Meet the 2025 Central Ohio Signature Cohort Participants!
Central Ohio, get ready—because a brand-new group of change-making social entrepreneurs are here! The 2025 SEA Change Central Ohio Signature Cohort has officially launched, and we couldn’t be more excited to introduce you to this inspiring lineup of 16 ventures.
Introducing the 16 ventures from Central Ohio!
Over the next four months, these founders and team members will dive deep into our accelerator—honing their business models, connecting with mentors, and working hard to take their ventures’ impact to the next level.
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All THAT - Teens Hopeful About Tomorrow empowers teens through a student-run marketplace selling snacks, beverages, hygiene products, school supplies, and small gifts, teaching retail and business management skills while funding programming. Teens also gain workforce training through microbusinesses like catering, food service, and pop-up coffee carts or smoothie bars, learning customer service, cash handling, and entrepreneurship. Proceeds from these ventures support All THAT activities, creating a sustainable model for teen development.
Founder: Danella Hicks
Website: all-that.org
LinkedIn: Danella Hicks -
Welcome to Buds in Bloom in Canal Winchester, Ohio, where we reconnect people with nature through forest therapy, conservation, and wellness. We offer guided walks, workshops, and handcrafted products to support mental, physical, and relational health. Our five-acre sanctuary provides retreats for children, small groups, and corporate teams, with a focus on reducing stress and improving well-being. We partner with local metro parks and healthcare providers to expand access to forest therapy. Through sustainable practices, we nurture both people and the environment, creating a harmonious space for healing.
Founders: Michelle Ward & Douglas Ward
Facebook: @budsinbloomwellness
Instagram: @budsinbloomwellness
LinkedIn: Buds In Bloom -
Caroline Inspires LLC empowers Black and underrepresented youth, especially girls, through leadership development, mentorship, and cultural exposure via workshops, national travel, and creative arts programs. The organization prioritizes mental health and social impact with initiatives like the Tunes, Turkey, Thanks & Therapy™ Experience and the KnewNorth™ Experience, while fundraising for career readiness resources and creating Third Space opportunities that dismantle financial and educational barriers. Revenue from speaking, coaching, and consulting sustains its mission and expands its reach. At its core, Caroline Inspires equips youth with the tools, confidence, and community to thrive in school, life, and beyond.
Founder: Caroline Bennett
Instagram: @carolineinspires
Facebook: @CarolineINSPIRES
LinkedIn: Caroline INSPIRES Bennett
YouTube: @CarolineINSPIRES
Website: carolineinspires.com -
CountBubble, LLC offers a web-app that simplifies data collection and reporting for human service nonprofits, saving time and resources for small organizations managing multiple programs. By replacing inefficient tools like spreadsheets and paper files, it generates reports quickly, allowing nonprofits to focus on their mission. The affordable software aims to make high-quality data management accessible to even the smallest nonprofits.
Founders: Ryan Brooks & Uriah McCanna
Facebook: @countbubble
YouTube: @countbubble
LinkedIn: countbubble | Ryan C Brooks | Uriah McCanna -
Freedom Pipeline, founded by software developers aiming to reduce recidivism, provides a platform with document storage, goal tracking, and a resource hub to streamline the transition from incarceration. The organization aims to break down barriers and create opportunities for lasting change through technology. A pilot program will pay individuals in a reentry workforce development program to provide feedback on the application’s effectiveness.
Founders: Stephanie Navarro Lopez + Miranda Kolker + Alberto Leong Faundes + Stephen Hegele
LinkedIn: Freedom Pipeline
Instagram: @thefreedompipeline -
Founded in 2024, The Language Treehouse provides in-school translation services for English Language Learner students, fostering inclusive learning environments that honor their native languages. The organization empowers new American students to engage fully with their curriculum and thrive academically. Its mission is to bridge language gaps in public education, ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed.
Founder: Esha Sharma
LinkedIn: The Language Treehouse | Esha Sharma -
Makerspace Central is a Columbus, Ohio-based nonprofit focused on providing high-quality STEM/STEAM experiences to underserved & under-represented K-12 youth. The organization fosters hands-on learning to inspire creativity, innovation, and career readiness in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). Through our pop-up makerspace events, student participants use foundational STEAM principles on a path of self-discovery, empowering the next generation of problem-solvers.
Founder: Iddrisu Seidu
Instagram: @makerspace.central
LinkedIn: Makerspace Central | Iddrisu Seidu
Website: makerspacecentral.org -
Mecca Beverage House (MBH) is an incubator and production facility empowering Black and minority-owned craft beverage brands with affordable contract brewing, mentorship, marketing support, and distribution access. The organization fosters an inclusive ecosystem to remove barriers and help underrepresented entrepreneurs thrive in the competitive craft beverage industry. Its mission promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion while supporting sustainable business growth.
