Interview With Mark Cuban Backed Techstars Grad Condition One VIDEO

Condition One, New York startup, Mark Cuban, Eureka Park, CES 2013, startup interviewCondition One is a New York Techstars graduate that closed a $2.35 million dollar round back in October, led by Mark Cuban.

Academy award nominated photographer and videographer [Danfung Dennis]has seen his work in Newsweek and the New York Times. He’s been hailed for shooting some of the best war footage ever seen. That’s in part because Dennis has found a new way to capture more of what we see in video.

Humans actually see a wide range of things in their peripheral vision and then adjust based on what’s interesting in their range of vision. Video isn’t that way. Video can actually see what’s shot straight on, but then, because of the way us humans see, it doesn’t feel as natural.

Dennis has created Condition One to capture and share things that typical video misses and includes a 180 field of vision.  Condition One is software that takes that warped 180 degree footage shot with a fisheye lens and then translates it back into a clear flat image that we see. It’s somewhat like the Lytro that lets you shoot out of focus photos now and focuses them in later.

Even with Shark Tank, people know that Mark Cuban isn’t typically an investor at seed stages of the game. However, in addition to the Maverick’s Cuban’s other large business is HDTV which was just rebranded as AXS TV. This is where Condition One makes a lot of sense. Cuban’s AXS TV is known for it’s live concerts and events. Condition One’s technology is perfect for capturing events and putting them into a better viewing perspective.

Nibletz co-founder Nick Tippmann got to interview Condition One at Eureka Park as part of CES 2013 last month in Las Vegas.

Startups from New York and around the country are exhibiting at the largest startup conference in the US, everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference

One Week Away From The Biggest Startup Conference In The U.S. Everywhereelse.co

everywhereelse.co the startup conference, startups, startup conference, startup eventEverywhereelse.co has taken the world and the country by storm. This three day startup conference, is being held at the Memphis Cook Convention Center next week and has been hailed by Forbes Magazine as a “must attend” startup conference for entrepreneurs.

Next Sunday entrepreneurs from across the country and around the world along with investors, founders, designers and more will converge on Memphis Tennessee at everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference!

The lineup includes; Scott Case (Founding CTO Priceline.com), Bill Harris (Former CEO of Paypal & Intuit now CEO of Personal Capita), Ingrid Vanderveldt, (Dell’s EIR), Brant Cooper and Patrick Vlaskovits (co-authors Lean Entrepreneur), Rohit Bhangharva (author Likeanomics) and many more.

There are nearly 100 startups from across the country and around the world in our Startup Village.

Over 2000 attendees have registered for the conference which dictated a move to the Memphis Cook Convention Center. Thanks to the move we still have a few tickets, and a few startup village booth spaces left.  Not only that but you can join us all Sunday evening as the Memphis Grizzlies take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

We look forward to seeing you at this epic conference.

 

Damien Echols To Shed A Different Light On Technology at Everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference

Damien Echols, Everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference, Memphis, West Memphis Three

Damien Echols author of “Life After Death” (photo: chicagomag.com)

Today the Memphis newspapers picked up on the story that New York Times best selling author, Damien Echols would be speaking at everywhereelse.co the startup conference. For those of you not familiar, he was one of three teenage boys arrested and eventually convicted of the brutal murder of three 8 year old boys in West Memphis Arkansas in the early 90’s. Echols, along with Jessee Misskelly and Jason Baldwin were eventually coined The West Memphis Three.

Baldwin and Misskelly were sentenced to life in prison while Echols was sentenced to the death penalty. Their case, imprisonment and trial spawned three HBO documentaries called “Paradise Lost” and eventually a more up to date documentary called “West Of Memphis” directed by Hobbit director Peter Jackson.

The attention brought on by the first Paradise movie sparked an interest in the case by several celebrities including Eddie Vedder the frontman for Pearl Jam, Johnny Depp, Dave Navarro of Nirvanna, The Dixie Chicks, Peter Jackson his wife Fran Walsh and many others.

