Blog

October 6By Comments OffRead more...

SCN Series: Growing, Guiding and Connecting Entrepreneurs in Fort Worth Highlights

The Startup Champions Network (SCN) Fall Summit is happening in Fort Worth this October. Ashley Ray, the Social Media and Communications lead at SCN, has been shining a light on the University of North Texas Health Science Center team hosting this event in Fort Worth. Here are some highlights of Marco Johnson, the Associate Director of Entrepreneurship at HSC Next.  If you’re trying to start a business, navigate the myriad resources available, or develop your business model in Fort Worth, Marco Johnson is the guy and Sparkyard is the platform. Marco’s work in a nutshell? Business wayfinder. His toolbox includes assets created...

September 26By Comments OffRead more...

SCN Series: Fostering What’s Next in Fort Worth Highlights

The Startup Champions Network (SCN) Fall Summit is happening in Fort Worth this October. Ashley Ray, the Social Media and Communications lead at SCN, has been shining a light on the University of North Texas Health Science Center team hosting this event in Fort Worth. Here are some highlights of Cameron Cushman, the Assistant VP of Innovation Ecosystems at HSC Next.  Cameron is on our Summit Host team and is working side by side with fellow committee members Marco Johnson and Kendel Rogers to create a unique, Fort Worth experience for attendees. Cameron is a movement maker, who started on the...

September 12By Comments OffRead more...

Innovate Fort Worth Podcast: Favorite FW Innovators, Part V

Fort Worth is full of innovation and innovators. The Innovate Fort Worth podcast was launched in 2019 to provide a platform for those local innovators to tell their stories and share their latest projects with our community. At the end of each episode the host, Cameron Cushman, asks each guest who their favorite innovator is in Fort Worth. We compiled a list of our guests’ favorite local innovators. Be sure to check out the favorite innovators in our previous posts here.  Episode 41: Gary Davis is the president and CEO of Smart Action, a company trying to improve the quality of...

September 8By Comments OffRead more...

10 Takeaways From This Summer

A few weeks after my high school graduation, I found myself entering the 9 to 5 business world. To be completely honest, it was a bit of a shock to the body. That was partly because I was wearing business professional clothes instead of t-shirts and shorts in the summer, but also because I was immersed in such a new environment.   Not only was this position my first internship, but my first real job as well. Fortunately, I began working with a staff who welcomed me with open arms, making the acclimation much easier. While friends my age were out working...

August 26By Comments OffRead more...

Fort Worth-ophilia Part 2: Supporting Fort Worth’s Creative Class

In our previous post on Fort Worth-ophilia, we discussed what topophilia is, how a thriving creative class and high quality of life are positively correlated, and why a vibrant and supported creative class is the foundational ingredient for a thriving entrepreneurial community. In this post, we will identify ways we can all support our local creatives to make sure they stick around and fall in love with their city... in this case, Fort Worth.   Artists help define the identity of a community through their art and creating an authentic feeling that gives a community a unique look and feel. Our local...

August 16By Comments OffRead more...

Nashvegas vs. Funkytown Startup Scene

There are 16 cities that have raised at least one billion dollars in early-stage capital from 2015-2020. Of those 16 cities, nine of them have less than one million people. If we remove outliers like San Francisco, Boston, and Austin which are well-established hotbeds for startup activity, we are left with Seattle, Atlanta, Denver, Oakland, Washington DC, and Nashville. These six cities have an average population of 630,603: roughly 300,000 less than the estimated population of Fort Worth in 2022. This begs the question: What are these cities doing right from an entrepreneurial perspective that Fort Worth can learn from?...

August 15By Comments OffRead more...

7 Fort Worth Podcasts Every Entrepreneur Needs Listen To

Starting a business can feel lonely sometimes. You have a lot of questions or are not sure what questions you should ask! Learn from other entrepreneurs who have “been there, done that” through Fort Worth’s local podcasts. Find your new favorite podcast as well as a new community of support. You can find these podcasts on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Innovate Fort Worth - Join entrepreneurial ecosystem builder, Cameron Cushman from HSC Next, as he interviews entrepreneurs and innovators about their startups, and how those businesses are impacting Fort Worth. Whether he is talking to a...

August 9By 0 CommentsRead more...

10 Most Read Blogs on Sparkyard 2022

In the summer of 2021 we ran the numbers and showed the Top 10 Read Blogs for the previous year. We decided to run the numbers again in 2022 and see what’s changed in the last year and what content our readers like to see. So here’s the updated top 10 posts of all time (since we launched in 2019)!  10. Burn the (Traditional) Business Plan! posted June 17, 2021 Most entrepreneurs write a business plan, but it quickly becomes outdated. And, if you ask some of the most famous entrepreneurs, they never even had a business plan in the first place....

August 4By 0 CommentsRead more...

The Fastest Growing Companies in Fort Worth

Inc. Magazine annually publishes a list of the top 5,000 fastest growing companies across the nation. As of March 2020, there were an estimated 11 million companies in the United States. That being said, the top 5,000 fastest growing companies only comprise the top .05% of companies. This list is the honor roll of all honor rolls. Arguably, the term ‘honor’ is an understatement.  To comprehend the metrics of the list, it’s important to delve into how the list is calculated. First, Inc. Magazine doesn’t take any company into account until it applies to be on the list. So hypothetically, the...

July 25By Comments OffRead more...

Innovate Fort Worth Podcast: Favorite FW Innovators, Part IV

Fort Worth is full of innovation and innovators. The Innovate Fort Worth podcast was launched in 2019 to provide a platform for those local innovators to tell their stories and share their latest projects with our community. At the end of each episode the host, Cameron Cushman, asks each guest who their favorite innovator is in Fort Worth. We compiled a list of our guests’ favorite local innovators. Be sure to check out the favorite innovators in our previous posts here.  Episode 31: Former Mayor Betsy Price shares her views on why Fort Worth is a great city for startups and...