INFINITE IMPACT
Catholicism in America is at a critical juncture
It’s no secret that the Catholic faith is in crisis. The cultural and economic shifts over the last century have led to an unprecedented exodus from Catholicism across the globe. The good news is that we’ve been here before. It’s time for renewal, and we believe that saintly founders are the solution.
American entrepreneurship drives culture globally and has a scalable impact, but imagine if that impact were defined by entrepreneurs building with a Catholic lens.
That’s not happening now because the ecosystems that support entrepreneurship are often hostile to Catholic values. At SENT we’re dedicated to supporting your need for talent, capital, and strategy while also supporting your faith journey.
Don’t Build Alone.
WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT
To succeed in business, you need an ecosystem of support for talent, capital, and strategy.
In the press
ENTREPRENEURS OF THE SPIRIT GUIDE
Learn The 5 Key Characteristics Of Entrepreneurial Saints And How You Can Apply Them Today
Meet the team
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Before founding SENT, John got degrees in Finance, Political Science, and Business from Notre Dame, Oxford, and Harvard. He was an investment banker, boutique management consultant, and Policy Advisor to the Governor of Alabama.
He then became a Carmelite Brother for 7 years where he pursued advanced degrees in Philosophy and Theology, delving into the study of founder Saints.
He eventually discerned out to found SENT and help Catholic founders and execs take their ventures and lives to the next level.
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JCK is a faith-driven entrepreneur who is passionate about ecumenism, moonshot entrepreneurial ideas, and bridging the gap between faith and work.
Prior to joining SENT, JCK studied Philosophy, Theology, and History at Covenant College and Oxford University, founded multiple ventures, was a start-up operations consultant, and led operations for SURV, a growth-stage company based in RI. He is a pianist, composer, poet, outdoorsman, want-to-be chef, and an endurance athlete.
You will find JCK and his lovely wife, Josefa, sipping espresso, singing hymns, and savoring homemade pizza at their home in Greenville, SC.
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Ana is an accomplished international business professional, graduating summa cum laude from one of the top universities in Mexico and Latin America. With a background in logistics, market research, and entrepreneurship, she has cultivated her skills through academic journeys across Asia, Europe, and North America.
Passionate about integrating faith and business, she now works at SENT, where she helps Catholic business leaders pursue their ventures and virtues, striving to foster integrity and excellence in the business world.
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Nick is a faith-filled entrepreneur with a passion for building community.
He leads Red Door Escape Room as CEO with a focus on delivering refreshingly human connections to guests across the country. With his guidance, Red Door has grown to 16 locations, served well over 1,000,000 guests and earned over 30,000 5-star reviews.
While he loves building businesses, Nick’s top priorities are his faith and his family. He lives in San Diego with his wife and children and loves gamifying life, telling stories and learning jujitsu.
HEAD OF MEMBER TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY
CEO, Red Door Escape Room: scaled from 1-16 sites
2-year SENT member
Harvard University
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Ruben de Noronha is Head of Community Success at SENT Ventures, distinguished by a diverse background that spans analytics, digital strategy, and entrepreneurship. By age 23, his insights on entrepreneurial subjects had already graced TEDx stages and informed strategic advice to the UK Prime Minister's team and the Mayor of London. His career includes impactful roles at Bain & Company, Virgin Media O2 and Bloomberg LP. Ruben is dedicated to cultivating a thriving community at SENT Ventures, steering our mission forward.
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Fernando is a seasoned management consultant and Catholic entrepreneur with expertise in the FinTech and CleanTech sectors. He has also led and launched successful ventures in Real Estate, AI, networking, and EdTech. His diverse experience and commitment to faith-driven entrepreneurship make him a distinguished member of our Catholic business community.
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Anthony relies on 10 years’ experience in Catholic ministry and educational leadership and four years building sales teams and launching new products to drive Spirit-led and person-centered initiatives at SENT Ventures. His main focus is leading SENT’s Fellowship Program, working with SENT’s coaches to transform the way Catholic leaders do business.
Anthony and his wife, Loren, live in southern Missouri with their six children. They enjoy traveling, hiking, swimming, reading, and farming.
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Matthew manages SENT’s systems and data-analysis. He graduated with a dual major in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the University of Dayton, where he led multiple organizations and started a Rosary bracelet business. Following his undergraduate, he gained valuable experience in the energy industry. Matthew currently lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, Kelly, where they have cherished getting involved with the vibrant local Catholic community.
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Katherine Sharafinski studied English literature at the University of Dallas, where she co-founded a women’s society and was part of UD’s branch of Sigma Tau Delta. She began with SENT as an intern, worked as a contractor her senior year of college, and now is grateful to be using her liberal arts degree to write and problem-solve at SENT every day as the Marketing Manager. She currently resides in Northern Virginia and enjoys traveling, writing, and searching for the perfect cappuccino.
