Summit
2024
Build Like the Saints
September 3-6, 2024 @ Dallas-Fort Worth
Engage with 400+ Catholic founders, CEOs, investors, and leaders at the premier gathering for Catholic innovators and builders.
Missed the ticket deadline? Contact us at hello@sentventures.com
Who should attend?
You are a Catholic CEO, founder, investor, mission leader, or another growth-minded business leader
You feel too Catholic for your business friends, but too driven for your Catholic friends
You want to take your business and spirit to new heights
What will I get out of it?
Meet and interact with the leading Catholic founders and investors in the US
Participate in the 2nd annual Catholic venture pitch competition
Get strategy guidance for your business from other top CEOs
Refuel and be inspired for the next stage of your business and spiritual life
"The Summit was one of the best conferences I’ve ever been to. I got a number of new friends, people who will likely be lifelong friends. I also received new coaching clients who share my faith and values."
– MIKE DEL PONTE
3X FOUNDER, VC & COACH
“I usually hate conferences, but I was blown away by the caliber of the participants at the SENT Summit.”
– ZAK SLAYBACK
PARTNER, 1517 FUND
“You're bound to meet someone who's going to challenge you to think about your business in ways that you didn't before.”
– DAINA ANDRIES
COFOUNDER, EPIDARIUS HEALTH
Agenda
To maximize your experience, we suggest that you arrive in Dallas-Fort Worth by 4pm on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024 and fly out after 1pm on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024.
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12 - 8 PM – Open Registration
7 - 9 PM – Welcome Reception
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6:45 - 7:30 AM – Confession
8:00 - 9:00 AM – Mass
9:00 - 9:30 AM – Adoration
10:00 - 10:30 AM – Welcome Address by John Cannon
10:30 - 11:15 AM – Build Like a Saint by Tom Monaghan
11:15 - 12:15 PM – How to Create a Saintly Culture by David Mann, Anton Colella, Rob Hays, and Steve Milligan
12:15 - 1:45 PM – Lunch & Networking
12:30 - 1:30 PM –EXCLUSIVE SENT Member lunch (check your email for rsvp info or contact ana@sentventures.com)
1:45 - 2:45 PM – Breakout Sessions
The Future of Media and Evangelization by Dcn. Charlie Echeverry, Bill Abbott, Michael Warsaw, and Lorenzo Henrie
Getting Real: Off-the-Record Guidance by Jeff Schiefelbein, Geoff Gentile, Jessica Rey, and Rob Reynolds
A Practical Journey for Becoming a Saintly Builder by Nick Madden
2:45 - 3:15 PM – Break
3:15 - 4:45 PM – The SENT Movement & Small Groups
5:00 - 6:00 PM – Break
6:00 - 8:00 PM – Small Group Dinners
8:00 - 9:30PM – Evening Meetup & Networking
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6:45 - 7:30 AM – Confession
8:00 - 9:00 AM – Mass
9:00 - 9:30 AM – Adoration
10:00 - 11 AM – Breakout Sessions
Faith in Leadership by Michelle Hillaert, Dina Dwyer-Owens, Myles Harrington, and Peter Rex
The Need For Faith Tech by Andrew DeBerry, Jamie Baxter, Sondre Rasch, and Erich Kerekes
My Faith Journey to Space by Gen. Kevin Chilton
11:15 - 12:15 PM –SENT Mission Showcase
12:15 - 1:15 PM – Lunch & Networking
1:15 - 2:15 PM – Scaling Startups: More Than Just Surviving by Zaz Floreani, Alex Jones, Tim Connors, and Thomas Lehrman
2:15 - 3:30 PM – SENT Pitch Competition
3:30 - 3:45 PM – Break
3:45 - 4:45 PM – Solemn Vespers
4:45 - 6:00 PM – Break
6:00 - 7:00 PM – Cocktail Reception
7:00 - 9:00 PM – Awards Dinner
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8:00 - 9:00 AM – Mass
9:00 - 11:00 AM – Brunch with SENT
Speakers
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While best known as founder of Domino’s Pizza and former owner of the Detroit Tigers, Tom Monaghan sold Domino’s Pizza in 1998 to Bain Capital, Inc., leaving behind its day-to-day operations, which he had overseen for 38 years. Since then, he has been working full time to help the Church through the Ave Maria Foundation, which is a foundation that he established to assist the various Catholic lay apostolates that he founded.
In 1987, Monaghan founded Legatus, an international organization of Catholic CEO’s and presidents committed to studying, living and spreading their faith through their professional and personal lives. In addition to Legatus, Monaghan’s focus has primarily been in the area of Catholic higher education. He is the founder of both Ave Maria University, a comprehensive Catholic liberal arts university located in the town of Ave Maria in southwest Florida and Ave Maria School of Law which is a Catholic law school located in Naples, Florida.