Through fundraising, spreading the word and sparking a movement the West Memphis Three was eventually set free from Prison in 2011 after agreeing to an Alford’s Plea. Several celebrities were on hand, including Vedder who Echols considers a close friend, when they were released.

So why in the world would Echols come to a startup conference?

Echols is now a best selling author, movie producer and even helped out on the set of the current Hobbit movie. That’s not why though. Over the past five or so years there have been some discussions, as well as written pieces, to the effect of what would happen if you were frozen in time or if you had missed the last 20 years of technology. The same period of time that the boys were in prison, and Echols on death row, is often credited as the fastest growing time in technology.

Think about tech in the early 90’s. Beepers were for doctors and drug dealers, and mobile phones were either in bags, mounted to the car or too big for your pocket. Video games were just barely 16bit and some of the entrepreneurs who’ve created some of the biggest startups in the world were barely in pre-school.

Echols spent his entire prison sentence on death row which meant no tv, no day room, and certainly no access to technology. Several reports came out after his release from prison that included his first experience with a touch screen buttonless iPhone. What it was like to receive a first text message and how nobody at restaurants talks to each other any more they all sit and stare at their phones and text.

Googling Echols in recent day will reveal that he’s in no way short of any speaking engagements, in fact in arranging our fireside chat with him and Commercial Appeal writer James Dowd, it was said how interested Echols was in an engagement that talked about technology, culture and the way things have changed in 20 years.

Now nearly two years after his release Echols has traveled the world, even to New Zealand and around the country talking to people about his book and his life. He is a regular on Twitter and can provide a look at technology that some of us take for granted. This is the first time Echols has made an appearance like this in Memphis since his release.

See this unique Fireside chat at everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference

Lean Entrepreneur Authors Brant Cooper & Patrick Vlaskovits Join Everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference

Lean Entrepreneur, Brant Cooper, Patrick Vlaskovits, everywhereelse.co The Startup ConferenceBut wait there’s more…

Earlier this morning we announced some very exciting news that Dell and their Entrepreneur In Residence, Ingrid Vandervelt, have joined everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference. Dell will be offering office hour consultations, startup and entrepreneurship advice and more both onstage and in the Dell Lounge at the conference.

Now we’re pleased to announce that Brant Cooper and Patrick Vlaskovits the authors of The Lean Entrepreneur will not only be speaking at the conference but they’ll be offering their Lean Entrepreneur’s workshop.

Learn from Cooper and Vlaskovits’ best practices that they report on in their book, live in person. The two hour workshop will be held on site mid day Tuesday afternoon and is free to attendees on a first come first serve basis. Cooper and Vlaskovits will be giving away copies of their bible, we mean book, during the workshop.

Attendees who come to the workshop will come away with valuable lessons in tackling market uncertainty, and discovering where you sit in the innovation spectrum. They’ll also walk away with understanding value stream and what waste looks like in a lean startup, as well as the anti-segment the people you don’t need to be listening to.

Also on Tuesday Cooprt and Vlaskovits will speak to the entire group giving an abbreviated lesson in all things Lean Entrepreneur. In addition to The Lean Entrepreneur Cooper and Vlaskovits also co-authored The Entrepreneurs Guide to Customer Development.

A limited number of tickets and 2 startup booths are still available for everywhereelse.co for more info on the conference visit this link, for tickets use the tool below.

 

 

Jhoombox A Set Top Box That Sings!

Jhoombox, DC startup,startup interview, CES 2013, Eureka ParkWashington DC startup Jhoombox has made the Android based set top box a lot more fun.  In addition to doing the things that most set top boxes do, like provide access to Netflix, Hulu and a slew of other web based services, Jhoombox has a full featured Karaoke system as well.

Jhoombox’s combination of hardware and software is like a Pandora for karaoke.  Some of the features include the ability to record your karaoke sessions and quickly upload them to YouTube. You can also collaborate with other Jhoombox users on the net and sing duets and group songs over the internet.

