the equity crowdfunding campaign, which goes live August 23rd, is deemed “Test the Waters,” and parties can express interest in the investment without handing over any actual money now or later. (The “Test the Waters” phase is similar to a reservation or a hyper-convoluted “Like” Button and is 100% risk-free.) RED is setting the minimum buy-in at $1000, considerably lower than many tech and transportation offerings and startups on StartEngine.com.

When the Test the Waters campaign gains sufficient traction, RED will file an offering statement with the SEC in the United States and prepare a Canadian offering memorandum to launch RED’s offering with real dollars, actual equity, and unique perks are sure to appeal to ski and snowboard enthusiasts especially.

“This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Katkov. “It’s never been done this way before, with a For-Profit ski resort soliciting community funding through equity crowdfunding, a kind of ‘third way’… We like to joke around the office that we’re going to be the Green Bay Packers of the ski world. It’s a legitimate opportunity to actually own every asset of this place: The mountain, the chairlifts, the lodge, snow making — you name it.”

RED Mountain Resort is coming off its best fiscal year ever with deep snow and sales up across all major categories. The last three seasons have seen the resort enter the big leagues by opening Grey Mountain and adding ~1,000 acres of skiable terrain in the process, putting it on par with Breckenridge and Jackson Hole, size-wise.

RED also launched Get Lost Adventure Centre to round out its Four Season adventure offerings, and the Legacy Training Centre to underscore RED’s reputation for breeding top notch kick-ass ski racers. This newest equity crowdfunding campaign is aimed at continuing this momentum, keeping this grand adventure real and sustainable for years to come.

All monies raised for this campaign will go toward improving the adventure here at RED such as: additional run development for expanded cat skiing on Mount Kirkup; building a new restaurant, clubhouse, and overnight on mountain cabins at the top of Grey Mountain; chairlift extension for multi-mountain access; spring and summer multi-use top to bottom trail expansion for hiking and mountain biking; and more. Investments will also support the creation of an annual local academic Scholarship fund for higher education.

“See, we aren’t just ‘keeping it real’ for us,” adds Katkov. “We’re keeping it real foreveryone. This is serious. That’s why we call ourselves a Keystone Species. We believe that keeping a place like this thriving betters the sport for everyone in a time where families that love this mountain lifestyle are getting priced out left and right. Skiing and snowboarding should never become elite sports. That’s just wrong.”

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OurCrowd Opens Equity Crowdfunding Office for Canadian Startups in Toronto, Ontario

To provide local venture capital and a portfolio of management consulting services, OurCrowd has hired David Shore to head the Canadian operations and partnered with Influitive’s Advocate Hub for mobilization of its large global investor community for startups

By Robert Hoskins

Toronto, Ontario – OurCrowd announced the launch of its new Canadian equity crowdfunding operations, which will be targeting startups seeking at least a $1 million investment and will be utilizing Canadian-based Influitive, which helps companies build teams of advocates that drive sales and create buzz through often-underutilized channels such as referrals, recommendations, reviews and more.

Israel’s OurCrowd Takes Lead in Equity Crowdfunding

The OurCrowd office in Canada office will be headed by David Shore, a well-known Canadian technology venture capital executive with over 20 years of experience.

Influitive, founded by CEO Mark Organ in 2010, helps companies build teams of advocates to drive sales and create buzz through often-underutilized channels such as referrals, recommendations, reviews and more. A pioneer in B2B advocate marketing software, Influitive is already producing segment-leading revenues from more than 200 enterprise customers, including Acquia, Atlassian, DocuSign, HireVue, Hootsuite, HP Software, Marketo, and Oracle. Mark Organ’s prior startup company, Eloqua, was acquired by Oracle in 2013 for $871M.

OurCrowd is investing in Influitive because of its own use of the Influitive AdvocateHub product for mobilization of its large global investor community on behalf of its startups. OurCrowd founder and CEO Jon Medved explained, “There is no better way to source an investment than to be a happy customer. The company and its product impressed OurCrowd, and we asked to be included as a funder. We are delighted to invest in Influitive as our first venture in Canada.”

