Dear Sword & Plough fans,
It’s been three years since we launched on Kickstarter!
As we turn three, we wanted to take a step back and say thank you. You’re the best fans we could ever ask for, and your support since the day we launched has blown us away.
Thanks to you, we’ve grown a lot in the past three years.
Here are a few of our favorite moments:
1. Launched on Kickstarter: With your help we raised over $312,000 in 30 days, more than 15x our original goal!
2. Product Development and Impact: We’ve gone from a single prototype to fifty unique products! Through your support and our relationships with U.S. based manufacturing partners, we have repurposed over 30,000 pounds of military surplus and shipped over 13,000 products globally!
3. Our CEO, Emily, who is a U.S. active duty Army officer, deployed to Afghanistan, challenging our team to work across four different time zones. In 2015, Emily was one of the first 100 women to volunteer for and subsequently qualify to attend the U.S. Army Ranger Training Assessment Course. Emily and the Sword & Plough team have been featured by Military Times on numerous occasions.
4. White House Visits: In 2013 we were invited to the White House as “Champions of Change,” where we spoke about crowdfunding and social entrepreneurship. Most recently, we returned to the White House to participate in the first ever White House Demo Day hosted by President Obama!
5. We completed our first round of fundraising and our angel investor, Alan Hassenfeld joined the S&P team.
6. We were featured on Good Morning America’s #GirlPower segment and on the Today Show.
7. Over the past three years, Sword & Plough has donated 10% of profits annually to organizations that support veterans. We have also contributed over $14,000 worth of product to veteran fundraising events. Emily and Betsy have really enjoyed sharing our mission and spreading awareness about the military and veteran community through speaking engagements across the country.
8. Business Insider named Sword & Plough one of the Top 20 Most Inspiring Companies of 2014 along-side Starbucks and Patagonia.
9. We participated in the Dell Social Innovation Lab, Harvard Pitch for Change, Mass Challenge, Kairos Society, TOMS Start Something that Matters Fellows program, and Intuit Quickbooks Small Business Big Game Competition.
10. Connecting with all of you - our incredibly supportive and empowering fans, customers and followers. Sword & Plough could never have grown into the brand, company and force for social good that it is today without you! From sharing our stories to sporting our products, you are the backbone of Sword & Plough - THANK YOU!
We look forward to continuing to deliver amazing new products, while providing you with the customer experience and quality that you deserve!
All the best,
