JAX Chamber released the announcement of this live competition last week. Jacksonville Venture Competition (JVC) is the first-of-a-kind venture capital funding event happening in Jacksonville on March 7 & 8, 2023.
This is the biggest entrepreneurial celebration in Jacksonville since One Spark's founding nearly 10 years ago. In 2012, One Spark was founded in Jacksonville as the World's Largest Idea Festival with crowdfunding. In the last 5 years, Jacksonville has received multiple federal grants for Smart City initiatives to drive P3 innovation. Now, in 2023, Jacksonville will host the first live “venture capital” pitch competition at the JVC. In lay terms, the JVC will include a professional version of Shark Tank in front of an audience. Jacksonville has a trajectory of being a major hub in the United States for start-ups and investors- we think this event will be the catalyst. Click here for a source on Jacksonville's History.
Background on Jacksonville:
Jacksonville became an emerging city of interest in the United States in the early 1900's because of the success of its manufacturing, logistics, and banking industry. Moviemakers, musicians (jazz), and film studios also contributed the Jacksonville's growing economy at the turn of the century, including MGM studios. However, by the 1920's, over 30+ movie studios moved from Jacksonville to California (can you imagine if Hollywood film makers kept their roots on the east coast?). After years of lobbying by city Leadership, the US Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, a huge win for a city with abundant water resources. By the 1990's, Jacksonville's business industry was being driven less by manufacturing and more by insurance and real estate. In the early 2000's, Jacksonville became a hub for entrepreneurs and large corporate relocations.
Jacksonville, the largest city in NE Florida, has a storied history of international strife. The city’s neighbor, St. Augustine, was discovered by Ponce De Leon in 1513 and permanently settled in 1565. Over the ensuing 500 years, the area flew the Spanish, French, British, and American Flags. Jacksonville was originally named Fort Caroline by the French Huguenots in 1562, a name that later changed to San Mateo when the Spanish captured the area in 1567. The British took control of Florida in 1763 in a trade for Cuba with the Spanish. In British Florida the name became Cowford as a literal reference to the best place for cows to ford the St. John’s River. The town adopted the name Jacksonville in homage to Andrew Jackson in 1822.
"We see this competition as a way to inspire change in Jacksonville." -Matthew Chang
There is a lot of rich Jacksonville history that paved the way for the JVC. Chang Industrial is thrilled to be a part of the JVC and contribute to the legacy it will leave behind for future generations. This event will shape the entrepreneurial climate of Jacksonville forever and we are honored to be an executive sponsor. Chang Industrial will serve as the event organizer, sponsorship liaison, and coordinator for the "TED-talk" style speaker series.
Please check out JAX Chamber's official announcement for more information:
Additional resources for learning: