44% of SEED SPOT’s Retail Brand Accelerator graduates are now selling in major retail stores, like Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods, TJ Maxx, and Sephora. And 72% have secured small-business certifications (e.g., Women-Owned, Veteran-Owned, etc.) that open doors for diverse founders.
These numbers don’t happen by accident. They happen because SEED SPOT identified the specific structural barriers that keep underrepresented founders’ products off national shelves and built a program to demystify the process of entering mass retail.
Logan Cuvo Started Best Dam Tape in a Dorm Room
Logan Cuvo was a student at the University of West Virginia, studying Entrepreneurship and Innovation, when he noticed something that bothered him: hockey tape was terrible. It wasn’t stretchy. It didn’t hold. Nobody seemed to be building anything better. So he built it himself. He launched Best Dam Tape from his dorm room with the kind of conviction that most people reserve for after graduation. Logan didn’t wait for the timing to be perfect. He started.
Enrolling in SEED SPOT’s Retail Brand Accelerator gave Logan what early-stage founders rarely get: the operational knowledge and the preparation to pitch to buyers, all to achieve success. He scaled operations, grew revenue, and secured orders from top professional and collegiate hockey teams. Best Dam Tape is now trusted by players for the Seattle Thunderbirds, Ohio State, and Princeton University.
“I truly believe in SEED SPOT’s mission of harnessing entrepreneurship to build social equity and economic security.”— Logan Cuvo, Founder of Best Dam Tape
The Opportunity of Retail And Who Gets Locked Out of It
Retail is often cited as the most accessible path to entrepreneurship. Unlike a software company that might take years to generate revenue, a product on a shelf starts earning the moment a customer picks it up. It’s why farmers’ markets, craft fairs, and local boutiques have always been great testing grounds for local entrepreneurs.
But mass retail, the stores that put products in front of millions of customers nationwide, is a different landscape entirely. Founders face high upfront production costs, payment terms that stretch 90 to 120 days, and margins that punish any misstep in supply chain or pricing. More than that, access to retail buyers is largely relationship-driven, and those relationships have historically been concentrated among a very narrow slice of the founder population.
The data shows that approximately 29% of small businesses are owned by BIPOC individuals, yet these founders are routinely denied the capital and connections needed to scale. Women founders receive just 1% of venture capital funding. BIPOC entrepreneurs face higher interest rates and disproportionate credit denials. The barriers aren’t about product quality. They’re about access, preparation, and proximity to the right rooms.
A Program Built to Close the Gap
SEED SPOT’s Retail Brand Accelerator, made possible by funding from the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity, was designed specifically to support underrepresented founders in unveiling the mysteries of mass retail and gaining access to the right room. The Retail Brand Accelerator is an 8-week virtual program for mature CPG brands, spanning food and beverage, beauty, apparel, wellness, and toys, ready to scale into mass retail. The program provides the education, mentorship, and connections to do so intentionally and successfully.
The program goes beyond workshops. Founders build relationships with retail buyers and distributors, receive insider knowledge on supply chain and branding, and complete the Supplier Readiness Checklist used by major retailers. There are multiple post-program opportunities (called Road to Open Call) where founders can pitch directly to buyers for the chance to bypass the lengthy procurement processes.
89 Ventures, Hundreds of Shelves, One Repeatable Model
Logan’s story is amazing, and there are many more success stories coming out of this program. Since launching in 2024, the Retail Brand Accelerator has supported 89 ventures through education, mentorship, and direct access to buyers. The results reflect what’s possible when underrepresented founders receive preparation proportional to their potential.
44% of graduates are now selling in major retail stores. 72% have obtained small business certifications recognized by national retailers. 10% are listed on Walmart Marketplace. Alumni brands are on shelves at Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods, TJ Maxx, and Sephora because they applied the knowledge and took advantage of the opportunities SEED SPOT provided.
Know a Founder Ready for Mass Retail?
Applications for the next cohort of the Retail Brand Accelerator are open. Spread the word, share this story, and help SEED SPOT put more underrepresented founders’ brands on retail shelves.
→ Apply or learn more at seedspot.org
Retail Brand Accelerator alumni: Best Dam Tape, Creast Beast, and Drinkrejuv
