One Spark, the entity behind fast growing global crowdfunding festival, has announced the departure of key employee Joe Sampson. In a brief note, One Spark representatives stated that Sampson will be departing to “pursue other opportunities”.
“One Spark is a great organization that’s done incredible work in a very short period of time,” said Joe Sampson. “I’m proud of all we were able to accomplish during my time there. They have a dedicated and amazing team, and I have no doubt that they’ll continue to grow. I’ll be their biggest cheerleader while they do.”
A company spokesperson stated;
“The One Spark team is thankful for the service that Joe has provided to One Spark during the past nearly two years and our team wishes him all the best in his future endeavors. One Spark CEO and co-founder Elton Rivas will step into the role of interim director while Joe transitions out at the end of 2014.”
Peter Rummell, a Board Member and financial backer of the organization stated;
“As businesses evolve and mature there are times when leaders of an organization come to a point when they may feel that they have done what they set out to do,” said Rummell. “Joe did a tremendous job helping take us from the starting blocks to today. We appreciate his contributions and wish him well as we focus our energy and commitment to building One Spark into the future. Our board has tasked Elton with serving as the interim director, along with his role as CEO, which will allow us to both transition forward and conduct a search for replacing Joe’s role.”
Elton Rivas said of the departure;
“While we regretfully accepted Joe’s resignation, we owe him a special thank you for all he has done as part of the One Spark team,” said Rivas. “I am excited for where we are at with One Spark as we prepare for 2015 with great enthusiasm and we won’t miss a beat.”
OneSpark was created in Jacksonville, Florida in 2011. The first crowdfunding festival was held in 2012 and has since grown dramatically each ensuing year. Earlier in 2014, organizers scheduled their first international event held in Berlin, Germany. The next scheduled event is on the calendar for the Spring of 2015.