“We are proud to be the first OurCrowd investment in Canada,” said Influitive CEO Mark Organ. “It is exciting to have an investor who came to us because they used and loved our product. This really is what advocate marketing is all about.”

OurCrowd’s new Canadian Director, David Shore, brings an impressive track record as a venture capitalist and was a top ranked equity analyst at Mackie Research, CIBC, and Desjardins. Shore will be responsible for building the Canadian investor base for OurCrowd as well as sourcing new deals for the platform.

“I am excited to be joining the OurCrowd team as it continues its growth into Canada’s burgeoning tech hub,” said David Shore, Director of Investor Relations, OurCrowd Canada. “The Canadian market presents a significant opportunity for OurCrowd since startup investing is on the rise in Canada and most investors until now have not had access to high quality deals such as those available on OurCrowd. I look forward to bringing additional trailblazers from the Canadian tech ecosystem onto the OurCrowd platform, and to opening up the global technology market to accredited Canadian investors.”

As the Managing Director of Terracap Ventures, David developed the firm’s overall corporate strategy. David also served as Head of the Technology Group for Mackie Research Capital in the Equity Research department covering Software & Media sectors. Additionally, David is consistently ranked as a leading technology analyst (software) in Canada, and sits on the Advisory Board of the Canadian Innovation Exchange.

Following a commitment made by Medved at the Canadian Crowdfunding Summit in March that OurCrowd would open an office in Canada, Hon Brad Duguid, MPP, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure said, “I’m thrilled to see OurCrowd’s landmark entrance into Ontario’s growing technology, health sciences and venture capital markets. OurCrowd is an innovative global equity crowdfunding leader, providing significant entrepreneurial and start-up opportunities to individuals and businesses. I look forward to their continued success and growth into our province, and to Ontario companies showcasing their talent and entrepreneurial skills to attract investment and strengthen our economy.”

OurCrowd is a leading global equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors to invest in Israeli and global companies. Managed by a team of well-known professionals and led by serial entrepreneur Jon Medved,

OurCrowd vets and selects opportunities, invests its own capital and brings these startups to its accredited membership. OurCrowd investors must meet stringent accreditation criteria and invest a minimum of $10,000 per deal of their choice.

OurCrowd provides post-investment support to its portfolio companies, assigning industry experts as mentors and taking board seats. OurCrowd has raised over $140 million in equity crowdfunding for its 72 portfolio companies including Borro, BillGuard, Consumer Physics (SCiO), BioCatch, Abe’s Market and ReWalk (NASDAQ: RWLK), OurCrowd’s first portfolio company to complete a successful IPO.

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IndieGoGo Crowdfunding Campaign Seeks Starting Goal of $50,000 to Spread Early Literacy Skills to One Million Preschoolers Through Storybooks, eBooks, Smartphone Apps, and Ed-Tech Website

Teaching Preschoolers Pre-Reading Skills Improves Academic Development, Promotes Lifelong Learning, Increases Family Engagement, and Instills Confidence and Perseverance When Faced With Challenges

By Robert Hoskins

Toronto, Ontario – Ruth Rumack’s Learning Space (RRLS) launched a $50,000 IndieGoGo Crowdfunding campaign that will pre-sell a set of five Alpha-Mania early childhood learning storybooks and other perks that will make teaching pre-reading skills fun for children, parents, teachers and caregivers. The Alpha-Mania storybooks are the result of teaching early literacy programs to thousands of young children over the past 16 years. Click here to watch the video.

Ruth Rumack’s Alpha-Mania Crowdfunding Campaign to Promote Early Childhood Literacy

All five of the Alpha-Mania books are written and ready to publish. The goal of the crowdfunding campaign will be to pay for large publishing production runs of the Alpha-Mania storybooks, and then digitize the materials and turn them into eBooks and Smartphone apps, and eventually expand the program to an online educational web series and website where caregivers, parents and teachers will be given access to a full library of ed-tech early literacy games and reading resources. The plan is to make ed-tech materials easy to download and use on a wide variety of Smartphones, iPads, tablets and other types of eLearning devices.