They came up with the idea because people love to do karaoke and a set top box is a way to bring all the content to one centralized location. Karaoke singers now have a library of hundreds of thousands of karaoke songs at their fingertips.

The company has been working on Jhoombox for the last year and held a private beta in the fall of 2012. They plan on launching to the public, first with a Kickstarter campaign in the spring of this year.

Jhoombox is fun and innovative and you can find out more at jhoombox.com

See several great startups from Washington DC including Speek at everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference

Dell And Their Entrepreneur In Residence Ingrid Vanderveldt Join Everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference

Austin is no stranger to startups and innovation. Neither is Dell. While some may consider Dell just a hardware company, in the 1990’s they broke record after record with their trusted, reliable mail order computer business.

One thing that makes Dell a unique company is that the company, along with their CEO Michael Dell isn’t afraid of iteration, trying new things and moving on. That’s one thing that has made Dell successful time and time again.

Dell has an entire team dedicated to entrepreneurship, startups and innovation. The team is led, in part by Ingrid Vanderveldt the company’s entrepreneur in residence. Vandervelt is a respected serial entrepreneur, who lives by a mantra she calls the “triple bottom line of people, planet and profits”.

Vanderveldt is working on a new venture while simultaneously serving as Dell’s Entrepreneur in Residence. She is also keeping up with her current companies Green Girl Energy and the GLASS Forum (Global Leadership & Sustainable Success).

Ingrid Vandervelt, Dell, Austin, startup,everywhereelse.co the startup conference

(photo: dell.com)

Back in June Vanderveldt came up with the idea for the Dell $100 million dollar Innovator’s Financing Fund. Vandervelt and the EIR board at Dell oversee the disbursement of the fund that’s helping startups in a variety of spaces.  The fund’s first startup was Current Motor, a Michigan startup that is developing electric powered scooters.

Current Motors is using the financing from Dell along with Dell’s mentorship and other resources to create an e-commerce platform for their scooter business that can operate entirely on a mobile device the way shared biking apps and apps like ZipCar work today.

Dell will be on site throughout the entire conference. Representatives from their innovation team will be around to talk to entrepreneurs, founders and even investors about innovation and starting up. Members of their team will also hold office hours in the Dell Lounge which will be adjacent to the Startup Village. In the Dell lounge  attendees will be able to hear more about Dell and their commitment to entrepreneurship, relax and get some work done.

Tuesday February 12th will open with a keynote from Vanderveldt, a highly sought after speaker in the startup and entrepreneurial world. She will talk about Dell’s commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship, her own journey in entrepreneurship which started in the 90’s and about being a woman entrepreneur. Her discussion will lead into, what’s looking to be one of our most popular panels, Kick Ass Female Founders from Everywhere Else.

Need a ticket or a startup village booth for the conference use the tool below. For more info on the conference click here

 

Bonfyre: The Official App For Everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference

Bonfyre, St. Louis startup, everywhereelse.co the startup conference, appWith everywhereelse.co the startup conference a little over a week away we want to make sure that everyone knows what app to use to keep up with all the action at the biggest startup conference in the U.S., whether you’re at home or at the event.

Bonfyre is the official app for everywhereelse.co the startup conference. Download the app today from the iTunes app store then join the Bonfyre for everywhereelse.co. You’ll be able to keep up with the schedule, panels, speakers, startup village and everything happening in Grind City February 10th-12th.

Bonfyre debuted their most recent version of their app at DEMO in Silicon Valley last fall. They also partnered with the Powder Keg conference in Indianapolis.

Just as they did with PowderKeg, Bonfyre will allow entrepreneurs, startup founders, investors, panelists, and startup support to keep up with all the conference go-ers in the event’s own channel.

Nibletz has been reporting on Bonfyre since last year. They’ve raised $750,000 dollars so far led by the St. Louis Arch Angels and Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Square, who sits on Bonfyre’s board. To date, the St. Louis startup has partnered with the NFL’s St. Louis Rams for three games.

