Introducing the 2024 Central Ohio Signature Cohort Participants!
Showcase Event!
You’re invited on September 11, 2024 to network with these social entrepreneurs and watch 7 of them pitch LIVE! 5-8pm at Columbus Main Library.
Every year, 30-40+ people apply for each of our free Signature Cohorts. A team is assembled to review the applications and determine who will most benefit from the program.
This year in Central Ohio, 16 ventures were selected!!! Below is a short bio on each (in alphabetical order). Please join us in congratulating these social entrepreneurs as they move forward further, faster!
Building Engineer Training Institute
Jeremiah’s Corner
Nuuma
The Clean Plate Club
Trillium Project
Vend ADA Ohio
Vocalize Inc.
Zenext
Black Health Lit
Black Health Lit offers comprehensive advisory support and strategic planning services to organizations committed to promoting health equity. Our consultative approach empowers decision-makers and teams within organizations with expert guidance, insights, and recommendations to address healthcare disparities effectively. With a focus on strategic planning for health equity, we engage in a thorough analysis of each organization's current state, identify gaps, and develop tailored roadmaps for action. We actively participate in planning, development, and sometimes execution, providing hands-on support throughout the process.
Founder: Rachel Crowder
blackhealthlit.org
Building Engineer Training Institute
Founded in 2023 in Columbus, OH, BETI is an Engineering Training Provider created to address the engineering industry's struggle to hire, train, and retain skilled engineers in the Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) sector. BETI offers Engineering Bootcamps that provide students with industry-recognized credentials and assists them in landing their first job at an engineering firm. Drawing inspiration from our founder's experiences and the transformative power of exceptional mentorship, BETI strives to bridge the gap between aspiring engineers and the companies that need them most.
Founder: Sam Miller
betibuilt.com
Columbus Fashion Academy
Columbus Fashion Academy, a pioneering social enterprise, is dedicated to transforming lives through fashion. With a mission rooted in sustainability, inclusivity, and education, we're setting a new standard for how fashion is perceived and how it can influence well-being, mental health, and self-confidence. Through our comprehensive afterschool programs, workshops, summer camps and special events spread across Columbus, we offer a sanctuary for artistic freedom and a platform for empowerment.
Founder: Priscila Teixeira
columbusfashionacademy.com
Fort Buffalo
An amazing building was purchased in 2020 that is currently being renovated to become a marketplace/ community meeting place with a focus on wellness, art, and art education. We will offer clean food and drink options, retail space with sustainable/ repurposed goods and antiques, art/ art classes, live music, events, a yoga studio, and more. The space will be an experience; its history will be on display in a creative way. I’m a metal artist and have been creating metal sculptures to display inside the space. I will teach welding classes and have community members teach their respective arts/ trades. I hope to partner with the local schools to hold art shows for the students, to teach them to run and set up their own gallery shows. Murals and art will be on display throughout the buildings and green spaces. Wildflowers and produce are already being grown on-site, and I hope to teach homesteading and gardening to the community.
Founder: Allison Meade
fortbuffalo.com
Four Indigos Care Trail & Outcamp
Tiny house lodging, donkeys and a bereavement care trail on 5 wooded acres.
Founder: Kay Kneisley-Carroll
Hatch + Nest
Hatch & Nest is a comprehensive maternal health platform dedicated to providing culturally relevant education, community support, and trusted provider connections for women of color during the prenatal and postpartum periods. Recognizing the unique challenges and disparities faced by this community, Hatch & Nest aims to empower and support these mothers throughout their journey to motherhood.
Founder: Dominique Jackson
@hatchandnestlist
Heroes Movement LLC
Heroes empowers young adults to reach their potential, live meaningful lives, and use their gifts to make the world a better place. Through our Pathfinder Program, retreats, Hero Guide and Hero Match services, and educational resources, we are empowering the next generation of young leaders to find themselves, find their way, and build the life of their dreams. We believe that any individual courageous enough to want more for themselves and those around them should have no barriers to doing so.
Founder: Noah Alfman
theheromovement.org
ITI Assistive Technologies Inc
ITI’s mission is to develop effective, adaptive supports for neurodivergent adults in support of positive well-being; to build trust and keep faith with the Autistic/ADHD community; and to support disability-led organizations’ efforts to provide direct assistance. Our vision is a world in which Autistic/ADHD adults thrive and contribute their fullest potential to society through interdependence.
Founder: Shannan Palma
itiassistivetechnologies.com
Jeremiah’s Corner
Tutoring for all ages and abilities, consultation for families, schools, and businesses, advocacy and IEP support.
Founder: Jessica Bennett
jeremiahscorner.com
Nuuma
Nuuma Care is a holistic platform designed to support mothers by easing the mental load of motherhood. It combines management, wellness tools, and a community network to help moms manage daily challenges, prioritize self-care, and connect with others on similar journeys.
Founder: Faisa Ali
Operation Phoenix
Operation Phoenix is a unique prototype that combines a nonprofit and social enterprise. Its first stage, Phoenix Ranch, focuses on housing homeless veterans in tiny homes, offering them treatment, skilled trade training, and involving them in therapeutic community gardens and livestock care to rebuild their sense of purpose. The second stage, Phoenix Trade Works, operates as a social enterprise construction contractor, employing veterans who have completed their training. This stage helps veterans enhance their resumes and skills. Finally, Operation Phoenix assists veterans in relocating and finding employment in a new city closer to their family or loved ones when they are ready.
Founder: Joshua Doran
linkedin.com/in/joshua-doran-2278a4140/
The Clean Plate Club
At our company, we're not just about serving up delicious meals; we're dedicated to nurturing communities and empowering individuals through food. Our partnerships with local schools, like Kids Care Academy, are at the heart of our mission. By incorporating fresh produce from our gardens into school meals, we not only boost nutrition but also foster a deeper understanding of food origins. This collaboration has led to significant improvements in student test scores, attendance rates, and overall participation, highlighting the positive impact of nutritious meals on academic success.
Founder: Brian Davis
cleanplateclub.life
Trillium Project
We leverage core values and local support for creative place-making and cultural exchange projects that address the changing needs of our community by providing local artists and culture bearers with resources and access to working opportunities in visual arts. We lead, coordinate, and support community-engaged programs and initiatives that focus on using art, culture, and activism as a catalyst for long-term systems change that empower struggling Appalachian communities.
Founder: Amanda Lewis
trillium-project.org
Vocalize Inc.
Vocalize Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to connecting volunteer medical interpreters with free and charitable clinics in need. We seek to improve health outcomes for limited English proficiency (LEP) patients, who access healthcare through free or charitable clinics. Historically, Vocalize has provided over $300,000 worth of free medical interpretation services to patients; alleviating the burdensome cost of our 4 partner clinics.
Founder: Lia Gomez-Perez
vocalizecolumbus.org
Vend ADA Ohio
Vend ADA Ohio was created to offer vending machine options geared towards people with disabilities so that they could use vending machines with the technology that makes purchasing and retrieving your selection as easy as possible.
Founder: Jeremy Pauley
@facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075522773866
Zenext
Zenext AI is dedicated to harnessing the power of AI to make public safety operations more efficient, proactive, and effective, ultimately contributing to safer communities and better-prepared emergency response teams.
Founder: Mayur Srivastava
zenext.io
You’re invited to the finale!!!
September 11, 2024
Network with these social entrepreneurs and watch them pitch LIVE!
You’re invited to the SEA Change Central Ohio Showcase Event this September! Experience a night filled with inspiration, innovation, and networking as we celebrate and champion these social entrepreneurs in Central Ohio!