Over the years, the Alpha-Mania pre-reading program has given thousands of young children a head start in developing their early literacy skills at RRLS as well as numerous established daycares, preschools, and nurseries throughout Canada. The plan is now to expand the RRLS learning experience and share it with a global audience.

“Using the power of crowdfunding, we would like to not only pre-sell these lifelong learning materials to people and schools that can afford them, but also use a significant portion of the fundraising campaign’s proceeds to ship storybooks to educational centers where they will have the greatest impact,” says Ruth Rumack, RRLS’ Founder and Director of Education. “Regardless of a child’s living environment, many parents are simply not aware of the tremendous benefits that all children receive from learning phonological awareness at an early age.”

“Printing and shipping storybooks to customers is very expensive and time consuming,” adds Evan Brooker, RRLS’s CEO. “But once we raise enough money to digitize our materials and turn our pre-reading games and interactive activities into Smartphone, tablet and laptop apps, we can sell and distribute them worldwide for a fraction of our current costs. Instead of educating thousands, our goal is to raise awareness and teach millions of people the benefits of engaging their children with early literacy skills in order to build a strong foundation for reading and problem solving before they enter kindergarten.”

Crowdfunders who donate to the Alpha-Mania crowdfunding campaign will receive many valuable perks/rewards that will be sold in singles, multi-book packaged deals for small schools and will provide large school districts discounts when materials/training classes are purchased using licensing agreements.

Students, parents, teachers and schools who contribute money to the crowdfunding campaign can choose between unique perks such as attending the launch party, chatting with the author, or naming a character in one of the upcoming stories. Check out the crowdfunding campaign for more details.

Please buy one of the following Alpha-Mania perks to raise awareness for the benefits of teaching preschoolers early childhood learning skills:

• Alpha-Mania eBooks for Smartphones and Tablets
• Alpha-Mania Printed Storybooks for Parents
• Alpha-Mania Book, Tote Bag & T-Shirt
• Alpha-Mania 5-Book Story Book Series
• Alpha-Mania Skype Chat with Author
• Alpha-Mania Name a Character
• Alpha-Mania Family Portrait and Summer Camp in Toronto
• Alpha-Mania Training Classes for Teachers
• Alpha-Mania License for Daycares, Preschools & Kindergartens
• Alpha-Mania Mass Volume Book Deals for Large Schools

Early childhood learning years are critical for preschoolers because research shows that children gain a tremendous advantage in their ability to learn when they are taught to develop, not only academic skills, but also non-cognitive social and emotional skills and behaviors that lead to their long-term success.

There are many non-cognitive skills that are critical for an individual to strive for and succeed in when reaching long-term goals. Researchers have found that habits such as tenacity and perseverance can have just as strong an influence on achievement as intellectual ability.

What attitudes do children have about learning? Do they feel like their abilities in a subject are fixed — “I’m just not good at reading!” or do they recognize they can grow — “I can learn to read, but I need to learn some Alpha-Mania strategies to figure out tricky sounds and words in order to master the fun puzzle of reading.”

“Growth mindset,” for example, is more likely when students believe they can achieve and when they believe that intelligence is malleable rather than fixed. This also helps develop non-cognitive skills such as perseverance, self-regulation, and effective strategies for enhancing student motivation and engagement.

A large portion of the crowdfunding donations will be used to provide Alpha-Mania to underfunded schools and libraries. Donors will receive the satisfaction of knowing that they helped a small child develop pre-reading skills regardless of their current position in society and give them a head start in developing academic skills that will lead to a lifetime of learning as well as arm them with the confidence, tenacity and perseverance they will need when faced with tough lifetime challenges.

