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Jax Fuse Festival aims to bring a spark to area entrepreneurship

By Matt Dennis, Jacksonville Business Journal


Northeast Florida will get an opportunity to see local entrepreneurs strut their stuff at

the first Fashion, Food, + Film Fuse Festival on Sept. 12-13 in Nocatee.


Organized and hosted by The Link in at 425 Town Plaza Ave. in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fuse

Fest will be an extension of the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem envisioned by Link

founders Raghu and Gurpreet Misra.


The Link provides coworking and event space and bills itself as an innovation and

activity hub.


“We both believe that innovation cannot happen in silos. Innovation needs cross

pollination,” Gurpreet told the Business Journal. “Cross pollination can be across

professions. It can be across demographics. It can be across activities. You can get

inspired by different people, and this facility allows that.”


With the Fuse Fest, the Misra’s aspire to spark this inspiration for founders and for

consumers while serving as a stage for local culture shapers.


“We have such a huge audience in our area who have never seen this kind of event

happening,” Gurpreet said. “We also want to give a platform for our creative economy

and creative industry.”


While entertainment is a conspicuous part of the festival’s purpose, founders hope that

Fuse helps entrepreneurs come out of their singularly focused shells.


“We get lonely in our own goals, in our own challenges and struggles,” Gurpreet said.

“When there are activities happening on the first floor, when you can bring your families

in, when there are events targeted towards families and for the community, it creates a

very relaxed environment.”


The event begins with an opening cocktail reception and food expo on Friday evening

with Timoti’s Seafood Shak, DnP Cupcaking, Orange Blossom Catering, the Treylor Park

Restaurant and Tank’s Sushi Bistro showing off their wares on small plates.


Afterwards, seven local designers will attire 30 to 35 area models on the runway.

“We were amazed that there is so much local talent,” Gurpreet said. “We thought we

would have to work hard to find designers, but it just became so easy once the word

was out.”


Out of the many designers looking for a platform to showcase their talent, the Misras

chose six local makers.


These include Anushree Shah of Bollywood Dance Mania, Lisa Keller of Fleur de Lis and

Shawna Grant of Lady Strut.


St. Augustine’s student-run Strike Magazine, purveyor of fashion, beauty, relationships

and cultural info, will open Friday night’s show.


Film day will feature six to nine local filmmakers screening short films.

Tickets are currently on sale for $35. VIP tickets start at $60, and a VIP two-day pass is

available for $100.

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