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SEED SPOT

PHOENIX, AZ · EIN 454098436 · Form 990 · FY2021 · NTEE S43 · Community Improvement · Medium ($1M-$10M) · www.seedspot.org
revenue
$2.0M
expenses
$1.5M
net assets
$775K
employees
11
volunteers
111
program ratio
72%
mission · from form 990

EDUCATING, ACCELERATING, AND INVESTING IN DIVERSE, IMPACT DRIVEN ENTREPRENEURS.

profile · synthesized from sources

SEED SPOT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, accelerating, and investing in diverse, impact-driven entrepreneurs. They provide tailored support and resources to help founders create sustainable businesses that address social challenges. Operating primarily in Arizona, SEED SPOT connects entrepreneurs with mentors and funding opportunities to enhance their ventures.

named programs · 3 · from sources

what they call their work

Community Health Incubator
A program focused on supporting entrepreneurs with solutions that improve community health outcomes.
Impact Accelerator
An 8-week program providing expert training, personalized coaching, and resources to help diverse entrepreneurs grow their ventures and increase their social impact.
Retail Brand Accelerator
An 8-week accelerator designed for maturing consumer packaged goods brands to prepare them for success in mass retail through tailored education and mentorship.
activities · 5 clusters

what they do

  • Entrepreneurship Accelerator & Training Programs 9 activities
    • 2-Day Launch Camp Workshops
      Offers "2-Day Launch Camp" workshops for early idea-stage entrepreneurs to start or grow their businesses, providing mentors, tools, and templates. These camps were operated from November 2017 to March 2025.
    • 2-Day Launch Camp Workshops
      Offers a "2-Day Launch Camp" workshop for early idea-stage entrepreneurs to start or grow their businesses, providing mentors, tools, and templates. This program was operated from November 2017 to March 2025 and included the Nonprofit Launch Camp.
    • Entrepreneurial Skill Development
      Provides instructor-led programs and coaching to help entrepreneurs develop essential business skills, including creating pitch decks, conducting competitor analysis, building business budgets, and developing sales funnels and customer acquisition strategies.
    • Entrepreneurial Skill Development
      Provides instructor-led programs that include expert training, quick-start tools, and personalized coaching to help entrepreneurs launch and grow businesses. This includes assisting participants in developing pitch decks, building competitor analyses, creating or updating business budgets, and establishing actionable sales funnels and customer acquisition strategies.
    • Impact Accelerator Program
      Operates an eight-week immersive Impact Accelerator program that provides personalized support, coaching, targeted trainings, and tools to help high-impact and impact-driven ventures grow revenue and prepare for fundraising and investment readiness. This program also includes specialized tracks such as the Mental & Behavioral Health Impact Accelerator and the Community Health Incubator.
    • Impact Accelerator Program
      Operates an eight-week immersive Impact Accelerator program that provides personalized support, coaching, targeted trainings, and tools to help high-impact and impact-driven ventures grow revenue and prepare for fundraising and investment readiness.
    • Retail Brand Accelerator Programs
      Operates accelerator programs, such as the 8-week virtual accelerator and the Ascend Retail Business Accelerator, for maturing CPG brands to prepare them for scaling into mass retail, focusing on sales, supply chain, brand identity, and retailer compliance. These programs have resulted in 44% of graduates selling products in major retail stores and 72% securing small-business certifications.
    • Retail Brand Accelerator Programs
      Operates an 8-week virtual accelerator program for maturing CPG brands preparing to scale into mass retail, focusing on sales refinement, supply chain capacity, brand identity, and retailer compliance. This includes programs like the Ascend Retail Business Accelerator and the Emerging Brand Accelerator.
    • Specialized Health-Focused Accelerators
      Offers specialized accelerator programs like the Mental & Behavioral Health Impact Accelerator and the Community Health Incubator (including the VOA Futures Fund Community Health Incubator) for entrepreneurs focused on improving community health outcomes.
  • Women and Minority Business Certification 2 activities
    • Walmart Partnership Events and Pitch Opportunities
      Hosts "Road to Open Call" events in partnership with Walmart, providing in-person opportunities for founders to pitch products to Walmart buyers. This includes arranging 30-minute meetings with buyers, facilitating "fast-pass" opportunities for well-qualified entrepreneurs to pitch live at Walmart's annual Open Call event, and offering virtual prep workshops with mentorship to tailor pitches.
    • Walmart Partnership Programs
      Hosts "Road to Open Call" events and virtual prep workshops in partnership with Walmart, providing opportunities for founders to pitch products to Walmart buyers, receive feedback, and gain "fast-pass" access to Walmart's annual Open Call event.
  • Alumni Community Engagement & Support 1 activity
    • Alumni Support and Networking
      Provides lifetime alumni benefits, including connections with industry leaders and entrepreneurs, ongoing personalized support, mentorship, preferred pricing on business services, and access to funding opportunities. The organization has supported alumni ventures for over 12 years.
  • Small Business Technical Assistance & Counseling 1 activity
    • Mentor Network
      Offers a mentor network composed of industry experts, active investors, and alumni to support entrepreneurs participating in their programs.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Alumni Support and Networking
      Provides lifetime alumni benefits, including connections with industry leaders and entrepreneurs, ongoing personalized support, mentorship, preferred pricing on business services, and access to funding opportunities, having supported alumni ventures for over 12 years.
financials · form 990 · fy2021