Monaghan and his wife, Marjorie, were married for more than 60 years until she passed away in the summer of 2023. He has four daughters, ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
• Founder of Domino’s Pizza, Ave Maria University and Legatus
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Alex is the CEO & Co-Founder of Hallow, a Catholic prayer & meditation app. He was raised a Catholic but fell away from his faith at a young age. He became fascinated with secular meditation but kept feeling like he was being pulled towards something spiritual. He began asking around and discovered the deeply contemplative and meditative tradition within the Catholic faith. It changed his life, brought him back to the faith, & was the inspiration behind Hallow. Hallow is only 5 years old, but with the help of a phenomenal team, it is now the #1 prayer app in the world with 17M+ downloads, 375 million prayers prayed, and over 200,000 five-star reviews. Alex grew up in Columbus, Ohio, went to undergrad at the University of Notre Dame, graduate school at Stanford, worked professionally in consulting before Hallow at McKinsey & Co, and now lives in Chicago with his wife, daughter, and son.
• Co-Founder and CEO of Hallow, the #1 Catholic app with 17M+ downloads
• Raised $100M+ in VC funding
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Bill Abbott is President and CEO of Great American Media, home to the portfolio of family-friendly brands, including linear TV networks, Great American Family and Great American Faith & Living; streaming service Great American Pure Flix, and two FAST channels, Great American Adventures and Pure Flix. Great American Family is the company’s flagship network and features original holiday movies, rom-coms and classic series celebrating faith, family, and country. Over the past twelve months, the network has been the fastest-growing channel on TV.
Abbott currently serves on the board of directors for the Parents Television Council, and the International Radio & Television Society Foundation. He was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2017. Abbott is a resident of Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island and is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts where he majored in English and Literature.
• President and CEO of Great American Media
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Jennifer is the Founder and Executive Director of Young Catholic Professionals (YCP), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to ‘Work in Witness for Christ’. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Marketing from Trinity University and her MBA from Texas A&M University. Jennifer worked for Merrill Lynch in the Global Wealth Management practice and for FTI Consulting in the Corporate Restructuring practice before starting the YCP ministry in 2010. Jennifer is now a mom of three rambunctious little boys and is embracing the challenge of running a thriving apostolate while saving enough energy for toddler adventures.
• Founder of Young Catholic Professionals (YCP)
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General Kevin Chilton is an independent consultant specializing in National Security Programs. His Air Force career spanned more than 34 years and culminated as Commander of U.S. Strategic Command from 2007 to 2011, where he was responsible for the plans and operations for all U.S. forces conducting Strategic Nuclear Deterrence missions, and the U.S. Department of Defense Space and Cyberspace operations.
Prior to this assignment, General Chilton commanded Air Force Space Command, 8th Air Force and the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. He flew operational assignments in the R-4C and F-15, was an Air Force Test Pilot and a NASA astronaut flying as the pilot for STS-49 and STS-59 and as the Commander of STS-76. He also served as the Deputy Program Manager for Operations for the International Space Station Program.
General Chilton is a distinguished graduate of the US Air Force Academy, with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Engineering Sciences, a Columbia University Guggenheim Fellow with a Master of Sciences degree in Mechanical Engineering, and a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training and Test Pilot schools. He also was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Creighton University.
General Chilton is a Trustee for the Air Force Academy Falcon Foundation, an Independent Governor on the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories Boards of Governors, and a Director for The Pikes Peak or Bust Foundation, Lumen Technologies Inc. and Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions.
• Former Astronaut
• Four-Star General
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Thomas D. Lehrman is Managing Partner of Teamworthy Ventures. Mr. Lehrman was formerly co-founder and former Co-Chief Executive Officer of Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG) and has been involved as a founding or seed investor in numerous early stage ventures. Mr. Lehrman previously served as a Director of the Office of WMD Terrorism at the U.S. Department of State and as a member of the professional staff on the President’s WMD Commission. Earlier in his career, he worked as a financial analyst at Tiger Management. Mr. Lehrman has been a Board Member of several educational institutions including KIPP NYC Public Charter Schools, Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Mr. Lehrman graduated from Duke University and Yale Law School and his writings have appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
• Managing Partner of Teamworthy Ventures
• Former Co-founder and Co-CEO of Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG)
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Dina Dwyer-Owens is an acclaimed author, motivational speaker, and the first solo female member to be inducted into the International Franchise Association (IFA) Hall of Fame. She has more than 40 years of franchise leadership experience, including 15 years as CEO and then Chairwoman of the board of Dwyer Group (now Neighborly), the world’s largest franchisor of home services. In 2009, she was chair of the IFA, the world’s largest and oldest advocacy group in franchising and she also spearheaded the reintroduction of the IFA’s VetFran program in 2001, which now includes some 650 franchisors that offer franchising financial incentives to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. Dina is also known by the general public for participating in the CBS Emmy-winning reality show “Undercover Boss” in 2012 and 2013. Dina is the author of two books: Live R.I.C.H. and Values, Inc. that both share her global message for living and leading with a proven code of values. (Books are available for purchase at http://values-inc.com). She gives God all the glory for the wonderful gifts he’s given her, especially her family.
