In today's political landscape, it might be an underestimate to say that focusing on economic policies that put "America First" is at the top of the agenda.
But Kim Bryden thinks her new platform might be able to capitalize on that political momentum. With the launch of Cureate Connect, Bryden is rethinking how consumers "shop local." Instead of simply raising awareness around the cause—telling people to support local business, hosting events with local businesses—Bryden is looking for a way for big businesses and institutions to amplify the voices of local, small business through her company's new service, Cureate Connect.
An extension of her current Cureate service that provides resources for local food entrepreneurs, Cureate Connect is an online marketplace that serves as a Match.com for new business and big businesses looking to partner with local producers. Need a caterer for your event? Are you a realtor looking to house a brick-and-mortar shop in your new building? A hotel owner looking to locally supply your room's mini bars? Bryden says Cureate Connect is designed to help.
"I saw from my individual work that people need the opportunity to grow [their small business], and who has that opportunity? The people with the money," Bryden said. "It's a really interesting time because now for people in the big business sphere, all of your users care about the small person."
Small businesses create a profile on the site and fill out a profile like anyone would fill out a dating profile, but, you know, less flirty. They map out what exactly the business is looking for (A new retail space? Wholesale distributors?) and then search through potential projects listed by larger businesses. It's free for local business to sign up, and currently, Cureate Connect caters solely to the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. corridor with about 250 users.
Larger businesses pay about $64 a month to be able to list opportunities for smaller shops and individuals to submit proposals for jobs and other opportunities. Bryden sees clients like City Seeds, a kiosk that carries a range of locally produced pieces, who use the site to find more products for the shop. One of its City Seeds' distributors is Kaiser's South Baltimore location. Hungry Harvest, a Columbia, Md.-based startup that received $100,000 from its 2016 "Shark Tank" appearance, also uses Cureate Connect.
Each user type also has the option of signing up for a premium account where the price varies based on the customizable services Bryden's team is able to offer, such as marketing assistance.
"I don't see this going away. People starting small businesses isn't going away any time soon," Bryden said.
An American University grad, Bryden is well-versed in food entrepreneurship. Before launching Cureate in August 2014, and Cureate Connect a few weeks ago, Bryden worked in the D.C. government and then opened the Whole Foods location in Foggy Bottom. Most recently, she was a part of national partnerships and events for the startup Kitchensurfing, which sends a professional chef to your home once a week for you and your family
Although she's not looking to expand into new markets immediately, Bryden says Philadelphia and Richmond are definitely on the short-list of possible cities.
Bryden sees Cureate Connect as a democratizing opportunity. "It's now somewhat of a leveled playing field for people to competitively bid, and based on that economic growth outcomes, we can consider a few of the other resources around knowing what this growing economy looks like. That piece is something we're actively looking at."
Learn more about how the platform works here:
Images and videos courtesy of Cureate Connect
