FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF)- The UNT Health Science Center announces a new website that connects expert service providers to Fort Worth’s fast growing business community. Sparkyard is a free collaborative website to help new and existing local companies grow. With more than 40 resource partners participating so far, Sparkyard will help businesses access a wide variety of services: legal counseling, accessing capital and navigating the licensing and permitting process.
Through Sparkyard, business owners can directly contact resource partners for assistance or utilize the website’s automated Resource Navigator, which will help identify the right providers based on need, location, industry, stage of business and additional criteria.
Fort Worth Economic Development Director Robert Sturns said it also features a one-stop community calendar with events relevant to business owners. “It identifies the right resources and gets them connected without wasting any time going to incorrect sources…it really just gives them a good sense of the resources out there,” Sturns said.
The SourceLink platform on which Sparkyard is built has helped more than 100 communities across the United States, from Seattle to San Juan, build an entrepreneurial infrastructure that sparks, supports and sustains entrepreneurship and innovation. Sturns said Small- and medium-sized businesses are the economic engines of Fort Worth and Sparkyard ensures that these companies can access the right resources at the right time to not only accelerate their own growth, but also that of Fort Worth’s thriving entrepreneurial community. “There are large groups of people who are really interested in understanding what entrepreneurship looks like or they started a business and want to make it grow.. this just really speaks to the energy and excitement around entrepreneurship and that’s reflective of the numbers we are seeing,” Sturns said.
The website will formally launch on November 14th and is funded by UNT Health Science Center, the City of Fort Worth Office of Economic Development and TCU Neeley
School of Business. It’s free to access by business owners and free for resource partners to join. Visit the website at www.sparkyard.co or call the hotline during normal business hours at 682-351-2563. Not-for-profit service providers interested in joining this powerful network can sign up at www.sparkyard.co/signup.
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