• 15 years as CEO and then Chairwoman of the board of Dwyer Group (now Neighborly)
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Tim is the Founder and Managing Partner of PivotNorth Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, CA focused on disruptive innovations in computer science. He is currently investing PivotNorth’s fourth fund.
Tim has created over $40B of market cap as a VC and operator. Prior to founding PivotNorth, he was a partner and GP for 12 years at Sequoia Capital and US Venture Partners. During Tim’s operating career, he helped build C-Cube Microsystems from a startup into a publicly-traded leader in digital video, and at Tandem Computers he helped design Tandem’s flagship Everest server line. He is co-author of three issued US patents and has co-founded seven companies.
Tim serves on the Advisory Council of the College of Engineering at Notre Dame and chairs the Notre Dame California initiative. He is a Director on the Stanford University Daper Venture Investment Fund and serves on the finance committee for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
Tim received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame with High Honors, an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Stanford University, and an M.B.A from Harvard Business School with Distinction.
Tim has been married for 29 years and has three daughters.
• Founder and Managing Director of PivotNorth Capital
• Part of 6 startups with unicorn status
• $40B+ in market cap created
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David Mann’s career has spanned a number of leadership, operational, and investing roles. Currently, David serves as the Managing Partner and co-Founder of The Firefly Group, a holding company focused on investing in lower-middle market businesses. He currently serves as the board chair of Dealers Wholesale, EOS Worldwide, and Sales Xceleration. In addition, David co-founded Spring Mill Venture Partners, a venture capital firm, in 2002. David is an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University, Kelley School of Business (Indianapolis). Previously, David worked with ServiceMaster Ventures and served as a founding member of the ServiceMaster Home Service Center, a joint venture between Kleiner Perkins and ServiceMaster. Earlier, he served as a summer associate with Invesco.
David began his career as an officer in the U.S. Navy, serving as a White House Liaison on the staff of the Secretary of the Navy, holding leadership positions on board a nuclear guided-missile cruiser, and working in information systems. David received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy. He serves on a number of corporate and non-profit boards.
• Chairman of Entrepreneurial Operating System run by 250,000+ businesses
• Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Firefly Group, an investment firm and holding Co.
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Peter Rex is an entrepreneur and investor. He leads Rex, directing strategy, product, and capital allocation with a long-term mindset and mission to empower. He acts as CEO for the tech initiatives to transform real estate, and operates as Executive Chairman for the investment and management businesses.
Beginning in 2008, with world-class partners and teammates, Pete built a vertically integrated real estate operation including investment, asset management, property management and construction which numbered 500 employees and acquired 17,000+ apartments. The company distributed a billion dollars to investors and partners, ranked twice in Fortune’s top places to work, and was in the top five for most apartments under renovation nationally.
Pete remains most bullish on disrupting the real estate industry at large, including the insurance and financial sectors. He has nine patents pending, mostly in the real estate space, and has developed expertise in every facet of tech development. He was early to recognize the potential of AI, starting R&D efforts in 2017, and has developed Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning solutions that power several Rex tech products.
Pete has always felt obligated to help those in need, dating back to visiting homebound elderly in high school and founding an organization at Georgetown University to serve the AIDS Hospice run by Mother Teresa’s nuns in Washington, DC. He credits this disposition to the teachings of Jesus and the example of his father who intentionally included him in ministry to the needy.
Pete’s primary passion and source of fulfillment has been and remains entrepreneurship. He seeks to build businesses that empower people and elevate humanity. He believes his positive impact comes through inventive, well-run businesses and superior investment decision-making. The profits are then invested back into society via continued entrepreneurship and capital stewardship.
Pete has visited over 100 countries, where he had over 1,000 business meetings. He has published opinion pieces in the WSJ, Newsweek, USA Today, and more. He has been a featured guest on Bloomberg News, Tucker Carlson, and Fox Business, among others. He earned a BA in Philosophy and Government from Georgetown University, JD from Harvard Law School, and CPA. He is a Board Member of the Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business.
He resides in Austin, TX with his wife and five children. In addition to business, he enjoys dates with his wife, roughhousing with their kids, and intellectual pursuits.
• Founder and CEO of Rex, a tech Co seeking to disrupt real estate
• Built real estate Co. w/ 17,000 units under mgt
• Distributed $1B+ to investors
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Michelle Hillaert is the Executive Director of the GIVEN Institute, with over 25 years of experience in technology and communications. A graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville with a degree in Communication Arts, Michelle has excelled in roles such as emergency management, web design, marketing, and online consulting.
