By: Jenna Fitzgerald, Market Analysis Intern
Calling All Dreamers
Turning your passion into reality isn’t as hard as it might seem. With lots of grit and fervor, ANYTHING is possible.
Meet Danna Evans
Danna is a friendly, passionate, and driven woman dedicated to the growth of her business venture – AVA School Solutions. She was introduced to SEED SPOT a little over one year ago when she signed up to participate in our February 2015 Women’s Bootcamp, followed by our immersive Spring 2015 Full-Time Program. While at SEED SPOT, Danna has been introduced to many mentors who inspired her to take the initial leap to commit to her venture full-time.
Discovering AVA
“Outcome is everything.”
AVA School Solutions was founded on Danna’s passion to ensure that all K-12 students are given every opportunity to succeed in school by removing treatable vision and hearing conditions as obstacles towards their future success. Many times, these conditions act as unknown hurdles students continuously face throughout their careers. Hearing and vision screenings required by the state are crucial, however, they tend to produce an incredible burden on schools… paperwork, paperwork, and even MORE paperwork!
The process of recording and filing large amounts of paperwork is a disconcerting task to many… that’s why AVA works to eliminate the burden that state mandated hearing and vision screenings often create. Because of AVA’s intricate app and software, schools will have a much simpler time identifying students that are in the need of an intervention and also ensuring that the intervention was successful. Danna notes that “screenings are important, but outcome is everything” and that is why AVA is a platform that is focused on being outcome oriented to ensure every student’s ultimate success.
Connecting with SEED SPOT
“You are not a number or a statistic at SEED SPOT,” says Danna, “you are a human and they want you to succeed.”
At SEED SPOT, we believe that connections make the world go round! Kim Perina, one of SEED SPOT’s photographers, introduced Danna to our work and mission and knew that her friend would be a great fit for any one of our programs. Thanks to Kim’s warm introduction, Danna immediately felt excited to jump into pursuing her venture with the help and guidance from our team at SEED SPOT.
Getting Involved with SEED SPOT
“Why don’t you do it?” asks Heidi Jannenga, a SEED SPOT mentor from WebPT.
Through her courageous networking, Danna has made countless meaningful connections on both personal and professional levels. During her time in our February 2015 Women’s Bootcamp and our Spring 2015 Full-Time Program, Danna had found herself intertwined in an incredible web of experienced members of the greater Phoenix community.
Danna gives Michael Ellenby, a SEED SPOT Phoenix Board Member and Mentor, credit for giving her “game changing advice, communication, and expertise.” SEED SPOT’s National Director of Expansion, C’pher Gresham, plays an active role on Danna’s Advisory Committee. Gretchen Naugle, SEED SPOT’s Director of NEXT, a program that brings social entrepreneurial education to the classroom, is highly invested in AVA School Solutions, connecting Danna with schools and different leads.
A pivotal moment for AVA School Solutions came when Heidi Jannenga, Co-Founder of WebPT and SEED SPOT Mentor, simply asked Danna why she didn’t just pursue her venture full-time. After some consideration, Danna decided that this was the step she needed to truly commit to her dream. The rest is history.
Growing AVA
“SEED SPOT did more than help grow my business, they literally WERE the seed.”
Since signing up for our Women’s Bootcamp in February of 2015, Danna has been invested in making AVA School Solutions become a reality. Because of her passion and determination, AVA School Solutions has received a great amount of positive feedback from the community. To name a few of their successes…
- Recipient of SEED SPOT’s 2015 Demo Day Audience Impact Award
- Named the next Ed-Tech superhero for children by AZ Tech Beat
- Arizona State University’s Executive Masters in Sustainability Group notes how AVA School Solutions “helps the environment by eliminating a significant amount of paper waste by capturing and processing school health screening data electronically.”
- Arizona’s 2016 winner of the 1776 Challenge Cup, presented by the Vice Mayor of Phoenix, Daniel Valenzuela.
With the help of AVA School Solutions, Danna is serving students across the state of Arizona while also scaling rapidly to meet the demand for AVA. With more and more growth in store for Danna, she is committed to making a difference – a true social entrepreneur. “You may have to give things up like sleep, exercise but never give up on your WHY… The hurdles are endless,” Danna claims, but “Your WHY is your willingness to keep jumping.”
So keep jumping, entrepreneurs. You got this.
SEED SPOT welcomes all dreamers to participate in our expansion.
Ready to turn your idea into a socially-impactful business venture? Sign up for our full-time program, evening program, or 5-day boot camp here.
Want SEED SPOT to make a difference in your city? Apply now! We’re ready for you. Are you ready for us?
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