WomenVenture loan client, Stacey Schneider, is the owner of NewMom, Inc. and inventor of the Downspout Safety Cap
When Stacey Schneider’s eldest son was 5, he cut his foot on the sharp edge of their rain gutter while playing outside. After a trip to the hospital and a set of stitches for her son, the idea for making household gutters safer was born. In 2010, Stacey built a prototype for a plastic gutter cap that would protect her other children from also getting hurt. “It was a solution to a problem that everyone has,” says Stacey. After taking her prototype to a local plastics manufacturer who agreed to make the product, she launched Downspout Safety Caps in 2011 under the brand name of NewMom, Inc. (a previous business she owned).
In 2015, Stacey wanted to create a larger-sized gutter cap to meet the demands of customers with new construction homes. It was then that she reached out to WomenVenture for a loan. “The loan process was easy and helpful,” she states. “They were really on top of everything.” The draw of additional post-loan support solidified Stacey’s decision in choosing WomenVenture over a traditional bank.
Through WomenVenture, Stacey also received marketing and website help that has allowed her to grow her sales through Amazon and given her the ability to edit her website on her own. Her goal is to continue working with WomenVenture to transition her sales from Amazon to a platform on her own website which will allow her more control over her online sales. “The difference was the additional support. You can’t find the help I received at a bank,” reiterates Stacey.
