Jacksonville crowdfunding event One Spark has been shortened from a week-long event to two days. On Monday, officials announced that this year’s One Spark event will be April 6 and 7. This announcement comes after months of speculation about the fate of One Spark, after numerous changes within the organization.
The first day is Wednesday, April 6, from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. This is a combination of Downtown’s monthly Art Walk with a one-day One Spark Creator Showcase that organizations are calling “Spark Walk.” The public event will span 15 blocks, starting at Laura and Adams Streets and ending the Jacksonville Landing.
Spark Walk will also feature two music stages for local artists and food truck vendors. Up to 120 Creators will be selected to participate in the Creator Showcase and have the chance to network and receive consumer feedback.
“Spark Walk comes out of the Downtown community’s desire to keep this energy going and is a way to celebrate the innovation of our artist and entrepreneurs,” said Downtown Vision, Inc. CEO Jake Gordon
The following day will be Creator Innovation Day, is a private event taking place at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront. The day-long event will be focused on pre-selected Creators and give them an opportunity to present ideas in front of capital and angel investors at a private event called Spark Tank. The event will also include keynote addresses, expert presentations and entrepreneur insights.
One Spark Chairman Peter Rummell says the new format actually gives creators more opportunities to connect with funding throughout the year. He said, "One Spark is still going to be a party. It’s still going to be an event for downtown Jacksonville, and we’re adding to that a whole series of creator events. And we think that the combination of the two will take us to this next level.”
All creators interested in participating in Spark Walk must register at OneSpark.com no later than February 29. Any creators who previously applied for One Spark are required to reapply as well.