Prior to GIVEN, she played a pivotal role in enhancing internal systems and expanding a Quality Management System, as well as managing processes for major state-run application builds.At GIVEN, Michelle drives initiatives that empower young adult Catholic women to step confidently into leadership, using their God-given gifts in service of the Church and the world.
• Executive Director of the GIVEN Institute
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Sondre Rasch is co-founder and CEO of SafetyWing, an all-remote company that is building a global social safety net. Sondre studied economics and computer science then worked as a social policy advisor for the government of Norway. Dissatisfied with the slow pace of change, he founded the SuperSide platform (YC 2016) for freelance designers and discovered the lack of social safety net for people working on the internet.
This inspired the creation of SafetyWing (YC 2018), which has so far raised $50 million in venture capital and whose globally-distributed team consists of 150 people from 60+ countries. In 2020, Sondre and the SafetyWing team founded the Plumia mission to build a country on the internet for digital nomads and remote workers.
• Founder and CEO of SafetyWing, insurtech co for remote workforces worldwide
• 2x Y Combinator Grad
• Raised $50+M in VC funding
• 100+ team members in 60+ countries
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Rob Hays is the former President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board of Directors of Ashford Hospitality Trust, a publicly-traded hotel ownership company with more than 80 hotels across the United States. Mr. Hays speaks frequently at industry and Wall Street investor conferences and appears often in both print and television media.
Mr. Hays is involved in several charitable, formative and faith organizations. He is the Chairman of the Board of the Aquinas Institute for Catholic Life at Princeton University, the Chairman of the Board of the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) in Washington DC, a member of the Synod Preparatory Commission for the Diocese of Dallas, and a commissioner on the Dallas Area Partnership to End and Prevent Homelessness. He co-founded the Business Ethics Forum, which meets quarterly to provide Dallas-area business leaders regular formation in ethics, philosophy, natural law, and Catholic Social Doctrine. He is the lead organizer for the annual Dallas Successful Fathers Conference, now going into its 25th year. He and his wife Alicia have hosted nearly 40 lectures in their home, called the Cottonwood Lectures, on topics of faith, family, and culture, now in its ninth year. He and his wife also worked with the University of Dallas to host the Adoro Te Lecture Series to support this year's National Eucharistic Revival.
Mr. Hays earned his A.B. in Politics with a certificate in Political Economy from Princeton University and later studied philosophy at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, Italy. He and his wife will be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary later this year and have been blessed with 7 children.
• Former President & CEO of Ashford Hospitality Trust, a publicly-traded hotel ownership company with more than 80 hotels across the United States
• $1B+ in revenue
• 100+ team members
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Alessandro is one of the co-founders at Hallow, the #1 Catholic app in the world. Raised in a large Italian-American family, Alessandro is a proud product of Catholic education from kindergarten through college, ultimately graduating summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with degrees in finance and economics. Alessandro began his career on Wall St, at Goldman Sachs in New York City before becoming a private equity investor in Chicago.
After a series of life-changing experiences in prayer, Alessandro left his career in finance to join his friends in building Hallow, a Catholic prayer and meditation app. Alessandro serves as CFO and leads Hallow’s efforts is supporting the institutional church, especially in the area of Catholic education.
Alessandro is founding member and venture partner at the 81 Collection, a Chicago-based venture capital fund focused on providing capital to founders in industries often overlooked by traditional venture capital funds. He also advises early-stage technology start-ups on go-to-market and product strategy.
He speaks and has written on the topics of prayer, mental health, and entrepreneurship and has been featured on platforms including EWTN, CatholicTV, and Fox News, as well as in dioceses across the country. Along with the other co-founders of Hallow, Alessandro was recognized as a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 class of 2021 for consumer technology. Alessandro serves on the Department of Economics Advisory Board at the University of Notre Dame and is a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus. He lives in Chicago with his wife and children.
• Co-Founder and CFO at Hallow, the #1 Catholic app in the world
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Fr. Ken Geraci, CPM, lived the life of the prodigal son for most of his young adult life. Raised in a nominally Catholic family, who only lived the externals of the faith, Fr. Ken left the Catholic Church for many years. During that time he earned a business degree and worked as a business profession in Advanced R&D and software testing; a few years into his career he joined a few of his co-workers in establishing a $4.5 million Internet software company. Focused on money, fitness, and success, he made little room for God; but God did not give up on him. During this journey, God presented him with challenges that forced him to question his personal beliefs and the question “What is Truth?” Through a series of conversions, years of struggle, study and questioning, Fr. Ken found his way from agnosticism, to non-denominational Christianity, and ultimately back to the Catholic Church. Fr. Ken joined the Fathers of Mercy in 2006 and was ordained in 2012. For two years, he served as an associate pastor of a medium sized parish and currently serves as a Missionary, webmaster and vocation director for the Fathers of Mercy. Fr. Ken has a great understanding of the personal and societal pressures that individuals face and knows what it is like to “hate coming to church.” His mission talks are for people of all levels of faith; from those who are madly in love with Jesus to those who struggle with church and religion. Fr. Geraci is the author of two books, “Why Be Catholic” published 2021 by TAN Books and “Spiritual Warfare & Divine Mercy” in 2023.
