Food Fun(d) Event Seeks to Assist Start-up community
A new event called Food Fun(d) combines food, music and crowdsourcing to help fund new Jacksonville-based business ideas. Food Fun(d) begins August 12th from 5:30pm – 9:00pm downtown at the corner of Adams and Laura Street.
The format is simple: attendees pay $1 admission for access to gourmet food trucks, live music and a beer garden while four entrepreneurs pitch their Jacksonville-based business idea. Attendees vote on their favorite idea and the winning entrepreneur is awarded a pot of money that includes the total cost of admission receipts.
Food Fun(d) is brought to you by the same people who started Jax Truckies, Northeast Florida’s leading resource for food trucks, and Jaxsons Night Market, a new monthly night market in downtown Jacksonville featuring local farmers and artisan producers.
“Downtown Jacksonville is at the heart of a burgeoning start-up revolution that is re-shaping our city in a very positive and dramatic way. The goal of Jaxsons Night Market has always been to bring new businesses downtown,” stated Mike Field, Executive Director of Jaxsons Night Market. “The next logical step is to help fund some of the great business ideas that need a push in the right direction, and to do so in a really fun and unique way that celebrates our community. The money raised won’t be enough for one of these entrepreneurs to open the next day, but every dollar and cent provided to a new small business owner helps them get one step closer in making their dream a reality. Between One Spark, CoWork Jax and the new center of innovation that will soon happen in the Barnett, downtown Jacksonville is at the forefront of becoming the Southeast’s next great success story.”
“SouthEast Group is pleased to support the Jaxsons Night Market, Art Walk and now Food Fun(d),” stated Lisa Goodrich, Director of Marketing and Community Engagement for SouthEast Group. “It’s great to see the community come together and enjoy Jacksonville’s true urban neighborhood in the shadow of the Laura Street Trio and the Barnett. These events really showcase how important it is for us to create places for folks to gather, and highlight just how vibrant the start-up culture is in our city.”
"Events like Food Fun(d) might be smaller in scope but have provided a big boost to creative communities in markets throughout the U.S.." said One Spark Executive Director and COO Joe Sampson. "I think what I like about this concept is that it's another activation in downtown Jacksonville with a mission and purpose that is both economically and community centered."
Food Fun(d) is provided through in-kind support from SouthEast Group, One Spark and CoWork Jax. Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JaxsonsNightMarket or on Twitter using handle @JaxsonsMkt
About Jaxsons Night Market
Jaxsons Night Market is a monthly open-air market in downtown Jacksonville featuring local farmers, artisan makers, street food vendors and a local craft beer garden. For Jaxsons, by Jaxsons, the market features the kinds of small businesses that make Jacksonville unique. Jaxsons Night Market occurs the third Thursday of every month from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at the corner of Adams and Laura Street.