Jrue Holiday Testimony — why the SPARK Act matters

Summary

Written testimony of Jrue Holiday to a congressional committee in support of the SPARK Act. Holiday describes working with entrepreneurs through a Social Impact Fund in cities including Boston, New Orleans and Los Angeles, and says access to mentorship, networks and capital is often missing entirely in underserved communities. Holiday states that the Boston Creator Accelerator, run in partnership with MIT, Harvard and Suffolk University, has supported 10 founders with multi-year, milestone-based funding and received over 2,000 applications for 10 spots. The testimony says the SPARK Act would fund accelerators and incubators nationwide, require a multi-year, partnership-based approach, and pair ecosystem support with access to capital.

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Full text

                          JRUE HOLIDAY TESTIMONY

Chairman, members of the Committee, thank you.
My name is Jrue Holiday, and I want to talk about why the SPARK Act matters from what I've
seen on the ground.
Over the past several years, my wife Lauren and I have had the opportunity to work with
entrepreneurs across the country through our Social Impact Fund, in Boston, New Orleans, Los
Angeles, and other cities where we've lived and played.
What I've learned is simple: talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not.
The founders we work with aren't asking for handouts. They're asking for what everyone else
gets: access to mentorship, networks, and capital that can turn an idea into a sustainable business.
But in underserved communities, those things are often missing entirely.


What We've Built
Through the Boston Creator Accelerator, in partnership with Jaylen Brown, MIT, Harvard, and
Suffolk University, we've supported 10 founders over multiple years.
Not a six-month program. Not a one-time grant.
Multi-year, milestone-based funding paired with institutional support.
That model works because it reflects how businesses actually grow: slowly, with setbacks, and
with people in your corner for the long haul.
These founders have created jobs. They've raised additional capital. They've built businesses that
are thriving.
But here's what sticks with me: we received over 2,000 applications for 10 spots.
That tells you the need is massive, and one accelerator in one city can't meet it.


Why SPARK Matters
The SPARK Act would fund accelerators and incubators like this across the country.
It would require the kind of multi-year, partnership-based approach that we've proven works.
And it would pair ecosystem support with access to capital, because readiness without resources
doesn't help anyone.
Entrepreneurship is the future of work. People are starting businesses not because they want to,
but because they have to.
We can't keep asking them to build without the infrastructure to succeed.
The SPARK Act is about making sure every community, not just the ones with access to elite
institutions and private capital, has the support system that makes entrepreneurship a real path
forward.
Thank you.


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