Meet the 2025 NEO Signature Cohort Participants!
Northeast Ohio, get ready—because a brand-new group of bold, brilliant, change-making entrepreneurs is here! The 2025 SEA Change NEO Signature Cohort has officially launched, and we couldn’t be more excited to introduce you to this inspiring lineup of 14 social enterprises.
Introducing the 14 ventures from Northeast 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 gearing up to take their ventures to the next level.
-
BlackGirlsEmpowered (BGE) started in 2022 as a social group for Black women in Cleveland and is now evolving into a mission-driven enterprise. Our vision is to empower Black women and girls by providing targeted programs and services in education, economic development, and community support. Rooted in empowerment and connection, BGE is expanding from a supportive network to a transformative force. By amplifying voices and bridging disparities, we strive to create opportunities for thriving lives and stronger communities nationwide.
Founder: Kayla Merritt
Facebook: @blackgirlsempowered
Instagram: @black.girls.empowered
Meetup: meetup.com/blackgirlsempowered
Website: blackgirlsempowered.org -
Many people today are committed to reducing their carbon footprints and making meaningful lifestyle changes to mitigate the effects of climate change. Unfortunately, those changes can often feel overwhelming, costly, and superficial. Canton Community Composting aims to provide an easy and affordable solution by effectively diverting organic waste, like food scraps and yard waste, from landfills.
Founder: Eliza Phinney
Instagram: @compostcanton -
The purpose and goal of the Cleveland Children's Small Business Workshop and Fair is to provide beginner child entrepreneurs the platform to create, learn and grow a business. The program was implemented as a two day experience, structured as a one day workshop in September and a one day fair event in October. Students were encouraged to discover their passions and explore ways to turn that passion into a tangible product or service. They were taught how to brand their business, how to protect their business by registering with the state or applying for a patent, how to market their business and learn strategies on how to sell that product or service.
Founder: Randa Jackson
-
The Cleveland Compost Initiative (CCI) is dedicated to promoting sustainable waste management and eco-friendly practices in the Cleveland community through innovative solutions, education, and partnerships, fostering a healthier environment for future generations.
Founder: Wallace Thomas
Instagram: @cleveland_compost_initiative
Website: thecci.co -
Fashion Talks Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to amplifying diverse voices in fashion in Cleveland as well as nationally by providing a platform for emerging creatives, students, and entrepreneurs. Through runway shows, industry panels, mentorship programs, and a locally printed magazine, we create opportunities for underrepresented talent to gain visibility and access resources. Our work bridges the gap between local fashion communities and global industry standards, fostering a more inclusive, sustainable, and innovative creative economy. By partnering with designers, businesses, and organizations, we ensure that fashion is not just an art form but a catalyst for economic and social change.
Founder: Aimon Ali
Instagram: @aimon.ali | @the_fashiontalks
LinkedIn: Fashion Talks Foundation
Website: aimonali.com | fashiontalksfoundation.org -
The Group Home App is a platform for behavioral health professionals and group home owners that simplifies client placement by providing an AI-powered resource directory, self-care tools, and a way to connect with local housing options.
Founder: Eric Chatmon
TikTok: @Group Home App
Facebook: @Grouphomeapp
Instagram: @grouphomeapp
X (twitter): @Grouphomeapp -
JuxtaVandal transforms school bathrooms and other overlooked communal spaces (Locker Rooms, Hallways, Cafeterias) into art installations using affirmations, intentional design and interactive elements - creating spaces that foster creativity, mental wellbeing and pride. With the help of current students, we'll transform these spaces into safe havens for kids who just want to feel seen and supported by reminding them they matter. The goal is to introduce mindfulness through art in a space meant for relief, increasing positivity throughout the halls, and focus in the classroom.
Founder: Brittany DeMudd
Instagram: @heydemudd | @JuxtaVandal -
KneadED is a cooperative of cottage and home bakers throughout Northeast Ohio that purchase their ingredients in bulk to help reduce their overall cost of goods. Each member pays an annual dues that covers the overhead of running the cooperative. This allows them to purchase from the co-op at reduced prices, flour, butter, eggs, milk, cocoMouna, etc.
