Last year, AppSumo participated in Giving Tuesday by matching contributions up to $10,000. In 2021, the company upped the ante by $15,000 and extended matching donations until the end of the week.
“I’m really glad we’re doing it as a company,” said Noah Kagan, CEO of AppSumo. “The idea came from our team. They wanted to help more local entrepreneurs. I love seeing that, and I want to see more of it. A lot of the people at our company are entrepreneurs themselves.”
AppSumo is a website that sells digital products, such as software, to entrepreneurs and founders launching online businesses.
“Our job is to educate and provide help to anyone who’s looking to start an online business,” Kagan told Dallas Express. “There are different groups of people that probably need a little bit more help, and I’m trying to just help anyone who is wanting to help themselves. So, if they need to learn, we put out a lot of content on YouTube and on our site as well as promotional tools that help people do it themselves.”
AppSumo launched this year’s Giving Tuesday by vowing to match every dollar that’s contributed up to $15,000 to Future Front Texas, PeopleFund, and Swan Impact Network until 5 pm CST on Friday, December 3.
“We want to do something for people who need help and want to start businesses, and these groups that we are choosing to donate to are doing that,” Kagan said in an interview. “I’m really proud of our team taking the initiative. We have more than enough, and most people have more than enough. So, if you have more than enough, look and see where you can do your best to help others get more for themselves.”
Future Front Texas, PeopleFund, and Swan Impact Network are nonprofits that support underrepresented founders of startups and small businesses statewide with grants.
According to Kagan, by partnering with these nonprofits and Amplify Austin, AppSumo hopes to provide entrepreneurs and those who want to be entrepreneurs with additional support, education, and community resources.
“We want anyone to be able to start and grow their dream business today,” he said.
Future Front Texas, which hosts meet-ups for women and LGBTQ founders, produces The Front Market and Festival annually.
PeopleFund, which offers small business loans, expert assistance, and education to individuals with otherwise limited access, launched its Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Small Business Accelerator in October.
Swan Impact Network, an angel network with chapters in Austin and Dallas, supports social and environmental impact startups. Half of Swan’s investments support underrepresented founders, such as women and people of color.
“We’re all about helping anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur as a side hustle or their main thing,” Kagan added. “These organizations are funding a lot of cool local businesses for people starting, out, and so anything around that we are very excited to support.”