Spark

2023 was a breakout year for Spark. We partnered with 100+ leading agencies serving 3,400+ brokers, and enrolled 60,000+ beneficiaries. We’re carrying that momentum into 2024 with two announcements: First, we’ve raised a $25 million Series B, led by Drew Aldrich at Viewpoint Ventures. We’re particularly proud of this milestone given the challenging fundraising climate right now. Second, we’re launching the new Spark brand. Our new visual and verbal identity better captures our ambition, and articulates just how much we have to offer our partners. Our new website is a celebration of our partners, our performance to date, and the incredible trajectory we are on together. Here’s a taste: - Last year, we saved partner agents 400,000 cumulative hours, freeing them to focus on revenue generating activities - Across our largest agency partners representing >70% of our business, we’ve seen an astounding 140% enrollment growth year-over-year - Through this growth, we maintained a agent NPS of 91, affirming the value we bring to our customers and our commitment to service Our co-founder and CEO, James Jiang, writes in-depth about all these topics and this year’s vision for the organization on the Spark blog. You can read more here: https://hubs.ly/Q02htCMC0. The future is bright, and our team is ready to get back to work. We’re grateful to be on this wild journey with the industry’s best.

Spark has been selected by The Generalist for the inaugural Future 50, a database of the world’s highest-potential startups. We are honored to join 50 companies selected from 11 countries across various sectors. Why were we chosen? ⭐ The Opportunity: 4.1 million Americans are turning 65 this year. Despite booming Medicare enrollment, the number of brokers is declining. 🚀 Our Solution: As the industry’s fastest-growing FMO, Spark empowers independent Medicare brokers with technology and services, enabling them to better serve beneficiaries and experience transformative growth. 📈 Our Impact: 5,000 brokers in 4 years 60% daily active users 91 NPS & 96% client satisfaction 90% average production growth for brokers 50% increase in agent recruitment for agencies Check out the full article here: https://hubs.ly/Q02GPSLN0 #Future50 #Startups #Innovation #Medicare #Spark

Meet Pam Harrison, Medicare Trainer and Compliance Lead at Spark ✨ As Spark’s in-house compliance expert and Medicare trainer, Pam provides training for new and experienced Medicare agents alike. Pam’s deep understanding of the agents we serve (she was a former insurance agent for over 5 years!) and her ability to translate complex regulations make her an invaluable partner. Pam’s day consists of creating training modules for agents and delivering that training via webinars and video recordings. She’s the go-to person for agents and Spark staff with information about Medicare, such as Special Enrollment Periods, Extra Help and Medicaid, and general Medicare beneficiary questions. She also works in compliance, reviewing marketing materials and working with agents and carriers to stay on top of the latest CMS guidelines. ⭐Why Pam chose Spark: “I was really attracted to Spark because we are doing things differently than other FMOs. It was refreshing to see a FMO shaking up the industry and focusing on technology and systems to help agents build the insurance business of their dreams.” ⭐ On what it’s like to work with agents: “I love training and educating agents on the insurance business, and to see them grow and succeed is really rewarding.” In her free time, Pam enjoys camping and exploring her home state of Tennessee with her husband. Be sure to sign up for Pam’s upcoming training in your platform account: https://hubs.ly/Q02FF6pN0 #EmployeeHighlight #MedicareTraining #Compliance #CompanyCulture

Spark's July Webinar Schedule is Live! Get ready to Spark your knowledge with our webinar sessions featuring: 📋 Valuable Sales Training ✨ Spark Features 🩺 Medicare Industry Changes Need help with AHIP? Join Pam Harrison, our Medicare Trainer and Compliance Lead, during her AHIP office hours to ensure you're prepared for success this AEP. Sign up in your platform account to reserve your spot today: https://hubs.ly/Q02FF6pN0 #SparkWebinars #AgentSuccess #MedicareTraining #AEP #Compliance

