JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Several new changes are coming to the downtown crowd-funding festival One Spark.
Organizers announced Wednesday that a new partnership between the Jax Chamber and Florida Coastal School of Law will help to reduce costs and hopefully allow more people to participate in the annual event.
Al Emerick, director of One Spark Creator Academy, said the new partnership is exciting.
“Bring them all together in a community in diverse so that you can share their ideas, give validation, promotion and most importantly raise the crowd funds,” Emerick said.
The One Spark Creator Academy offers innovators and entrepreneurs the tools they need to succeed and capitalize.
The partnership announced means tens of thousands of dollars that will lower the cost of classes to about $20 per class.
Classes will touch on topics like market validation, marketing, crowdfunding, and public relations. People can start signing up for courses in January.
“Whatever their goals are and where they try to take their project, they are prepared so they can leave One Spark ready for that next phase,” Emerick said.
It's a win for the Florida Coastal School of Law as well. Students will be able to use their legal education before they graduate.
Kathy Hartland, director of business law clinic at FCSL, says students will get hands on training, thanks to the partnership.
“They're actually helping the creators in One Spark with some of their legal issues that come up. The creators can get advice from our students,” Hartland said.
Another change could be coming to One Spark as well with more alcohol.
A new bill is being considered that would make the One Spark area an open-container zone.
If the bill passes, people at the event would be free to walk around with alcohol during the festival.
The next One Spark festival is April 7-9 in downtown Jacksonville. This will be the first time it is fully crowdfunded, and people will be able to speak with innovators and see what they're proposing.
WJAX