Not only that but one lucky person that downloads and registers for Bonfyre for the conference will walk away from Memphis with a brand new iPad Mini (16gb wifi only). It’s that easy.

Check out Bonfyre for everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference here

If you don’t have your tickets for everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference we don’t know what you’re waiting for, luckily it’s not too late.

 

Jacksonville Startup Weekend Entrepreneur Has Domain Name Ripped Off

Pinstitute,Startup Weekend,Jacksonville,Tampa,Banyan,startup newsJacksonville just recently held a Startup Weekend event. The event, like most Startup Weekends, brought hordes of entrepreneurs, hackers, developers and designers together under one roof to build companies over a 54 hour period.

Jennifer Chapman, was one of those entrepreneurs.

She had an idea called “Pinstitute” an online education platform taking the concepts behind sites like Skillshare and applying them to Pinterest. Basically, a platform to buy and sell online classes to make the cool stuff you see on Pinterest.

“I’m relieved, I’m excited, I’m a little anxious that I’m about to take on this amazing new venture,” Chapman said after her first-place win reports the Jacksonville Business Journal. “This is amazing, it’s been an awesome experience.”

Co-founder of Banyan, and new Chattanooga resident, Toni Gemayel, was one of the judges for the Jacksonville event, giving some great advice to Chapman, “Don’t let anyone leave here with your idea”.

Unfortunately that’s what somebody did. Chapman couldn’t afford the $3800 for the premium Pinstitute domain name, and by the end of Startup Weekend, someone at the event had shelled out the money for it, someone not on her team.

“That was disappointing to hear that somebody would do that,” said Todd Smith, one of the event’s five judges. “At the end of the day, it’s the person with the vision and the execution who is the real entrepreneur.”

In the end it looks like Chapman will move forward with the idea, perhaps under a different domain. File this one under total douchebag.

Holografyx A New Way To Display For Brands And Marketers

A few weeks back when we were at CES 2013 we saw a nifty new startup from Canada called Holografyx.

Earlier this month we brought you an interview we did with Russian startup Displair. Their technology created a multi touch display in thin air, which could be the wave of the future.

Holografyx is also doing something cool with display. They’ve created a way to holographically super impose text and other graphics on top of wares that are being displayed in a show case. Towards the end of the video you can see exactly what I mean.  While it’s definitely not as earth shattering as Displair the technology provides yet another way for marketers to show off to customers.

They also have an interesting franchise model to push their “360 cube” show case system to market.

Check out the video below. For more info visit holografyx.com

Best Of Everywhereelse Startup Video Contest Is Live

everywhereelse.co, startup,startup contestIn just under 2 weeks nearly 100 startups will be in the Startup Village at “everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference” the event takes place in Memphis Tennessee at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. There are actually three startup booths still available!

The startups in the village are competing for a cash prize of $10,000 and other startup related prizes, and to be crowned the best startup “everywhere else”.  Startups in the village have until Friday to submit their video link via dropbox or box.com to video@everywhereelse.co however they will lose time in the voting process which starts right now.

Go to the official everywhereelse.co YouTube Channel and from there feel free to watch all the videos and decide which one you think is best. By liking that video you’ll be giving that startup your vote.

Next Friday, February 8,2013 the voting will end at 11:59pm central time. The comments/likes will be closed on all of the videos. From there, the top 5 startups by “You Tube” likes, will pitch off on Monday at the conference in front of thousands. Through an audience vote we will crown one of them the best of “everywhere else”.

Click here to go to the YouTube Channel and Let the Voting Begin!

YOLO: You Only Launch Once With Speek Co-Founder Danny Boice At Everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference

Danny Boice, Speek, DC startup,startups, everywhereelse.co the startup conferenceTo launch or not to launch, that’s a tough question facing startup founders everywhere. Some startup founders prescribe to the lean methodology, push out a minimum viable product and iterate until it’s right. Others prefer to take all the time they need and handle iteration internally until they have the product they feel is ready for consumers.  No matter what method you choose you only launch once.

