SPARK NEW HAVEN
Connecting small businesses with management experts.
Running a small company is challenging. We can help.
SPARK New Haven taps into the expertise of the alumni of New Haven colleges and universities, including from the Yale School of Management alumni network, to help you ignite your growth.
ABOUT SPARK NEW HAVEN
The Center for Inclusive Growth’s new pilot program fosters equitable economic growth by strategically deploying an invaluable and largely untapped resource: the intellectual capital of the alumni networks of New Haven-based colleges and universities, like the Yale School of Management. The Strategic Partnership for Alumni Resources and Knowledge (SPARK) New Haven program provides high-impact, pro bono consulting services to local New Haven businesses with annual revenues between $50K and $200K. From managing financial strain to transitioning from a “founder-dependent” model to one driven by repeatable systems and processes, these businesses often face significant challenges in scaling. SPARK offers a structured solution by connecting these enterprises with seasoned alumni advisors who can help them address these critical pain points.
The program includes two distinct tracks designed to accommodate the diverse professional backgrounds and time commitments of alumni.
The Model
The Business Acquisition Collective
At the center of Evergreen is the business acquisition collective: a mission-governed entity that provides the shared infrastructure, capital access, and governance systems individual owner-operators need to acquire and sustain businesses - without going it alone. Equally important, the collective functions as an ongoing hub for its members: a source of continuous resources, expertise, peer knowledge, and operational support from experienced owners and operators already within the entity. Membership in Evergreen is not just about getting into a business - it is about belonging to a system that actively helps you optimize, grow, and lead once you are in.
The collective is neither a traditional cooperative nor a venture fund. It is a structured ownership system in which participants who acquire businesses become Shareholder Members of a shared entity that pools resources, enables coordinated deal-making, and protects the long-term stewardship mission through a layered governance architecture. No single capital partner, board member, or leader can redirect the mission - that protection is built into the structure itself, not assumed through goodwill.
In practice, individual operators hold majority ownership and full decision-making authority over the businesses they acquire, while the collective provides the capital stack, advisory bench, and governance framework that makes acquisition possible and durable. Each acquisition strengthens the whole - and over time, the system grows a self-reinforcing portfolio of locally owned, community-serving businesses anchored in New Haven.
The Strategic Project Immersion Track
Teams of 2 to 3 alumni consultants will work over a focused 3-month period to deliver a specific, high-priority project, such as developing a new business plan or a scalable marketing strategy. This track is ideal for alumni seeking a structured, team-based experience with a clear deliverable.
The 3-Month Advisory Challenge Track
This track pairs a single, experienced alumni advisor with a business founder for one-on-one, high-level counsel over three months. This model is designed for alumni with more limited time, offering a flexible yet impactful way to serve as a strategic sounding board on a specific challenge, such as financial forecasting or leadership development.
If you are interested in participating or learning more about the program, please email: SPARK@ignewhaven.org.