• Former Internet software founder
• Fathers of Mercy priest
• Author of 2 books: "Why Be Catholic" & “Spiritual Warfare & Divine Mercy”
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Myles Harrington is President and Co-Founder of Grant Street Group, a government technology company with 500 remote employees that supplies software-as-a-service to state and county government agencies they use to i) bill, collect and distribute taxes, fees, and fines, ii) issue permits and municipal licenses, iii) process DMV transactions, and iv) take online payments. Grant Street also hosts online auctions of municipal bonds, delinquent property taxes, and deeds.
Myles received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and his MBA from Carnegie-Mellon University. For the first 15 years of his professional career, he was an Investment Banker at both Wall Street and regional firms. In 1995, he co-founded Grant Street Group.
From the start, the co-founders were inspired and guided by Catholic Social Teaching, the Personalism of St. John Paul II and St. Josemaria Escriva’s teachings about sanctification of ordinary work. These ideals have informed the company culture and resulted in a company-wide spirit of service to colleagues and clients that has generated organic revenue growth averaging 20% over the past 25 years.
• President and Co-Founder of Grant Street Group, a GovTech SaaS Company
• Organic revenue growth averaging 20% over the past 25 years
• 500 employees
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Zaz Floreani joined FirstMile Ventures in the summer of 2023 as a Partner, bringing with her over 15 years of experience as an operator, investor, and advisor to early-stage technology startups. Based in Austin, she spearheads FirstMile's investment efforts in Texas.
Prior to FirstMile, she served as a Principal at Next Coast Ventures, one of the largest and most active early-stage funds in Austin, with over $500M in assets under management. She built out their pre-seed and seed investment platform, where she was responsible for sourcing, diligence and portfolio management. She led investments across diverse sectors including SaaS, Marketplaces, and Built World. Zaz served as a strategic board observer for many of her investments, collaborating closely with founders on go-to-market strategies, product roadmaps, and executive recruitment.
In operating roles, Zaz built out the business development and corporate development functions at three venture-backed startups in Austin - Mass Relevance, Spredfast, and most recently Dropoff. As VP of Corporate Development at Dropoff, a last-mile logistics startup, she led Enterprise Sales, Partnerships, and M&A, leading three acquisitions, two of which doubled the startup's revenue overnight. As Head of Business Development at Spredfast, Zaz fostered and managed strategic relationships with Meta, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Post-business school, Zaz led business development for Austin Ventures, the Southwest's largest venture fund at the time, driving early-stage deal flow expansion across Texas and beyond.
Zaz holds an MBA and a Masters in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She is originally a California girl, growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area and completing a Bachelors in History from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Fun Facts about Zaz:
• Moved to Austin from NYC for grad school in 2008 with no intention of staying, but fell in love with an entrepreneur and has been there ever since
• Zaz and her husband Mark (the entrepreneur) love to explore new cities and countries with their two daughters and son
• Helps her daughters with The Jam Sisters Co., a hand made confiture business
• Attempts to complete the WSJ crossword every weekend
• Partner and Head of Investment at FirstMile Ventures
• Former Principal at NextCoast Ventures, an early-stage VC fund w/ $500M AUM
• 15+ years of experience in early-stage technology startups
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Phil is a Partner at Sovereign’s Capital where he invests in Seed and Series A stage technology companies led by faith-driven entrepreneurs across the U.S. and Southeast Asia. Phil was previously the CFO and CPO at Mindoula, a healthtech company that serves populations with complex behavioral health, medical, and social challenges. Prior, Phil was with the Maryland Venture Fund, Foundation Capital, and TDF Ventures, leading investments in early and growth stage technology companies. Phil began his career at KPMG’s Risk Consulting practice in Silicon Valley and co-founded the Jeremy Lin Foundation, a non-profit whose mission is to serve at-risk youth through education and leadership development in underserved communities.
• Partner at Sovereign’s Capital
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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.
• Former CEO of Western Digital, a Fortune 200 company
• Led a workforce of approximately 70,000 employees
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Michael P. Warsaw is the Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer of Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. (EWTN), the world’s largest religious media network based in Irondale, Alabama, USA. He joined EWTN in 1991 and has held senior management positions in the areas of television production, satellite operations, and technical services, working directly with Mother Angelica, the network’s founder, on all her major initiatives. Michael was named President of EWTN in 2000 and assumed the post of chief executive officer in 2009. With the Network’s 2011 acquisition of the National Catholic Register, he became its publisher. Michael assumed the post of chairman of the board of EWTN in 2013. In that capacity he oversees the network’s strategic direction and mission around the world. In 2017, Pope Francis appointed him as a Consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications.