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Caroline Morris, SENT’s Marketing Content Coordinator, is a freelance writer and editor. After graduating with a degree in English from the Catholic University of America in 2022, where she was on the executive board of the literary magazine, newspaper, and undergraduate research journal, she and her laptop went on the road, traveling and working remotely across Europe. She’s now settled back in her original home state of Pennsylvania and lives in Philadelphia. She fills her free time with her own creative writing, reading, music and dance, baking, and talking an enormous amount to anyone who will listen.
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Lucy discovered her passion for crafting compelling copy through previous internship experiences. She currently studies Communication Arts and Marketing at Franciscan University of Steubenville while she pursues a part-time marketing career.
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A finalist of Mexico's National Design Award 2023, Diana has collaborated with top brands as a freelancer. Specializing in captivating designs that elevate businesses, she ensures seamless alignment with client goals for success.
About the FOUNDER
Before his profound conversion, John achieved exceptional academic milestones, earning degrees in Finance, Political Science, and Business from renowned institutions such as The University of Notre Dame, Oxford University, and Harvard Business School. He excelled as an investment banker, built a boutique management consulting practice, and served as a Policy Advisor to the Governor of Alabama.
However, a profound awakening led John to embrace a new path—one of spiritual exploration and growing closer to God. Setting aside his worldly ambition, he joined a Carmelite monastery. There, John immersed himself in prayer, teaching, and various ministries. His desire to contribute to the renewal of the Church led him to pursue advanced degrees in Philosophy and Theology, delving into the study of founder Saints.
Guided by his renewed faith and inspired by Saint founders, John discerned out of the monastery to found SENT—a network for Spirit-led founders dedicated to fostering transformational change in the world.
Want to learn more about John’s story?
Meet our ADVISORY BOARD
Andreas Widmer
Director of the Arthur & Carlyse Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship, CUA
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Andreas E. Widmer is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and the director of the Art & Carlyse Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship at The Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business. Previously he co-founded The SEVEN Fund, a philanthropic organization promoting enterprise solutions to poverty. Widmer is a seasoned business executive with experience in high-tech, international business strategy, consulting and economic development. He served as CEO of the business strategy firm OTF Group (formerly part of the Monitor Group) and helped lead web content management pioneer Eprise Corporation, speech recognition pioneer Dragon Systems, and internet pioneer FTP Software. He has worked extensively in the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, has brought more than 100 leading-edge technology products to market, and was an executive in residence at Highland Capital Partners.
Andreas is the author of The Pope & The CEO: Pope Saint John Paul II’s Lessons to a Young Swiss Guard, a book exploring leadership lessons that Widmer learned serving as a Swiss Guard protecting Pope John Paul II and refined during his career as a successful business executive. Widmer served as a Pontifical Swiss Guard from 1986-1988, protecting Pope John Paul II. He holds two business degrees from Switzerland, plus a B.S. in International Business from Merrimack College and an M.A. in Ministry from St. John’s Seminary in Boston.
Charlie Echeverry
Founder Black//Brown Collective
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Deacon Charlie is Vice Chairman of Catholic Answers, the world’s most respected English-language apologetics and evangelization apostolate. He is Chairman of the National Communications Committee for the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (C.A.L.L. – founded by Archbishops Jose Gomez & Charles Chaput). He is Chairman of the Vida Initiative, an apostolate founded by Astrid Bennet Gutierrez (EWTN) dedicated to raising pro-life leaders from the Latino community. He is also President of SOFESA, a non-profit organization founded by his wife in 1999 that assists homeless and low-income families in Southern California.
Deacon Charlie is the founder of the Black//Brown Collective a Los Angeles-based business accelerator focused at the intersection of emerging platforms & emerging audiences.
Karl Wirth
Founder of Evergage (acquired by Salesforce)
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Karl Wirth is a business leader and entrepreneur. He co-founded Evergage in 2010 and, as CEO, led the company from startup to the leading personalization platform on the market to successful acquisition. He is now leading and scaling the business for Salesforce, which acquired his company. Prior to Evergage, Karl had a variety of leadership roles in general management, product management, and marketing for Red Hat (now IBM), RSA Security (now EMC), and Sentillion (now Microsoft).
Steve Milligan
Former CEO of Western Digital
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Stephen Milligan has more than 30 years of executive operational and financial leadership experience. He was CEO and a Board Member of Western Digital Corporation from 2013 until March 2020. As CEO of Western Digital Corporation, he led a workforce of approximately 70,000 employees and was responsible for maximizing the company’s investments, while delivering long-term value to customers and sustained growth for the company.
David Mann
Partner, Firefly Group
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David’s background includes leadership, operations, entrepreneurship, and investment experience. Prior to co-founding The Firefly Group, David co-founded Spring Mill Venture Partners, a venture capital firm. Previously, he worked with ServiceMaster Ventures and served as a founding member of the ServiceMaster Home Service Center, a joint venture between Kleiner Perkins and ServiceMaster. David began his career as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He serves on a number of non-profit boards and is an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University, Kelley School of Business (Indianapolis).