Co-founders: Saidah Farrell & Adenike Harper
Instagram: @kneadedneo -
Mouma’s brings traditional Indian flavors to modern kitchens through simple, nutritious, and easy-to-prepare lentil-based meal kits. Rooted in my grandmother’s recipes and inspired by my own experience as a busy new mom, Mouma’s was created to solve a common problem: how to get a wholesome, home-cooked meal on the table quickly, without sacrificing flavor or nutrition. Our meal kits make this possible by providing pre-measured ingredients, authentic spice blends, and straightforward instructions—helping people of all cooking skill levels prepare a delicious, plant-based meal in under 30 minutes. At its core, Mouma’s is about making healthy, home-cooked meals more accessible. We believe that nutritious, flavorful food should be easy to prepare and available to more people.
Founder: Sruti Baz
Instagram: @eatmoumas
Website: eatmoumas.com -
Public Access is revolutionizing urban transportation with our innovative vertiport network for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Founded in 2025, we aim to provide comprehensive solutions for vertiport design, airspace management, and infrastructure development, all tailored to meet regulatory standards and urban requirements. Our phased approach begins with goods transportation, addressing current logistics challenges, and will expand to passenger services as the ecosystem matures. By creating economic zones around each vertiport, we stimulate local economies, create job opportunities, and improve accessibility for both freight and passengers. Vertiports integrated strategy, combining data-driven planning, innovative funding models, and sustainability commitments, ensures that our AAM initiatives benefit all stakeholders while transforming urban mobility.
Founder: Sujit Pal
-
Shusharoo is an AI-driven platform transforming mental health by making resources accessible, affordable, and engaging. Through personalized wellness scores, self-directed tools, and gamified experiences, we empower individuals to take control of their well-being. Committed to breaking stigma and serving underserved communities, Shusharoo drives measurable social impact through a scalable, ethical model. Together, we can make mental wellness available to all.
Founder: Crissy Kolarik
Instagram: @shusharoo
LinkedIn: @shusharoo
Facebook: @Shusharoo
Website: shusharoo.com -
Sweet Bonds by the Him & Me Foundation is more than a box—it’s a moment. Created to strengthen the emotional bond between fathers and daughters, each Sweet Bonds Box includes guided conversation cards and a candy charcuterie kit. Dads choose their daughter’s favorite treats, and daughters return the gesture—turning sweetness into connection, and simple questions into lasting memories. Because one thoughtful night can build the foundation of a lifetime.
Founder: LaToyia Lewis
Instagram: @himandmeexperience | @himandmefdn
Website: himandmedance.com -
The SPOT Youth Empowerment Org empowers youth 14 to 25 through education and resources.
Founder: Teralawanda Aaron
Website: thespotyeo.com -
ToGather is a social gathering app that combats the modern-day loneliness epidemic by connecting users to local events and gathering spots, tailored to their interests and schedules. Unlike dating apps or social media, it bridges the gap between digital connections and real-life interactions, matching people with cafes, parks, bars, new friends, and more social gatherings. It acts as a “Town Bulletin Board” where you can find gatherings or even create your own, making real-world connections effortless, and memories endless. While individual users will benefit from free usage of the app to find friends, find events, and even host their own -- the venues (ex. cafes, bars, parks, etc.) benefit too by maintaining a paid subscription for ToGather in order to list their spot and host events, which drives more customers and outweighs the cost of the subscription. ToGather is a win-win solution for individuals, businesses, and society as a whole. Get together, with ToGather.
Founder: Cole Zehe
Showcase: Save the date!
Stay tuned as they grow, refine, and prepare to pitch their businesses at the grand finale NEO Showcase event on Wednesday, June 18, 2025! At this celebration, YOU will have the opportunity to network with these social entrepreneurs, support their work and be part of the movement.
