NEW YORK/PRNewswire/ -- TruFund Financial Services, Inc. (TruFund), a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides education and technical assistance services, as well as funding and opportunities, to underserved business communities, is pleased to announce the success of its TA Initiative for Key Growth Industries funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA).
TruFund identified early stage firms to support, with the goal of providing tools to augment their growth and enabling them to develop their products or technologies, access venture capital and other investors, and create regional jobs.
Agora is a tech startup that allows users to link services such as Dropbox, Google Drive and Box into one platform. Agora has a strong tech team and great legal support, but needed help marketing its product. TruFund connected Agora with social media and branding experts to create a targeted Search Engine Optimization plan and general marketing plan.
dMASS is a web tool that brings together entrepreneurs in the sustainability sector, venture capitalists and corporate supply chain specialists to improve the efficiency of manufacturing processes, use resources more responsibly and foster better care for the environment. TruFund introduced the company to marketing and public relations experts to transform their website into a hub for entrepreneurs to share ideas and connect with each other.
Pagevamp is a website builder that allows any business with a Facebook Fan Page to quickly establish an online presence by harnessing Facebook content and translating it onto a fully customizable website. TruFund provided Pagevamp with access to legal services to improve their agreements and policies, and connected the company with marketing experts who sharpened its strategy to recruit more small business users. Pagevamp's participation in the initiative has already enabled the business to grow from three employees in 2013 to eight full-time professionals today.
Thunderclap is a "crowdspeaking" platform that lets social media users spread a message about a social cause or product brand. Using Thunderclap, Twitter & Facebook users can amplify the visibility of a message or idea. TruFund connected the organization with experts in sales and marketing, as well as business strategists and accounting professionals, to realize the startup's profit potential. Thunderclap has since been able to add a full-time employee to help run its operations.
SOURCE TruFund Financial Services, Inc.