• Chairman of the Board and CEO of EWTN
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Caroline's professional journey reflects her commitment to excellence, strategic leadership, innovation, and making a positive impact in the investment landscape.
Currently serving as the Managing Director at IrishAngels, one of the largest and most successful angel investing networks in the U.S., Caroline leads a dynamic team focused on strategic investments in high-performing startups across the U.S. At IrishAngels, she oversees the full investment process from sourcing, conducting due diligence, and supporting portfolio companies across various industries including B2B SaaS, vertical SaaS, fintech, consumer, and supply chain and logistics. Caroline manages a growing portfolio of 100+ companies across 180+ rounds of capital and 250+ investors.
Prior to moving into early-stage investments, she held pivotal positions at two boutique private equity firms (one of which she co-founded) including raising $330mm+ across multiple funds investing in energy, real estate, and international gaming.
In addition to her professional endeavors, Caroline is deeply involved in her community through volunteer work and philanthropy advising and mentoring emerging founders and fund managers, chairing record setting fundraising committees, serving on the boards of nonprofit organizations and foundations, and receiving recognition for her outstanding contributions to various causes.
Caroline earned a B.S. in Science-Business from the University of Notre Dame and an M.S. in Finance and an M.B.A. from the University of Denver.
• Managing Director, Irish Angels
• Invested in 100+ companies and managing 250+ investors
• Raised $330mm+ for boutique private equity firms
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Nick has been the owner and CEO of Red Door Escape Room for the past ~10 years, on a mission to deepen relationships between people through creative entertainment. He has also been blessed and now have over 350 employees and 17 locations coast to coast. He loves to learn from owners who have scaled both people-centric and service-based businesses. He is also able to serve on the SENT team as the Head of Member Transformation, leading our content strategy and paving the road for himself and others to dive further into becoming Builder Saints. Most importantly, he is happily married to Kaci Madden - and are blessed with two kids now and one more on the way!
• Owner and CEO of Red Door Escape Room
• SENT’s Head of Member Transformation
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Lorenzo is the Co-founder of Novo Media Group, a television and film studio. Lorenzo has had a successful career as an actor with over 20 years in front of the screen acting in major franchises for AMC, ABC, Netflix, and multiple studio films including a Novo original film ‘This is the Year’ that was executive produced by Selena Gomes. Lorenzo and his Co-Founder David Henrie (Wizards of Waverly Place, Little Boy, How I Met Your Mother etc) formed Novo alongside their father James Henrie who had a successful 25 year career in real estate and film/tv investments.
Throughout Lorenzo’s career he has been able to assemble exclusive access and close relationships to celebrities, studios, agencies, and financing in order to make content for all audiences that achieves Novo’s mission statement to entertain, elevate, and educate at the highest possible quality. Novo has successfully produced over $50m in productions, and curate a portfolio of high value IP. Novo was Emmy nominated for their Netflix animated series A Tale Dark and Grimm, and recently produced a Mel Gibson starring film ‘Monster Summer’ coming out October 4th, co-starring Kevin James, Mason Thames, and Lorraine Bracco that was directed by David Henrie. Lorenzo has a specialty in finding world class TV/FILM assets, executive producing, and fundraising with family offices, and private equity groups. Most important to Lorenzo’s is his Catholic faith, his wife, and five sons
• Co-founder of Novo Media Group
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Jessica Rey is founder/CEO of Rey Swimwear, actress, wife, and homeschooling mother of three. Formerly the Pink Power Ranger on Disney's Power Rangers Wild Force, she is experienced in using her ninja skills to fight the good fight. It was in Hollywood that Jessica met a group of Catholics that taught her more about the faith she grew up with. After learning about the virtue of modesty, Jessica felt called to start a swimwear company, even if she did not know how to sew or draw (or swim). She founded Rey Swimwear and has been helping ladies all over the world feel beautiful and comfortable in swimsuits for the past 16 years.
• Founder and CEO, Rey Swimwear
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Catholic first. Husband and father of 8. Founder and General Partner of a new Catholic VC fund. GP at Alter, a global tech VC. Former Republican Candidate for Governor of Illinois. Former DoD in Afghanistan. Oxford MA + Stanford MBA.
• Founder and General Partner of a new Catholic VC fund
• General Partner at Alter, an emerging market VC fund
• Oxford MA + Stanford MBA
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Erich is the CTO & Co-Founder of Hallow, a Catholic startup focused on prayer, meditation, music, bible, and sleep. The app launched 5 years ago, but has grown rapidly and recently crossed 18 million downloads, 450 million prayers completed, 4 billion minutes in prayer, 250,000 five-star reviews, and is the #1 Catholic app in the world.
