Making the most of the few minutes and often sparse crowds at One Spark's Pitch Decks

Government

“It’s the next generation of sweat bands.”

That’s how John Fournier described “Sqoosh,” his invention for runners he presented Wednesday on the One Spark Creator Pitch Deck at Hemming Park.

The pitch-deck concept has been an element of the crowdfunding festival since it debuted in 2013. One Spark co-founder and CEO Elton Rivas said providing a venue for exhibitors to pitch their ideas is a fundamental element of promoting entrepreneurship.

“It brings focused energy and it’s an opportunity for creators to communicate,” Rivas said.

Presenters are given 10 minutes on the stage: five minutes for their talk, three minutes for any questions and two minutes to get off the stage and make way for the next pitch.

Pitches are scheduled every 10 minutes from 3-9 p.m. Thursday, 11a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.-noon Sunday. In addition to the Hemming Park stage, another pitch deck is along Forsyth Street between Laura and Main streets.

Al Emerick is director of the Creator Academy, where some of this year’s One Spark exhibitors honed their presentation skills. He said being able to explain an idea is a critical step toward securing interest in an idea or product, or even an investor.

“It’s telling a story. There has to be a beginning, a middle and an end,” he said.

Presenters were coached on how to perform two versions of their pitch. There’s the short version — less than two minutes and what Emerick called the “elevator talk” — and a longer, more detailed version.

“That’s a deeper dive into the project,” he said. “It speaks to the wider audience of voters and also investors who might be in the audience.”

Emerick said a good pitch is a process.

“First, you have to throw the fast ball and make sure the audience is listening. Then you need the pick-off. That’s something the audience didn’t see coming,” he said.

After he introduced his idea, Fournier used a slingshot to shoot several Sqooshes above the small crowd that gathered around the stage after he announced he was going to give something away.

Despite a couple of close calls, no one was injured as they scrambled and shoved to collect the prizes from the ground.

Fournier, who lives in Fernandina Beach, passed on the Creator Academy based on more than four years of experience pitching his patent-pending product.

He has the bands manufactured in Georgia and sells them at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island and at 1st Place Sports, among other outlets. The high-tech sweat bands may be custom imprinted with a logo for corporate gifts or to be included in the swag bags at a run.

He said he has no idea how many times he has pitched his product in the past four years since he went into limited production.

Fournier’s goal at One Spark is to promote his product to potential retail customers and to secure an investor or investors to allow him to purchase raw materials in bulk to reduce the unit cost of Sqoosh.

“One Spark is a way to get Sqoosh out into the world,” he said.

Not all of the presenters are as seasoned. Emerick said for many, when they walk out on stage at One Spark, it’s the first time they have spoken in public to a group.

“You’re standing in front of strangers, asking if they like your idea,” he said. “It can be scary.”

Pitch decks have another purpose in the bigger picture of One Spark, Rivas said. He compared the festival to spending the day at a theme park, which can be a tiring experience.

“It gives the attendees a chance to sit down and listen,” he said. “Grab a beverage and some food and take a break from the festival.”

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Today's schedule for One Spark Creator Pitch Decks

Hemming Park

3 p.m.: Life in the F.A.S.T. Lane

3:10 p.m.: DirectLaw

3:20 p.m.: Affordable Apps

3:30 p.m.: Lovlit Candle

3:40 p.m.: Salt & Sol

3:50 p.m.: Let’s Get Off the Couch and Head Out to the BMX Track

4 p.m.: Berlin Tech Talkitt

4:10 p.m.: HypeLight Music Festival