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Carlson Wireless Launches $5 Million Crowdfunder.com Equity Crowdfunding Campaign to Raise Money to Deploy TV White Space 802.22 Broadband Wireless Networks

The New FCC-Approved “Super Wi-Fi” TV White Space Radios will make it possible to serve 4 billion people living in 3rd world developing countries, 90% of which do not have access to the Internet

 By Robert Hoskins

Sunnyvale, California – Carlson Wireless Technologies announced a $5 million Crowdfunder.com equity crowdfunding campaign to develop and deploy its a global leader in TV White Space (TVWS) unlicensed broadband wireless technology. At speeds of up 25-Mbps, which is three times faster than current technology, and half the cost, Carlson’s RuralConnect Generation 3 TVWS radios (470 to 698 MHz) will offer a superior broadband wireless solution than is currently available in the marketplace. These white space wireless radios will make it possible to build wireless networks in underserved rural areas where there is a huge pent up demand from millions of customers that currently do not have any form of broadband internet access.

Carlson Wireless Technologies Launches Equity Crowdfunding Campaign on Crowdfunder for RuralConnect TV White Space Radio Gen3

In order to transform its FCC-approved prototype into a mass produced reality for worldwide distribution, Carlson Wireless is offering the private placement memorandum and is currently selling equity shares to raise investment venture capital. 

The equity fundraising will enable completion of both the software and hardware for the new product, as well as provide working capital for the first Generation 3 production run, with an expected release to market before the end of 2015. Carlson Wireless currently has a presence on the equity crowdfunding platforms AngelList and Crowdfunder.

This funding will allow Carlson Wireless to help fuel world-wide Internet connectivity through next generation dynamic spectrum wireless communication systems. By helping the company fund the final stages of this project, investors can be a part of this fundamental economic and social change.  

Globally, there are 4 billion people without access to the Internet, 90% of which are from the developing world. Domestically, millions of Americans in rural areas lack access to broadband connectivity due to current market and technological constraints.

Carlson Wireless developed the FCC Certified RuralConnect as a solution that provides affordable broadband Internet access by transmitting signals over vacant TV frequencies. Using this spectrum, the RuralConnect signal penetrates foliage and travels around hills to provide broadband in rural and remote locations throughout the world that cannot be served by traditional line-of-sight radio technology.

RuralConnect can cover an area up to 20 km in diameter, with the ability to deploy a hotspot using minimal infrastructure. TVWS technology also expands the capability of businesses and governments to extend communications and private networks such as: small cell sites, smart cities, the Internet of Things (M2M), utilities, oil & gas operations, public safety, wireless backhaul, security, video surveillance and more.  Moreover, acceptance of the technology is accelerating worldwide, with regulatory approvals earlier this year in Canada and the U.K.

In the United States, the abandoned television frequencies are primarily in the upper UHF 700-Megahertz band, covering  TV channels 52 to 69 (698 to 806 MHz).  This new spectrum became available as TV broadcasters migrated from analog to digital broadcasting technology.

Digital transmission uses much smaller slices of spectrum and can be packed into adjacent channels, while analog ones cannot. This means that the band can be “compressed” into fewer channels, while still allowing for more transmissions. In addition to white space assigned for technical reasons, there is also unused radio spectrum which has either never been used, or is becoming free as a result of technical changes. 

For more than a decade, Carlson Wireless has designed and developed products to deliver high-speed Internet and wireline-quality voice connectivity to rural communities and businesses with remote operations. Specializing in hard-to-reach regions, Carlson Wireless provides fixed-wireless systems using TV White Space and microwave technology to deliver voice and data connections.

Working with customers, trial participants, and other industry leaders, Carlson Wireless has created a third-generation product that will exhibit the enhanced throughput and superior propagation characteristics required by the market at an attractive price point. The RuralConnect Generation 3 will utilize channel bonding in order to triple Internet connection speeds up to 25 Mbps, reduce latency, and support four times as many users per sector; all under the new IEEE 802.22 standard.

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Crowdtilt Rolls Out Rewards-Based Crowdfunding Site for Canadians to Fund Causes, Experiences and Pre-Purchases

Crowdtilt streamlines the entire crowdfunding process to make it simple, secure, and worry-free for Canadian Tilters

By Robert Hoskins

Toronto, Ontario – Crowdtilt.com announces that the San Francisco-based company is now providing crowdfunding campaign services to Canadians (Canadiens) to help users fund experiences, purchases, and causes with help from their friends, family, and extended networks via rewards-based and perks-based crowdfunding campaigns.

CrowdtiltOpen offers Tilters Rewards-Based Crowdfunding Campaigns in Canada

In the first wave of fundraising campaigns, the local Crowdtilt team has seen Canadians tilt (successfully reach their fundraising goal) campaigns to throw elaborate bachelor and bachelorette parties, buy group-funded birthday gifts, and even help replace the University of Toronto’s broken radio transmitter. Dedicated to making it easy for groups and communities to come together to make amazing things happen, Crowdtilt streamlines the entire process to make it simple, secure, and worry-free.  Using Crowdtilt is easy and campaigns can be set-up in just three simple steps.

“It has always been Crowdtilt’s intent to come to Canada,” explained Tim Ryan, Country Manager at Crowdtilt Canada. “We’re really excited to see what types of experiences and causes Canadians will tilt. In a country like Canada, the opportunities are endless – everything from a cottage weekend with friends to a group outing to a sports event. Not to mention the social and civic applications.”

“Tilters” (as they’re known) start by identifying their campaign and deciding how much they want to raise. Campaign champions get their friends involved, sharing the news of their campaign with their network by tweeting, emailing and posting to Facebook to generate excitement. As funds pour in, those involved get to watch the campaign tilt, at which point everyone’s cards are charged and funds are received via direct deposit. If users raise more than their targeted amount, an even greater purchase or experience can unfold.

“Whether you’re planning an event or looking for the easiest way to split the cost of a purchase or experience, Crowdtilt makes group-funding easier than ever before,” Ryan continued.

To start a Crowdtilt campaign today and discover the best way to pool funds simply and socially, visit Crowdtilt.com.

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iControl Networks Acquires Piper, a Wi-Fi -enabled, Z-Wave Standard All-in-One Home Awareness and Security Management Solution

Piper, the Compact, All-in-One Home Awareness and Management Device Now Enables Live Interaction and Integrated Security Functionality for a Total Home View

By Robert Hoskins

Ottawa, Ontario – iControl Networks, a leader in connected home technology and innovation, announced the availability of two enhancements to the Piper all-in-one home awareness and management device: two-way audio and multi-Piper capability, which provides the ability to support more than one unit and create multiple security zones.

Piper, the Compact, All-in-One Home Awareness and Management Device Now Enables Live Interaction and Integrated Security Functionality for a Total Home View

Piper, the compact, Wi-Fi-enabled, all-in-one home awareness and management device that launched general availability in North America in late January 2014 and was recently acquired by iControl Networks, enables users to seamlessly monitor what’s important in their life from their mobile device, all without service contracts or fees.

With multi-Piper capability, users will be able to create independent security zones using up to five Pipers within their homes. Each Piper operates as an independent sentinel and joins together to form an integrated security network. Seamless Z-Wave integration allows for complete home awareness and automation control. Shared environmental and motion sensor data, camera views and recorded videos provide the ability to track changes and movement through each zone.

Simple to use, two-way audio provides users with the ability to directly interact via Piper app’s camera view with occupants, elderly parents, children and even pets.

“The ability to simply and easily interact with and secure your entire home — not just one room — when you’re away has been a priority of ours since we first developed Piper,” said Russell Ure, creator of Piper and Executive Vice President and GM of iControl’s Canadian business unit. “We’re excited to offer an enhanced experience to our current and future customers.”

Piper has been recognized for its excellence in innovative design and engineering and originally debuted its crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo in August 2013, where it successfully tripled its funding efforts. Allowing users to easily monitor, secure and interact with their homes through Z-Wave home automation accessories, Piper continues to receive support and praise from homeowners, apartment renters, parents, pet owners and design enthusiasts alike.

