SEED SPOT, one of the nation’s leading social enterprise incubators, announces the appointment of Sentari Minor of Scottsdale-based behavioral health integrator evolvedMD as Chair of its board of directors, Savannah Onwochei of global social media platform Meta as Secretary, and Erin O’Shea of nationwide online fashion reseller ThredUp as Treasurer.
Additionally, SEED SPOT welcomes two new members to its board of directors: Nahla Salem of climate-tech startup Haven Energy, and Janine Davison, formerly of tech giant Intel.
SEED SPOT offers accelerator programs for diverse, impact-driven entrepreneurs in Arizona and beyond. The Arizona 501(c)(3) provides wrap-around support and mentorship–including business education, access to process resources and industry experts, community partner introductions, capital sources, and more–to underrepresented founders focused on social impact innovation in areas such as health and wellness, environmental sustainability, economic equality, civic engagement and education.
“We are thrilled that Mr. Minor, Ms. Onwochei and Ms. O’Shea will form the leadership of our board,” said SEED SPOT co-founder and board member Courtney Klein. “Their talents bring tremendous value to our entrepreneurs during their earliest stages of growth and impact, and these leaders’ decades of experience will propel SEED SPOT forward in its mission to educate, accelerate, and invest in diverse impact-driven entrepreneurs.”
Through community donations and corporate support, SEED SPOT hosts numerous programming and educational opportunities for social impact entrepreneurs, including their signature eight-week immersive Impact Accelerator, 2-Day Launch Camps, Startup Spring Training, Angel Investor Training, Volunteers of America Futures Fund Community Health Incubator powered by SEED SPOT, and more.
Sentari Minor is best known as an award-winning company culture and strategy expert who has spent more than a decade cultivating new businesses, building brands, and moving people and ideas at several category-leading enterprises and nonprofits in the Southwest. He received “40 Under 40” recognition in 2022 from the Phoenix Business Journal and is currently Vice President of Strategy and Chief of Staff at evolvedMD in Scottsdale, Arizona, an Inc. 5000 firm. In addition to supporting capacity building at SEED SPOT, Mr. Minor directly serves SEED SPOT entrepreneurs as a content expert and business mentor.
Savannah Onwochei is an experienced commercial venture strategist specializing in technology, aviation, and the international development sectors. In her current role at Meta, Ms. Onwochei serves as a Product Marketing Manager leading product development and go-to-market efforts of early-stage investments in the eCommerce Division of Facebook. She has worked across the globe in 10 countries in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe supporting U.S. government-funded economic development programs. Ms. Onwochei’s brand and marketing expertise will empower SEED SPOT to reach more underrepresented founders who can benefit from its transformative services.
Erin O’Shea has built an impressive accounting and finance career at brands like GoDaddy and Legg Mason, and currently serves as Treasurer at the world’s largest fashion resale site ThreadUp, which inspires its millions of young users to think secondhand first. The company has spent the past 10 years building a marketplace and infrastructure now poised to power the $50 billion resale economy and usher in a more sustainable fashion future. As a longtime board member and SEED SPOT content expert, Ms. O’Shea has been instrumental in guiding SEED SPOT through the financial challenges of the recent pandemic and economic climate so the organization can fulfill its mission.
Nahla Salem is a software product management leader and is currently Head of Product at climate-tech startup Haven Energy, where she specializes in the areas of enterprise/B2B software and artificial intelligence. Her experience spans the fields of Retail, e-commerce, manufacturing and marketplaces. Ms. Salem’s proximity to these industries–all central to SEED SPOT beneficiaries’ business ventures–ensure the organization can continually evolve interventions to incubate and accelerate the most effective marketplace solutions.
Janine Davison comes to SEED SPOT with an extensive background as a senior leader at Intel. Over her career, she was intimately involved in several transformational organizational initiatives, which included the Internet of Things, global channels/distribution, and new business ventures. Her experience empowering businesses with cutting edge technologies will play an instrumental role in SEED SPOT’s partnership strategy, building upon existing collaborations with the Best Buy Foundation, Volunteers of America Futures Fund Community Health Incubator, Booz Allen Hamilton, and more.
“I’ve been part of the SEED SPOT family for nearly a decade,” Minor explains. “The social and economic capital access that SEED SPOT provides is transformational for underrepresented entrepreneurs committed to social impact, and equips citizens from around the world to address their communities’ most pressing problems through sustainable business solutions. I’m honored to be in a position to have a genuine impact on the lives of emerging entrepreneurs; their spirit of innovation is truly inspiring!”
SEED SPOT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting all social entrepreneurs creating a product, service, or technology that improves lives or makes the world a better place. Since its founding in 2012, the organization has served more than 3,000 entrepreneurs nationwide with 75 percent of alumni identifying as one or more underrepresented groups in the business community. To learn more visit SEEDSPOT.org.
About SEED SPOT
SEED SPOT was ranked as a top 5 private business accelerator and most promising for social impact by UBI Global at the World Incubation Summit in Doha, Qatar in 2019. SEED SPOT supports entrepreneurs through programs such as webinars, 2-Day Launch Camps, Startup Spring Training, the Impact Accelerator, and partnership programming with brands such as Best Buy Foundation, the Walmart Foundation for Racial Equity, and Booz Allen Hamilton.
SEED SPOT has served 3,009 entrepreneurs since 2012 who have raised $122M in capital, generated $306M in revenue, created 5,364 new jobs, and impacted the lives of millions of people with their products, services, and technologies.
SEED SPOT also won a 2016 Emmy for their partnership with Univision supporting Latino entrepreneurs through Véndeme tu Sueño. With a mission to educate, accelerate, and invest in diverse, impact-driven entrepreneurs, SEED SPOT supports innovators building products, services, and technologies that improve lives or communities.
NATIONAL GOVERNING BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Sentari Minor (Board Chair)
Vice President of Strategy + Chief of Staff
evolvedMD
Savannah Onwochei (Secretary)
Product Marketing Manager
Facebook (Meta)
Erin O’Shea (Treasurer)
Treasurer
thredUP
Russell S. Goldstein
Senior Vice President
Bank of America
Courtney Klein
Hillary Edmund Fellow
Co-Founder, SEED SPOT
Rashad Moore
Managing Partner
G11 Technology Partners
Joronda Montaño
Creator and Co-Founder
Neckup Checkup
Brian Hill
Executive Director
Phoenix Fashion Week
John Gaylord
Partner
EY
Nahla Salem
Head of Product
Haven Energy
Janine Davison
IoT / Edge Channel Director
Intel
Susan Penfield
Executive Vice President,
Booz Allen Hamilton
