After days of chatter and a well-received video debut in chapel on Tuesday, every Lipscomb University student knows the up-and-coming company’s name: Ed Pack Global.
Created by a group of Lipscomb business students, Ed Pack Global sells original backpacks and partners with Thistle Farms and Mi Esparanza to enable women to be educated, employed and empowered.
The idea for Ed Pack Global first began as a vague business concept in the mind of CEO Luke Benda. As the idea grew and a team began to form, it became a vision, and it became an official limited liability company (LLC) in October of 2015.
As they began to explore what their mission was and what they wanted their company’s purpose to be, Benda said right off the bat the team knew they wanted to use their business for good and to make a difference.
The CEO had recently been inspired by Bob Goff’s book Love Does, and, together with his team, that inspiration grew.
“We started digging into that — how can we help?” Benda said. “What would be the most effective use of our money?”
After much conversation and collaboration, it was clear that they felt a call and connection to educating women around the world. Benda shared that 70 percent of people in poverty are women, and the Ed Pack Global team felt that they could do something about it.
The team — made up of five members including Luke Benda, Macy Cottrell, Kayla Ford, Ansley Waller and Meg Stafford — had a Kickstarter party on January 16 at The Well Coffeehouse to promote their company and share their video before they launched the next day.
They had a goal to raise $10,000 to start, leading up to a higher goal. To their surprise, they raised the $10,000 in the first three hours after their launch. They are now on the Kickstarter favorites list.
Ed Pack Global’s products are currently sold exclusively through pre-orders online on its website. However, the team does have plans to place an order soon and also attend the Atlanta Fashion Show to do some retailing.
If you’re interested in supporting Ed Pack Global and learning more about its cause, visit its website or support the company on Kickstarter.