Piper features include:

• Security – Customize three security modes (home, away and vacation), motion detector and piercing, 105-decibel siren.
• Automation – Integrate Z-Wave accessories into Piper’s security modes, control them remotely, on a schedule, or using environmental data.
• HD Panoramic camera – 180° fisheye lens, electronic pan, tilt, and zoom, 1080p camera sensor.
• Customized alerts – Phone call, text message, email and push notifications to alert users and their trusted circle when security rules are triggered.
• Environmental sensors – Monitor and control home temperature, humidity, ambient light and sound.
• Elegant design – Simple, intuitive app. Compact, two-toned form with brushed metal legs.
• Smart hardware – ARM processor, battery backup, internal memory for video storage, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi.
• Free cloud storage – Cloud infrastructure provides Piper a place to store event videos, send various types of notifications and perform additional login/connection negotiation.
• Android & iOS support – Available on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.
• NEW Two-way audio – Talk directly to occupants through Piper and app on mobile device.

Two-way audio and multi-Piper capability will be available as a free firmware and software update. The Piper House Kit, which comes with three units in either black or white, can be purchased at http://store.getpiper.com for $649 USD. Piper can also be purchased by itself for $239 or bundled with Z-Wave home automation accessories such as smart switches and door/window sensors that allow consumers to control their homes remotely, ranging from $359 to $849 USD.

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Shop for Cool New Gadgets or Perform a Competitive Analysis by Crowdfunding Category at Crowdfundfusion.com

Crowdfundfusion.com, the first site on the Internet that sorts and groups projects from the major crowdfunding sites in one spot

By Robert Hoskins

Cool new site, www.Crowdfundfusion.com, now lets both crowdfunding campaign managers and crowdfunding platforms add their sites to this site’s aggregated crowdfunding shopping and review channels.  Their current database has the largest and most popular crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Rockethub, Fundrazr and Fundly, which have collectively raised more than $1 Billion for successful, fully funded projects, but they are now asking every crowdfunding site to add their platform and crowdfunding campaigns to their database.

Click here to add your crowdfunding platform or click here to add your active crowdfunding campaign to Crowdfundfusion’s database.

CrowdfundFusion allows hobby investors to shop all the major crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, RocketHuba and many more using a single site.

As more and more crowdfunding platforms and portals add their crowdfunding campaigns to aggregated database, hobby investors can sort and start shopping for campaigns to support with their hard earned dollars.  One cool feature is to look up any category’s active market statistics.

So far they have more than a billion dollar’s worth of active projects under their shopping umbrella.  The amount does does not include money that was pledged to successful or failed projects that have reached their crowdfunding campaign completion date.  It is the first time in crowdfunding history one site has more than a billion dollars worth of active crowdfunding campaigns that can be perused in a single place.

CrowdFundFusion Combines All Crowdfunding Projects into One Spot

Crowdfunding is becoming an Internet juggernaut, with total dollars pledged expected to easily reach over $6 Billion in 2014. With that kind of money changing hands the number of crowdfunding sites has exploded, making it impossible for Internet surfers to keep up with the thousands of projects being displayed on different sites.

Co-founders Jonathan Mushey and Lenny Leblanc from Winnipeg, Canada created Crowdfundfusion.com, where projects from the largest and most popular crowdfunding sites can now add their active crowdfunding campaigns to be updated, sorted and combined into categories, sub categories and types to give visitors simple, intuitive ways to browse and compare projects from the different sites side by side.

They also provide buttons that allow readers to sort on Starting, Trending, Ending, Completed and Wow!

CrowdFundFusion then Sorts All Projects into Similar Categories and Sub-Categories

“The Crowdfunding industry is reaching a point where a site like ours is necessary to assist people in wading through the thousands of new projects starting every day,” states co-founder Jonathan Mushey. Co-founder Lenny Leblanc goes further to state “Our site is the Google for Crowdfunding projects.”

CrowdFundFusion then Browse Similar Projects to Find the Ones You Like and Want to Purchase

Crowdfundfusion intends to expand the list of sites whose projects are collected, stored and displayed with several other additions being currently reviewed. Visitors to the site can have some input into the next sites to be added by submitting a site for review or by voting for ones that have already been submitted. Many tools for project creators are also offered, like the opportunity to get their project featured on the home page, tips for planning and executing a successful project and other resources to help creators deliver a quality product.

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