The event looks primed to completely take over downtown Jacksonville – 43 buildings and sites are listed on the website as “official” One Spark venues. These venues serve as showrooms for project creators, bringing thousands of people through their doors.
The event promises to offer more prize money than last year, as well as a new creator category (innovation), and observers from international markets. One Spark aims to match projects with the resources they need to help support their ideas. All projects will fall into the categories of either art, music, innovation, science or technology.
The festival presents an exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas. According to the site, One Sparks offers: “a chance to access $310,000 in crowdfunds and cash awards, millions of dollars in capital investments and direct contributions from more than 150,000 attendees and backers around the globe”.
Elton Rivas, co-founder of One Spark, sees instant market validation as one of the key benefits to crowdfunding: “The faster you can validate whether you are doing something right or wrong, the less resources you have to get, the less money you have to spend, the better execution you’re going to have”.
The event’s principle financier, Peter Rummell, envisages One Spark festivals springing up across the globe in the future, emulating the success it has found in Jacksonville. Organizers have already entered early-stage discussions with people from cities like Santiago, Chile, Seoul and San Diego – all interested in hosting their own versions of One Spark.
The event will run from April 9th - 13th of next year, with organizers expecting to attract 150,000 people.
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