What is Sparkyard?

Welcome to another addition of the Sparkyard blog!

Our mission is to cultivate a connected and vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Fort Worth area through a comprehensive platform that connects entrepreneurs and business owners to the resources they need to launch and scale their companies.

We pursue this mission to fulfill our vision for Fort Worth to become a nationally recognized place to start or scale companies. Heck, eventually we want to be a GLOBALLY recognized destination for entrepreneurship.

In order to realize this, we need to create a highly connected community – an entrepreneurial ecosystem– that not only has the necessary resources to help entrepreneurs succeed but catalyzes our existing business owners and inspires “wantrepreneurs” to get out of their comfort zone and launch that company they’ve been dreaming about.

Sparkyard exists in that space of entrepreneurial connection and collision, providing the roadmap and information people need to get started or to grow.

First things first: navigate to https://www.sparkyard.co. Once there you’ll see that our platform consists of four major components:

1.     Resource Navigator: this is a comprehensive list of resources in our area dedicated to providing assistance at no-cost to entrepreneurs and business owners. You can research resource providers through a number of ways and get connected to those that meet your needs. The Resource Navigator will facilitate your connection to resources that you’re interested in.

2.    Community Calendar: ever wondered where the startup people hang out? Want to get plugged into the cool entrepreneurial events in town? Tired of checking multiple calendars to see what’s happening? Our calendar is a 1-stop-shop that will get you plugged in to relevant events, fast. Party on!

3.    Resource How-to guides: the Sparkyard website has content for new entrepreneurs and established business owners alike. Whether you’re looking for information on starting up your business, growing your existing company, or finding the right kind of funding, our website has key info to answer your questions and refer you to specific resources in our area.

4.    Personal action plan builder: this tool will help Sparkyard staff connect you to the resources you need based on your customized needs and aspirations. Fill out some information about what you need and we’ll send you a personalized list.

But wait… there’s more! We also feature….

·      Our very own blog series to help you stay informed about the coolest things happening in entrepreneurship locally, regionally, nationally, and globally

·      Links to other resources like videos, podcasts, and tools that are the best friends of any aspiring entrepreneur

·      Data-driven reporting: on the platform’s backend, we have a powerful CRM and analytics tool that tracks dozens of data points about the entrepreneurs and resource providers in our ecosystem. We will periodically release reports on business and startup activity in our area as a way to show the incredible economic and social impact generated by our local companies and entrepreneurs. Armed with that information, we will be able to more effectively advocate for policies and resources to support local businesses.

Future services: Sparkyard exists to serve our local entrepreneurial and business community. We strive for our minds and technology to be open to developing and offering new services that will benefit all users. Have some ideas on what else we should offer? Drop us a line at [email protected].

Adding Resource Partners: Want your organization to appear on Sparkyard’s Resource Navigator? Know an organization that should be listed? Any nonprofit, university, or government organization that provides direct services to support entrepreneurs and small business growth can be listed on the Resource Navigator. We’d like your support in identifying other resources that should be part of the network. Just email us at [email protected]or call 817-735-SPRK.

If you are a for-profit company that provides services to entrepreneurs and business owners, we have a variety of ways for you to be involved and we strongly welcome your engagement! Reach out to me for more information at [email protected].

If you have any questions about how to utilize the Sparkyard site or how we can improve it, please email me at [email protected].

Stay classy, Fort Worth… and thanks for stopping by.

Marco

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Sparkyard is sponsored by UNTHSC, TCU, and the City of Fort Worth.

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