That’s the basis for the talk that Danny Boice, co-founder of Washington DC startup Speek, will speak about on Monday February 11th at everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference.

Boice is the CTO at Speek, which is the easiest conference calling platform we’ve ever used here at nibletz (and we’ve tried many). There are no bridges to remember, no needing to have your cell phone and a pad and paper to write down a long pin number, and no frantically dialing back when you get cut off.

To execute a call using Speek’s platform you just sign up for an account and click the link.

Speek is an easy product to use with a nice and easy to understand UI. They also have a cute mascott to boot.

As for Boice he founded a startup called Jaxara that was acquired in 2006. He attended Harvard, and he’s a former exec at The College Board.  Speek’s other co-founder is John Bracken who originally founded E-vite.

Speek is an incredibly competitive space, even as such, they are constantly creating buzz, interacting with people and speaking about Speek. There almost grass roots marketing strategy is both effective and deliberate.  If you’re even the least bit over 20 than you probably remember in great detail how e-vite was the platform for events, before eventbrite and before Facebook events.

Boice has a great background and a great story. He’s also one of many successful startup founders that’s a true believer in the “everywhere else” concept, and the purpose of the conference.

Get your ticket to everywhereelse.co the startup conference below. There are still a couple of exhibiting startup village booths as well.

 

Two Weeks Left Until Everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference, Biggest Startup Conference In The US

Everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference, startups, startup news, memphis startupsWe are officially at the two week mark for everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference. The event is taking place from February 10th – 12th in beautiful downtown Memphis, a cultural hub for music, and entrepreneurship. The conference itself will be held at the Memphis Cook Convention Center.  We’ve sold over 1500 tickets and have over 100 startups in our Startup Village.

Everywhereelse.co has even been named as a “must attend” conference for startups and entrepreneurs by Forbes Magazine.

Attendees

We still have attendee tickets on sale through next week. The attendee ticket will get you into all of the panels, keynotes and official conference events. You’re also invited to peruse the Startup Village during Sunday’s Startup Village preview. Sunday night we’ll take in the Memphis Grizzlies at the Grind House as they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. After that we’ll all take part in the Grasshopper, The Entrepreneur’s Phone System, Bar Crawl on Beale Street.

Monday features great speakers like Scott Case, Bill Harris, Rohit Bhargava, and panels like “Kick Ass Female Founders From Everywhere Else”, How to Raise Money Everywhere Else, and many more.  We also have two exciting startups coming out of stealth mode and launching on stage. (want to launch your startup on stage email info@everywhereelse.co)

Tuesday the fun, learning and networking continue. We’ve got great keynotes and panels queued up like Mike Bott the former brand manager for Olay at P&G and current GM of the Brandery on “Branding for startups“.  Best selling author of Likeanomics, Rohit Bhangarva is speaking and much more

Startups

We have over 100 startups in the Startup Village, a representation of startups from across the country and around the world. You’ll see startups just post idea stage, all the way up to series A. They’re also competing in the Best Of Everywhere Else startup contest, an audience participation contest and a speed pitch contest.

A handful of startups upgraded their booth space so we have 3 startup village booths open. You can register your startup below.

Investors

We have hundreds of accredited angel investors and vc’s from some of the top firms in the country who have already purchased tickets. If you are an investor everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference offers unparalleled access to not only the startups in our startup village but hundreds and hundreds of entrepreneurs and founders attending the conference. Forget flying all over the country and around the world. Founders forget having to panhandle on a street corner to raise that money for a one way airline ticket. Investors and Startups from everywhereelse are coming together at everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference.

Acceleration

If you’ve been thinking about an accelerator for your startup this is the conference for you. We have several accelerators from across the country who will be on hand to talk to startups and their founders on whether their accelerator is right for them. Pat Riley from the Global Accelerator Network and his team will be on the ground helping with two great acceleration panels.