the money

revenue
Total revenue$1.99M
Contributions & grants$1.58M79%
Program service revenue$337K17%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$76K
expenses
Total expenses$1.49M
Program expenses72%
Admin / overhead19%
Fundraising9%
Salaries & benefits$607K
Grants paid out$59K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.07M
Cash$741K
Investments$0
Liabilities$293K
Net assets$775K
Liquid reserves6.0 mo
2 years on record · 2020–2021 · YoY revenue +68.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2021

who runs it

paid leadership · 3
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
ZACHARY LEVERENZ CEO 40 $167K
LAUREN MCDANELL VP of Strategy 40 $109K
ERIN O'SHEA CFO 30 $15K
board members · 12
  • BRENT PAPEK — Director
  • BRIAN HILL — Director
  • COURTNEY KLEIN — Director
  • Joronda Montao — Director
  • MICHAEL ELLENBY — Director
  • MOLLY MATTHEWS — Director
  • PATRICK ARMSTRONG — Director
  • RASHAD MOORE — Director
  • RUSSELL GOLDSTEIN — Chairman
  • SENTARI MINOR — Secretary
  • SUSAN PENFIELD — Director
  • Sheila Herrling — Director
relationships · 21

who they work with

  • 92NY’s Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact Partner — Partnered on the UpTide Nonprofit Accelerator.
  • Agriscaping Partner — Alumni venture that received legal support and assistance with an assessment plan from SEED SPOT programming.
  • BMO Funder — Provides funding for the Impact Accelerator program.
  • Bank of America Funder — Provides funding for the Impact Accelerator program.
  • Check for a Lump Partner — Alumni venture that gained clear goals and direction from the Impact Accelerator program.
  • DEI Pro Finder Partner — Alumni venture that launched officially after graduating from the Impact Accelerator program.
  • HackBAC Ventures Partner — Alumni venture that met an early sponsor at an Impact Accelerator pitch event.
  • Kiita Foundation Funder — Provides funding for the Impact Accelerator program.
  • Kroger Partner — Retail outlet where graduates of the Retail Brand Accelerator sell products.
  • LA Foundation Funder — Provides funding for the Impact Accelerator program.
  • Naked Rebellion Partner — Alumni venture that gained traction and business leadership from the Impact Accelerator program.
  • Pulliam Funder — Provides funding for the Impact Accelerator program.
  • Sephora Partner — Retail outlet where graduates of the Retail Brand Accelerator sell products.
  • TJ Maxx Partner — Retail outlet where graduates of the Retail Brand Accelerator sell products.
  • The Foundress Partner — Alumni venture that gained clear goals and direction to grow its community from the Impact Accelerator program.
  • VOA Futures Fund Partner — Partnered on the Community Health Incubator program.
  • Walmart Partner — Partners to host "Road to Open Call" events, providing entrepreneurs with opportunities to pitch products to Walmart buyers.
  • Walmart Partner — Retail outlet where graduates of the Retail Brand Accelerator sell products.
  • Whole Foods Partner — Retail outlet where graduates of the Retail Brand Accelerator sell products.
  • Yelp Foundation Funder — Provides funding for the Impact Accelerator program.
  • major retailers Partner — Partners with major retailers to align program mentoring and training with their supplier criteria and to facilitate retail buyer connections.