Meet Marielle Trubowitsch, Director of Agency Operations at Spark 🌟 You may know Marielle from an onboarding call or setting up new contracts. She leads our Contracting, Platform, Operations, and Compliance teams, and is the glue that holds many aspects of our organization together. Marielle began her career working for tech startups in college before moving into venture capital. She soon realized she missed the excitement of being on the ground, growing a startup. When looking to join Spark, she met our co-founder and COO, Byron Edwards, and was struck by the opportunity to build and the genuine nature of the Spark team. Spark’s commitment to service is what sets our agent experience apart, and Marielle’s leadership is key. “The core of what I do is ensuring both the teams I manage and agents going through onboarding feel supported,” says Marielle. “I manage the teams that ensure agents have a delightful experience onboarding to Spark from a contracting and platform experience. Behind the scenes, I ensure workflows are flowing properly so agents can build their business.” The results speak for themselves: Marielle’s teams have delivered industry-leading service, leading hundreds of onboarding sessions, processing 16,000 contracts in 2023 (over 3,000 of which were in the months leading up to AEP), and answering 96% of agent support emails within 24 hours — in English and Spanish. Our partners describe Spark’s contracting team as being the best in the industry, and we have Marielle and her teammates to thank. Marielle is based out of Evanston, Illinois, but is currently spending her summer in Seattle with her pup, Freckles. Many mornings you can find them running on the beach or even training for Marielle’s first marathon this November! Curious to see our contracting workflows in action? Check out this walkthrough: https://hubs.ly/Q02DZ8CP0

Our very own co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Alex Zhang, recently completed the Tahoe 200, his first 200-mile ultramarathon around Lake Tahoe — the largest alpine lake in North America! 🏆 Alex juggled months of training while leading the product and engineering teams at Spark. While pushing through three days of the race itself, Alex reflected upon many valuable lessons that apply to both ultra running and building a fast-growing startup. We couldn't be prouder to have such a determined and inspiring leader on our team. Check out the lessons Alex learned from running 200 miles in his latest Medium article: https://lnkd.in/gR6N37XD

Spark is honored to be the #10 Most Devoted FMO Partner Nationwide! 🎉 A special thank you to our incredible partners whose contributions have been invaluable in achieving this milestone: - Matthew Rau at Devoted Health for all his unwavering support and partnership. - Osley P Herrera, Michael Henderson, Brent Crawley, and Veronica Neal for being the “Most Devoted” partners at Spark that made this possible. Together, we are making a difference and setting new standards in the industry. Ready to be a part of the transformation? Book a demo with us today: https://hubs.ly/Q02DCw4p0 #Spark #MostDevoted #Partnership #MedicareAdvantage

📢 Big Changes Coming to Medicare in 2025: What You Need to Know 📢 With new rules and less funding, analysts predict that Medicare beneficiaries will face a ~25% reduction in benefits. These changes could mean up to 90% of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries will be looking for a new insurance plan this Annual Enrollment Period (AEP), compared to a 20-30% historical shopping rate. An estimated 27 million beneficiaries on Medicare Advantage could be in the market for new plans — the most AEP shopping activity in Medicare's history. Our co-founder and CEO, James Jiang explains what’s happening and shares how Spark is helping brokers grow their book and retain their clients through these changes. Read on to learn about the technology and services that drive 90% growth in individual broker production and 93% client retention for Spark’s agents. Read James’ full blog post here: https://lnkd.in/gSkrFPzG #MedicareAdvantage #AEP2025 #HealthInsurance #Brokers #Spark #InsurTech #CMS

Highlighting our VP of Sales: Henry Figueroa 🚀 In 2020, Henry met our founders James Jiang, Byron Edwards, Alex Zhang, and a spark was ignited. Henry and the founders shared a similar vision: “There are many well-funded players in the space, but the conversation was different with Spark. The founders wanted to make the business better for my colleagues. They wanted to create tech to support local agents, not replace them. Most importantly, they wanted to bring meaningful delight to the beloved consumer through this channel of professionals. I had found my home.” As Spark’s VP of Sales, Henry has been building and coaching our sales team while supporting the growth of top agency principals across the country. Henry explains, "We are doing something real that energizes people, alleviates pressure, helps them feel supported, and shows them a path to helping more people." As Spark continues to grow, Henry’s passion, expertise, and commitment to creating solutions for agents are shared with new teammates and partners alike. You can always find Henry at industry events sporting paisley shirts and a big smile. When he’s not pitching demos or flying to recruitment events, Henry enjoys karaoke, coaching his kids’ sports teams, and a good cigar. Fun fact: Henry has shaken Pope Benedict’s hand – twice! Ready to be a part of the transformation? Join our sales team: https://hubs.ly/Q02CVj6d0 #Spark #EmployeeSpotlight #InsurTech #Growth #Sales

Every FMO claims they have the best technology in the industry. At Spark, our approach to technology is less about buzzwords, and more about how well we solve our agents’ biggest problems. But don't take it from us: let our top agency principals tell you about it. Veronica Neal, Justin Jacobs, Joanna Wyckoff, John Thomson, Brent Crawley, Gilberto Enriquez Curious to see Spark in action? Check out our interactive walkthrough: https://hubs.ly/Q02CJHxh0 #Spark #AgencyGrowth #InsurTech #HealthTech #Productivity