In one panel “What I learned From An Accelerator” we’ll hear from startups who’ve completed 500 startups, YCombinator, Techstars, The Brandery, Seed Hatchery, Jumpstart Foundry and more.

In another panel “Accelerator Heads” we’ll hear from the Managing Directors of some of the best startup accelerators out there from Eric Mathews at Seed Hatchery to Mike Bott GM at the Brandery. Marcus Whitney from Jumpstart Foundry will join us as well as Guy Madison from Oklahoma City’s Blue Print For Business.

Finally, you’ll be able to get a consult with someone from any of these accelerators and more, to find out where your startup fits in the accelerator matrix.

A different kind of conference

Everywhereelse.co is a different kind of conference. First off we wanted to make the conference attainable to even the most bootstrapped founders and entrepreneurs. That’s why both the ticket price and the startup exhibitor (Startup Village) price were so low. This way we can offer unparalleled access to content, learning, speakers and networking all in under one roof.

Next, many will be surprised at some of the successful founders who are attending the conference. Many have reached out by email or at other events. While they may not need all that this conference has to offer they want to give back to the startup ecosystem. Keep your eyes open and talk to everyone.

Memphis is a city about grinding. It’s a blue collar city with hardworking folks and a history rich in entrepreneurism going back to the 1800s. FedEx, Holiday Inn and Autozone are just a few nationally known brands that started in Memphis.

Finally

Everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference is the brainchild of a bootstrapped startup, Nibletz, the voice of startups everywhere else. This conference is about founders, startups, and entrepreneurs from across the country and around the globe “everywhere else”. The conference may not look like the million dollar production that some of the conferences out there that charge startups $899 just to attend look like, but the content, networking, and camaraderie will be second to none.

We have a few last minute areas for sponsors to touch over 1000 startup founders, entrepreneurs, startups and investors from across the country. For quick information on sponsoring email info@everywhereelse.co

Attendee tickets go up to $99 on Wednesday. Startup Village booths go up to $699 on Wednesday.

Everywhereelse.co Outgrows Original Venue Moves To Memphis Cook Convention Center

Everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference has continued to grow, now to the point where the conference has moved from the original venue, The Peabody Hotel to the Memphis Cook Convention Center. That means that over 1000 entrepreneurs, founders, investors and startup supporters will have a lot more space to mingle, take in exciting startups and plot the takeover of the world.

Everywhereelse.co is the first conference of it’s kind, bringing together startups from across the country (and around the world) all under one roof providing investors, fellow startups and great startup resources like the Global Accelerator Network, the ability to reach more entrepreneurs and more startups than any other event.

The three day conference is being held in Downtown Memphis Tennessee with tickets sold as far away as Portland, Miami, San Francisco, Detroit, Toronto and even Israel. Attendees will take in the rich historical, musical and entrepreneurial history that has grown in Memphis Tennessee. Some of the biggest brands in the world like FedEx, Holiday Inn, Autozone, and even Mrs. Fields Cookies have roots that trace back to Memphis.

everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference, startups,startup event, MemphisThe conference has three main focal points that will speak to startup issues that entrepreneurs across the country experience; access to capital, access to talent and acceleration.

Speakers including: Scott Case, Rohit Bhangarva, Bill Harris, Tracy Myers and more will speak in keynotes, roundtables and fireside chats. FedEx will tell the story of how one man, Fred Smith, had an entrepreneurial vision in the 1970’s that on paper looked crazy. How he leveraged everything he had while bootstrapping and became the largest logistics company in the world.

Because of the overwhelming response we’ve had to move the event a few blocks down the road to the Convention Center. At the new venue there will be a lot more room, and we have decided to extend ticket sales a few extra days.

Over 100 startups are exhibiting in our Startup Village exhibition hall and we have a couple spaces left but they are running out quick. Check out the ticket form below.

For Startup Village startups and questions about hotel.