Founder: Sizzle Perry
Instagram: @meccabevhouse
LinkedIn: Mecca Beverage House | Sizzle Perry -
Natural AWA LLC is a sustainable skincare brand crafting toxin-free products with fair-trade ingredients sourced from African women’s cooperatives, promoting self-confidence and natural beauty. The organization supports rural communities by providing sustainable incomes and uses eco-friendly packaging like glass and bamboo to conserve nature. Its mission blends traditional African beauty rituals with green practices to improve both skin and lives.
Founder: Awa Mbaye
LinkedIn: Awa Mbaye
Facebook: @naturalawabeauty
Instagram: @naturalawabeauty
Website: naturalawa.com -
Raise The Bar (RTB) is more than just a sports bar—it’s a movement creating a vibrant, inclusive space in Columbus, Ohio, where fans can gather to watch women’s teams while enjoying locally sourced food and drinks. RTB redefines the sports bar experience by building a community around women’s sports, offering programming like training for female coaches and resources for local athletes to grow their careers. By leveraging the surging popularity of women’s sports and Columbus’s sports culture, RTB aims to make the city a hub for women’s athletics, fostering connection and opportunity.
Founder: Amy Cooper
Instagram: @raisethebarcbus
Facebook: @raisethebarcbus
Website: raisethebarcbus.com -
Remember Us Urban Legends offers "Hustle and Grow" after-school programs, providing teens with landscaping, leadership, ambassador, and bicycle activities to build life skills and career readiness. The nonprofit partners with Landscaping With Purpose, a for-profit employing returning citizens, to create sustainable revenue and job pathways for program graduates. Its mission is to foster positive relationships, community contribution, and professional growth for teens in a safe environment.
Founders: Miguel Tucker & Miracle Reason
Instagram: @ruurbanlegends
Facebook: @ruurbanlegends
LinkedIn: Remember Us Urban Legends
Website: ruurbanlegends.org -
SustainaBuild Cob Homes designs and builds eco-friendly cob homes using natural materials like clay, sand, and straw to promote sustainable, affordable living with minimal environmental impact. The organization combines traditional techniques with modern innovations to address climate change, resource depletion, and housing affordability. Its mission is to foster healthier, resilient communities while inspiring a global movement toward sustainable living.
Founder: Maurielle She.E.O
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The Clean Plate Club provides fresh, locally sourced meals to schools, soldiers at Beightler Armory, and communities, integrating farm-to-table nutrition and launching a 2025 greenhouse project for student education in agriculture and culinary skills. The organization collaborates with food pantries and farmers to enhance access to nutritious food while offering workforce development and nutrition education. Its mission is to build a healthier future through sustainable food practices and community impact.
Founder: Brian Davis
Instagram: @cleanthatplate -
The Garden District Corporation operates eight community farms and gardens, supplying sustainably grown produce to food pantries and a subscription-based fresh produce box program that donates to unhoused youth via Kaleidoscope Youth Center. As an LGBTQAI+-led nonprofit, it also offers community garden plots and seedling sales to foster nature connection and combat food insecurity. Its mission is to nourish communities while providing a safe space for all.
Founder: Sean McKay
LinkedIn: Sean McKay
Instagram: @sean_mckay_urban_farmer
Facebook: @GardendistrictCBUS
Website: gardendistrictcorp.org -
The Grief Club creates safe, accessible spaces for individuals to navigate loss through facilitated healing sessions, community events like open mic nights, and educational training. It normalizes grief, addressing its impact on mind, body, and spirit, with initiatives like the annual "Heal Your Inner Child Field Day" for emotional release. The organization partners with local groups to ensure grief support is widely available, redefining how people heal together.
Founder: Cortland Mullins
Team: Kyle Flemings
LinkedIn: Cortland Mullins | Kyle Flemings
Website: wearethegriefclub.com -
The Women of War Foundation (WOW) presents the WOW! Bravo Zulu (a military term meaning well-done) Career Talent Agency. Bravo Zulu empowers military members, veterans, spouses, and dependents with career exploration, coaching, resume writing, interview prep, and placement services. It also offers practical support like the Career Closet and transportation, plus LinkedIn optimization for an online presence. With Bravo Zulu, we connect well-done talent to exceptional career opportunities.
Founder: LaToya Dowdell-Burger
Facebook: @womenofwarfoundation
LinkedIn: LaToya Dowdell-Burger
Showcase: Save the date!
Stay tuned as they grow, refine, and prepare to pitch their businesses at the grand finale Showcase event + SEA Change’s 10th Birthday Party on Saturday, August 9, 2025!!! At this celebration, YOU will have the opportunity to network with these social entrepreneurs, support their work and be part of the impact!
