One Spark facts for kids

Quick facts for kids One Spark
Genre	Crowdfunding
Dates	April 6–7, 2016
Frequency	Annual
Location(s)	Jacksonville, Florida
Years active	12
Inaugurated	2013
Founders	Elton Rivas, Dennis Eusebio, Varick Rosete
Most recent	2018 (2018)
Attendance	320,000 (2015)
Organized by	One Spark, Inc.

One Spark was a yearly festival held in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida. It was a special event where people with creative ideas, called "creators," could show off their projects. These projects could be about art, new inventions, music, science, helping others, or technology.

The cool part was that visitors to the festival could help these creators by giving them money. This is called crowdfunding, which means a lot of people each give a little bit of money to support a project. One Spark also offered chances for bigger investors to put money into projects. Plus, there were speakers, music, and other fun entertainment. The first One Spark festival happened in 2013.

How One Spark Started

The Big Idea

One Spark began in 2011 thanks to three young people from Jacksonville: Elton Rivas, Dennis Eusebio, and Varick Rosete. They were involved in starting new businesses in the city. Elton Rivas was inspired by a book about building strong communities for new companies. He wanted to help Jacksonville's creative and business scene grow.

The organizers imagined a festival like ArtPrize or South by Southwest. It would be a place where inventors, business owners, and artists could show their ideas. Festival visitors would then vote on which projects they liked best. The projects with the most votes would get prize money.

Getting Ready

The idea for One Spark grew quickly. By August 2012, they had raised $300,000 from private donations. This allowed them to hire a team to plan the event. By October, they had found sponsors for $250,000 in prize money. They also raised $90,000 through Kickstarter, a popular crowdfunding website. A big supporter was Peter Rummell, who gave $750,000 to the project.

One Spark Events Over the Years

One Spark 2013

The very first One Spark festival took place from April 17 to 21, 2013. About 900 "creators" showed their work in different places across Downtown Jacksonville. Around 130,000 people visited the festival over five days. Visitors cast over 53,000 votes, helping to share $250,000 among the creators. The festival also had stages for music, food, and drink areas.

One Spark 2014

The second One Spark event was held from April 9 to 13, 2014. This year, even more people came, with about 260,000 visitors. There were 610 creators, and 120,493 votes were cast. The prize money increased to $310,000. Also, a group of investors, including Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, offered up to $3.25 million for private investments in projects.

One Spark Berlin

In 2014, the One Spark team also held a smaller event called One Spark START: Berlin. It happened on September 12 and 13 in Berlin, Germany. This event was different from the Jacksonville festival. It was held in one main location, not spread out across the city.

One Spark 2015

The third One Spark festival was from April 7 to 12, 2015, in downtown Jacksonville. This year had the most visitors ever, with over 320,000 people attending. One Spark said it was the biggest crowdfunding event in the world at that time.

One Spark 2016

For 2016, One Spark changed a bit. It was held on April 6 and 7 and was shorter, lasting only two days. The prize money was also reduced. The street festival part of One Spark joined with Downtown Jacksonville's monthly Art Walk. This combined event was called "Spark Walk." The second day, April 7, was "One Spark Innovation Day." It had speakers and a "Spark Tank" event where judges ranked projects. About 70,000 people attended Spark Walk.

One Spark 2017

The 2017 festival was planned for October 6 and 7 at EverBank Field. A concert was also planned for October 5. However, due to Hurricane Irma and the clean-up needed afterward, the event was postponed. This meant 2017 was the first year since it started that One Spark did not happen.

One Spark 2018

One Spark announced that the festival would return in 2018. It was scheduled for April 6 and 7.

How One Spark Worked

One Spark was a multi-day event where creators, artists, and innovators showed their projects. It aimed to connect people with great ideas to the help they needed to make those ideas real. It was all about building a community that supported new creations.

One Spark was open to everyone, no matter how far along their project was. The idea was that amazing creations could come from anywhere, like garages or dorm rooms. The only thing stopping them from becoming big was often money and resources.

In the early years (2013-2015), the places hosting the projects chose which creators to feature. Then, visitors decided who got funding by voting. Showing your project at One Spark could lead to thousands of dollars in crowdfunding, possible investments, and direct donations from visitors. Later, for One Spark 2015, a special committee of experts, sponsors, and investors also helped choose creators.

The festival was a great way for creators to show their ideas to thousands of people. They could get feedback and see if their ideas were popular. As a visitor, you got to see new inventions and help make them happen by voting for your favorite projects.

Prizes and Funding

Besides direct donations from visitors, One Spark also gave extra prize money. This included a main crowdfund, special prizes chosen by judges, and chances for direct investments.

Creators could raise money in a few ways:

1. By getting votes from visitors. The more votes a project got, the bigger share of the main crowdfund it received.
2. Visitors could give money directly to projects.
3. Experts judged projects and gave extra prize money to innovative ideas in each category. Top projects also got bonus prizes.
4. Investors at the festival looked for new opportunities and could invest millions in promising projects.

Creator Projects

The heart of One Spark was the creator projects. These were ideas in art, innovation, music, science, and technology that people turned into projects to show at the festival. A project was a clear plan or design that would eventually be finished and produce something new.

Pitch Decks

Pitch Decks were special stages where creators could quickly explain their projects to a large audience. This helped them promote their ideas and get more support.

Fun at the Festival

One Spark also had lots of entertainment throughout the day and into the night. There were "Food Villages" with tasty treats from local chefs and food trucks. A "Beer Village" offered locally made drinks for adults.

One Spark After Dark

After the main festival, creators and visitors could meet up and have fun at local pubs, bars, and special VIP lounges. There were parties and live entertainment all around.

For Kids

One Spark was designed for everyone, including families. Kids could experience new ideas firsthand and enjoy special activities just for them.

Speakers at One Spark

Speakers Series 2014

In 2014, One Spark featured speakers who were pioneers and visionaries with big ideas. These speakers shared their knowledge about design, starting businesses, and innovation. Some speakers included Scott Stratten, a social marketing expert, and James White, an artist and designer.

Speakers Series 2016

The second day of One Spark 2016 focused on helping creators develop their ideas and learn about getting investments. These talks were held at the Hyatt Regency.

How Many People Attended?