Feel free to continue to enjoy the charm and southern hospitality of the Peabody. There will be bus service in the mornings to the convention center and in the evenings back to the Peabody free of charge. There’s also the downtown Memphis trolley that picks up one block up from the Peabody and lets off at the doorstep to the convention center.

The Downtown Marriott connects to the Convention Center and has offered everywhereelse.co guests a room rate of $109 per night for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Rooms can be booked by calling (901)527-7300 or call the toll free reservation line at (888)557-8740. You must tell the reservation agent you’re with everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference.

We found out in speaking with the Marriott that our dates are a little heavy and we’re assuming that’s because some of our attendees have already booked at the Marriott because of points. If your rate was more than the $109 special rate the Marriott is giving the conference you can call the Marriott and they will rebook you under the new rate.

The official conference hours are:

Sunday:

7:30am-10:00am Startup Village Load In
10:00am-4:00pm Startup Village Preview and Registration

Monday & Tuesday:

9:00am-5:30pm

We look forward to seeing you in Memphis for everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference:

 Deadline to book rooms at the Marriott is February 1, 2013

Jaguars Support First Ever Crowdfunding Festival One Spark April 17-21

Onespark,Florida statups,shad khan,Jacksonville startup,crowdfunding festival

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan (known for his mustache) has pledged up to $1 million dollars at the first crowdfunding festival One Spark (photo: sportsrantz.com)

An amazing thing is happening in Jacksonville, Florida April 12-21 2013. The entire downtown part of the city is being transformed into One Spark, the first ever of it’s kind, gigantic crowdfunding festival.

One of the event’s co-founder and Executive Director Elton Rivas told nibletz.com “Imagine taking crowdfunding offline”.  He went onto describe how venues across the downtown area will be set up to showcase the latest in startups, technology, products and crowdfunding goods. At these showcases the creators and founders can show off their wares and encourage people to crowdfund their project right there in person.

While the concept is great in it’s own right, I mean imagine being able to touch the products on Kickstarter, there’s more to OneSpark than that.

On Tuesday night when we first talked to Rivas there was a minimum fund of $250,000 already in place to help crowdfund some of the project that will be showing off at OneSpark. It was revealed on Wednesday that Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan has pledged up to $1 million dollars through his investment arm STACHE Investments Corp. to help fund these projects.

“One Spark will attract and celebrate creativity in a variety of fields including science, technology, engineering and the arts, all of which are areas of great personal interest,” said Khan. “Jacksonville is the perfect host for this festival and I believe One Spark has the potential to inspire some really big thinking from the brightest minds in the area and beyond.”

“One Spark started with the belief that game-changers emerge from dorm rooms, garages and small studios – where great ideas develop. One Spark 2013 will be the point when creators of all kinds converge in our community, and when people from far and wide join together to decide on the next big thing(s). The heart of our city will be the place to get involved, be inspired, connect and collaborate,” said Rivas.

Some facts about One Spark:

— Open to all: Anyone can be a creator; One Spark venues can be spaces nearly anywhere in the urban core.

— Grassroots and independent: One Spark is built on the premise that the next great creation will likely come from a garage, small studio or dorm room. Creators will pair up with venues, independently, on the One Spark website. The organization does not select any of the creators or venues that make up the event.

— Empowered public: The $250,000 One Spark fund will be distributed based on public vote; the public can also contribute directly to entrants in any amount.

— Five packed days: During the actual event, there will be creator showcases, speakers, culinary experiences, music and what we like to call “spectacles.”

— Win votes and snag a slice of the $250,000 guaranteed crowd-fund. Crowd-fund monies will be distributed by popular vote. For example, if you receive 10 percent of the vote, you would receive 10 percent of the fund, or $25,000.

— STACHE Investments Corp: Formed by Shad Khan in 2012, the investment company has a component that focuses on entrepreneurial ventures in Northeast Florida and will be on the ground looking for investment opportunities during the five days of One Spark.

For more on OneSpark click here

Now that’s four months of great startup events including the biggest startup conference in the U.S. everywhereelse.co The Startup Conerence next month!