The Level Market: World's First 'Amazon for Aid' Opens for Business
A one-stop-shop to cut costs and speed response to those in crisis
GOLDEN, Colo., June 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With lives at stake following disasters and crisis situations, the critical process of aid purchasing receives a boost with the opening of the first online marketplace for humanitarian products. The once difficult nature of finding, pricing, locating and purchasing life-saving products such as tents, solar lights and chargers, food, water filters and more, is now made easy on The Level Market (TLM), an e-commerce platform for the aid universe.
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"With 60 million displaced people, and critical supplies still lacking after disasters in places including Haiti and Nepal, our team at TLM knew we needed to act now to introduce an open, transparent marketplace to streamline the current antiquated systems," said Stephanie Cox, founder of TLM. "On #WorldRefugeeDay, we introduce a platform that connects humanitarian buyers and suppliers to speed life-saving supplies to those in suffering. Our aim is to make buying a water filter for a child in Ethiopia as easy as buying a book on Amazon."
The Level Market is a transactional website that lists products across eight categories from medical to cooking supplies, and targets global aid organizations from government entities to nonprofits and foundations. Upwards of $100 billion is spent each year by organizations responding to disasters (344 per year), crisis situations (e.g. 60 million refugees), and poverty alleviation (three billion live on less than $2.50 per day). An integral feature of the site is a custom quotation function that accounts for the needs of aid procurement officials. The patent-pending system has already processed requests for solar chargers, water filters, solar lights and tents. TLM accounts for the myriad needs of aid buyers, and can provide samples, quantity packs of products, as well as volume purchases.
"Whole Planet Foundation has recommended TLM to all of our microfinance partners in 70 countries who have an interest in providing these unique products to their borrowers," said Philip Sansone, CEO at Whole Planet Foundation. "We know of no other service that offers this selection of products."
The Level Market launched with widespread support from every corner of the aid world; and with 110+ product listings from 40 suppliers including NRS, Del Agua, d.light, and LuminAID. With sales channels virtually nonexistent for many suppliers, TLM is a long-overdue platform to help them reach hard-to-find aid buyers.
"TLM is next-gen thinking in an archaic industry," said Flynn Bucy, director of global partnerships at Envirofit. "An open, centralized platform that connects us with aid buyers will open new sales channels to speed transformative products to where they're needed most."
About: The Level Market is the world's first online transactional marketplace dedicated to the $100 billion aid product industry.
Contact: Cheryl Gordon, Email. (303) 882-5077.
SOURCE The Level Market
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