Erich was raised Catholic but it wasn’t a huge part of his life, until he began exploring it more deeply in college. Even then, it was more on the theology side than a personal relationship through prayer. It wasn’t until Erich’s co-founder, Alex, first approached him about Hallow that he truly discovered the contemplative and meditative side of Catholicism and started forming a deeper personal relationship with God. Over the last several years, the Hallow team has grown with the app, raising over $105M in venture funding from some of the best investors in the world and scaling the team to 80 folks.
Erich grew up in Barrington, IL. He attended the University of Notre Dame School and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Computer Science. He worked professionally in management consulting before Hallow at McKinsey & Company, and now lives in Chicago. He’s been blessed to be named a member of Forbes 30 under 30 with his two co-founders, Alex Jones and Alessandro DiSanto.
• CTO & Co-Founder of Hallow, the #1 Catholic app in the world
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Grant is a VC and operator at Primary Ventures--and focuses on investing in and incubating consumer tech startups. He's spent the past 4 years as an investor and advisor, both for faith-based and secular ventures. Beforehand, he was a founding member of Morning Brew (acquired by Business Insider). He also spent time as a strategy consultant and product manager, and earned his MBA at Harvard. He is a Venture Partner at Missional Labs (a faith-based venture accelerator), an active member of his church in NYC, a new husband, and an avid outdoorsman.
• VC and operator at Primary Ventures
• Founding member of Morning Brew (acquired by Business Insider)
• Venture Partner at Missional Labs
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Rob invested in multifamily real estate and co-founded Avesta, a Tampa-based multifamily real estate investment and management company. He helped grow Avesta to 450 employees and $1.7 billion in real estate assets; he also led the company’s culture, resulting in national recognition as No. 19 in Fortune’s Top 100 Medium Workplaces and regional finalist for E&Y’s international Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017.
In 2018, Rob launched Cross Boss Media, with its mission “to provide children a genuinely entertaining, secure place to encounter Christ in a way that inspires action.” He is passionate about Christianity and his Catholic faith. He co-founded the Society of St. Joseph, a men’s Catholic fellowship organization focused on the three pillars of faith formation, works of mercy, and family leadership.Rob is also the past president of the Tampa Bay chapter of Legatus and recipient of the 2022 "Ambassador of the Year" Award for Legatus International. He has been married to his wife, Marya, since 2006, and is a devoted father to six daughters and two sons.
• Co-founder of Avesta
• Co-founder of Cross Boss Media
• #19 in Fortune’s Top 100 Medium Workplaces and regional finalist for E&Y’s international Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017
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Geoff Gentile is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Abdiel Capital, a investment fund that backs companies with thriving cultures and leadership committed to craftsmanship. Before starting Abdiel, he graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in Economics.
• Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Abdiel Capital
• Princeton University alumnus
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Andrew is an advisor for Arimathea investing, AI & disaster relief at Google X, and is Co-Founder of a stealth cybersecurity startup. He completed programs for Catholic Social Teaching, engineering, and public policy at Notre Dame, and MBA and Arabic degrees at the Wharton School. He has deployed with undercover special forces as a U.S. Air Force intelligence officer and has led AI teams at Microsoft, AWS, and Meta.
• AI Business Products Advisor at Google X
• Former Head of AI & Cybersecurity at AWS
• Former AI & Business Product Lead at Meta
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Deacon Charlie is the founder and CEO of Black//Brown, a strategic advisory & impact studio. Prior to launching his own firm, he held senior executive roles at media companies ranging from digital start-ups like mitú, to global blue-chip brands like The Walt Disney Company, Univision, and AOL.
He is Vice Chair Emeritus of Catholic Answers, and sits on the boards of the Catholic Association for Latino Leadership; Guadalupe Radio; SENT Ventures and is Chairman of SOFESA, a non-profit founded by his wife, that accompanies homeless children and their families.
Deacon Charlie has degrees in Communications and Film & Television production. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Jessica of 22 years and is the father of 5. He’s fond of motorcycles, British comedy, polymaths, functional fitness, 80s synth pop, and discovering cultures through travel.
• Founder & CEO of Black//Brown
• Former Walt Disney Company, Univision, and AOL executive
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Fr. Corwin Low, O.P. was born and raised in the greater Seattle area to a family with strong Christian, but Protestant values. Studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Washington he was eager to be in the world of High-Tech, sadly at the expense of any religious practices. His first job was with a start-up software firm headed by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft with Bill Gates. Intrigued by computer networks, he authored several books about the Internet and network technologies when it was in its infancy. From there he started his own consulting firm, specializing in computer network security, where he garnered several Fortune 100 firms as clients. One of his early projects was designing a secure system to put Microsoft’s corporate campus on the Internet for the very first time.
