Allen County
Founder Profile
Aaron
Robles
Business
Founders Spark
Founded
January 2019
Grant Date
June 2018
Idea
An organization dedicated to introducing new and aspiring entrepreneurs, hustlers, and go-getters into the startup community as well as providing them the tools they need to succeed.
Entrepreneurs are seeking emotional support in a competitive environment.
Aaron Robles is a trailblazer in Northeast Indiana’s entrepreneurial scene. Through multiple ventures, he has worked with business-minded people for 11 years. You could say he’s gotten to know the community well.
When Aaron got to know his peers on a more personal level, he realized a need within the community. Entrepreneurs much like himself are driven and innovative; what they lack is education, mentorship, resources, and a safe place to express their ideas in a competitive and ambitious environment.
Aaron created Founders Spark to give entrepreneurs space to express their fears and obstacles through vulnerable and honest conversations. The Origins program invites successful entrepreneurs to talk and interact about their own personal struggles. The beauty of being vulnerable, according to Aaron, is helping other entrepreneurs know they’re not alone.
Founders Spark creates a support system for entrepreneurs. It offers a community where entrepreneurs are able to stand in solidarity with one another to give advice and solve problems. Founders Spark’s workshops aim to make the entrepreneurial journey easier.
With the help of the Fortitude Fund community and micro-grant, Aaron has been able to establish Founders Spark as a legitimate and respected resource for emerging entrepreneurs in northeast Indiana. He hopes his business can continue to collaborate with Fortitude Fund to create engaging experiences for both communities.
Looking to the future, Founders Spark will expand its programming and reach beyond Origins and northeast Indiana. Stay tuned to find out more!
Business Updates
Founders Spark wins national skysthelimit competition
Founders Spark is all about building and strengthening connections in the entrepreneurial community, and it was a personal connection that convinced the Fort Wayne company’s young owner to enter a new nationwide business plan competition he recently won.
Local entrepreneur wins $2,000 grant
A Fort Wayne man recently won a national award for entrepreneurship for his business Founders Spark.
Skysthelimit.org awarded Aaron Robles a $2,000 Friends and Family grant, which provides a chance for individual donors to vote for people and projects they believe in, according to a news release from the organization.
Robles holds events for local entrepreneurs in the startup community to provide them the tools they need to succeed. He said in the release that the grant will help cover costs of the events and make them accessible to more people.
Fort Wayne Magazine People of the Year
The last cover of 2019 for Fort Wayne Magazine features People of the Year. Ten people have been selected to represent the People of the Year.
Fort Wayne Magazine says these people are only givers, meaning they only give time, ideas, and experience. They give their 110%.
Fort Wayne Power Circle celebrates diversity, inclusion
Demographic representation improved locally with the election of three African Americans, including two women, to the Fort Wayne City Council. But, participants in panel discussion at a Founders Spark Power Circle celebration said the city remains far from approaching what it could achieve by improving inclusiveness.