David Mount
Partner, G2VP
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A seasoned investor at the forefront of the Internet of Things, energy and industrials markets, David Mount has spent his career advancing the ‘Industrial Awakening’ by supporting companies at the intersection of connectivity, advanced processing and traditional industry.
Over the last decade, David led a number of successful investments as a Partner at Kleiner Perkins’ $1B Green Growth Fund, and, more recently, founded and incubated Element Analytics, a high-growth industrial software company. David has invested in OSIsoft (shares sold to SoftBank), ServiceMax (acquired by GE), Opower (acquired by Oracle), SilverSpring Networks (SSNI), UpWind Solutions (acquired by Vestas) and Choose Energy (acquired by Red Ventures).
Prior to Kleiner Perkins, David developed his principal investing expertise at Bain Capital Credit, a $20B structured finance unit of Bain Capital. There, David helped manage a traditional energy portfolio, which included exploration, production, refining, field services and specialty chemicals. His involvement in the firm’s consumer portfolio included investments in multinationals within the food, health and sustainable business sectors.
David holds a B.A. degree from Yale University, an M.S. in environment and resources and an M.B.A. from Stanford University, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. He remains involved at Stanford as a guest lecturer and as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board at the Stanford School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences.
Valerie Pletcher
Senior Director of Philanthropy for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students
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Valerie Mullen Pletcher is a nonprofit innovation specialist with over two decades of professional fundraising and management experience. Her knowledge of systems thinking, ethics and standards of excellence have enabled her to raise over millions of dollars to help organizations thrive. Valerie currently serves as the Senior Director of Philanthropy for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), advancing major financial support in the Mid-Atlantic region and developing an overseas philanthropy program. Valerie holds a B.A. in speech communications from West Chester University, and multiple certificates in grant writing, annual fund development, leadership management, and sponsorships. She is a licensed consultant for the Nonprofit Standards for Excellence Institute™ and a graduate with distinction of the International Advanced Fundraising Diploma (IADF) of the U.K. Institute of Fundraising (IoF) in collaboration with Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Her experience and training have made her a frequent guest speaker and educator at fundraising conferences and workshops. Valerie served multiple terms as chair of the AFP Youth in Philanthropy program and was selected to present the youth philanthropy model at the 2017 Japan Association of Fundraising Conference in Tokyo. Valerie is a member of the John Carroll Society and the AFP Washington D.C. chapter. She lives in Northern Virginia with her family where she is a member of Saint Mary of Sorrow’s Parish and teaches 6th grade CCD.
In addition to his work at From Founder to CEO and Baker & Daboll, Todd is involved with entrepreneurs as a previous mentor for Cintrifuse & a mentor for the OCEAN Accelerator. He has a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Mount St. Joseph’s.
Our SPIRITUAL ADVISORS
Fr. Corwin Low, OP
Evangelist and Business Director at Dominican Friars
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Fr. Corwin Low, O.P. was born and raised in the greater Seattle area. He studied electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Washington and worked in software development, computer network infrastructure design, and computer network security. He is also a successful author of several technology books.
The beauty of the Catholic Church attracted him, especially the richness of sacred music, art, architecture, and most importantly liturgical worship. While on a work sabbatical in Rome, he met the Dominicans. In 2001 he converted to the Catholic Faith and in 2006 he joined the Dominican Order to be ordained in 2014.
In 2022 Fr. Corwin’s superiors offered him the opportunity to return to business to evangelize, particularly to Big Tech. He continues this mission in Silicon Valley, the very heart of Big Tech.
Our Values
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Our joy comes from neither possessions nor accolades, but from loving and being loved. That’s why we pour out our lives for the sake of others. There is nothing richer than being accepted despite our brokenness. So we work to build cultures where each person is valued, known, and called to authentic greatness. We don’t run from intimacy but live in loving dependence on God and each other.
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Whenever we see a barrier between business and faith we knock it down with conviction. We don't shy away from witnessing to God's transforming work in us. We let our faith inform our ventures even when it hurts. We prioritize wholeness by making time for family, community, and personal wellness. We are a force for unity and integration within ourselves, the Church, and the world.
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Life is short and death is near, so we put God first, knowing that we cannot take our possessions or achievements with us. We trust in His providence over our own abilities. We constantly seek God in prayer, allowing His grace to flow through us and animate our work. The challenges we face are immense, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
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"In the beginning, God created" and we, His children made in His image and likeness, co-create with Him. Mediocrity cheapens our vocation, so we embrace challenges and pursue excellence in all things, from loving our families to building ventures. We believe that when we live in the tension between speed and perfection, the ultimate result is greatness.
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Honesty is the basis of trust, so we seek honest feedback and are not afraid to look truth in the face. We don’t act out of anger, fear, or false confidence, but instead, get centered on God and address problems at their root. We embrace healthy conflict, share our hearts openly, and speak the truth with love. Practical, down-to-earth candidness is a quality we treasure.