Dissatisfied with the allure of materialism, he was attracted by the beauty of the Catholic Church in the areas of sacred music, art, and architecture, and especially liturgical worship. Attributing it to Divine Providence, when in Rome in 1999, he literally stumbled upon the Dominicans, a religious order founded in the 13th century to teach the Truth of the Gospel. Six years later, having successfully sold his company, he joined the Dominicans on the West Coast a year, taking the evangelical counsels (vows) of chastity, poverty, and obedience. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2014.
After eight years of parochial work, in 2022 Fr. Corwin’s superiors offered him the opportunity to return to business, not as a businessman per se, but to evangelize to the community, particularly in the area Big Tech. This is indeed mission territory, one that is growing ever larger than the population of the Faithful. Within, there is a high concentration of nones (no Faith whatsoever) who lack and desperately need the Truth and Light of Christ. Fr. Corwin has quickly been able to re-establish his contacts from his years in business, as well as forge new relationships with existing executives. He continues this mission in Silicon Valley, the very heart of Big Tech.
• Dominican Priest
• Former Fortune 100 consultant
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Zak is a partner 1517 Fund, an angel, pre-seed, and seed stage venture capital fund investing in dropouts and deep tech scientists. He has also managed follow-on investments up to the Series C stage.
• Partner at 1517 Fund
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Jamie Baxter is the Founder and CEO of Exodus 90. He lives in Westfield, Indiana with his wife Colleen, and they have been blessed with three children.
• Founder and CEO of Exodus 90, which has impacted 100,000+ men globally
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Father Ambrose Criste is a Norbertine canon regular from St. Michael's Abbey in Orange County, California. He grew up in Colorado and graduated from Colorado College with a degree in Classics/History/Politics. He won the Rhodes Scholarship and began a graduate degree at Oxford University before answering God's call to religious life and the priesthood. He entered the monastery in 2000, made solemn profession in 2006, and was ordained a priest in 2008. He finished his priestly studies in Rome with pontifical degrees from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) and the Pontifical Gregorian University. He has served in various roles for his abbey community, including vocations director, novice master, and director of seminary formation. He currently resides at Corpus Christi Priory in Springfield, Illinois, and is the director of the Evermode Institute, a new program of catechetical formation.
• Norbertine Priest
• Rhodes Scholar
• Director of Evermode Inst., offering Catechetical Formation
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Anton is Global Chief Executive of Moore. He was previously Chief Executive of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) for over ten years, where he led its transformation. For seven of those years, he was Chairman of the Global Accounting Alliance (GAA), one of the world’s leading institutes representing over one million accountants. He is a Trustee of Columba 1400 and a Visiting Professor of the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde. Earlier in his career, Anton was Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority. He has been a Trustee of the International Valuation Standards Council, a Council Member of the Confederation of British Industry Scotland (CBI) and Chairman of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS). A graduate of the University of Stirling, Anton’s career began as a teacher of Religious Education. He is married with 4 children, 4 grandsons, and 2 granddaughters.
• Global Chief Executive of Moore
• Oversees global consultancy network of 34,000 professionals
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Jeff Schiefelbein is a successful entrepreneur and culture-building expert with a long history of launching and leading businesses that use the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church to achieve healthy growth and workplace excellence. As a managing partner at Undivided Life, Jeff and his team utilize their proprietary “Business as a Blessing” framework to deliver strategy and culture consulting to a wide variety of organizations.
Across his various nonprofit and for-profit startups, Jeff has received accolades and awards for culture, growth, innovation, volunteer service, and leadership. Most notably, Jeff received the National Points of Light Award in 2002 and the Texas A&M University Distinguished Young Alumni Award.
Jeff serves on several nonprofit boards and co-hosts The BeatiDudes, a religiously funny podcast for men.
Jeff lives in Coppell, Texas, with his wife Amanda and their seven kids.
• Managing Partner at Undivided Life
• Former Co-Founder & Chief Culture Officer at 5, an energy services firm
• National Points of Light Award and Texas A&M University Distinguished Young Alumni Award recipient
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Jim Birchler is a retired healthcare finance executive, church musician, and active volunteer in Catholic and other charitable causes.
• Retired Healthcare Finance Executive
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Bart began his career in content creation / production as an on-camera talent (model and tv host). After 15 years working in front of the camera, Bart expanded his business into working behind the camera as a writer, creative director and producer. Barts company, Baldwin-5.com is a creative, production and postproduction house with clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to luxury brands to some of the most highly acclaimed travel destinations in the world. Bart is the father of 5 children. 1 married, 2 in college and 2 that are still at home with he and his wife Jessica in NY.
• Creative Director and Producer for Baldwin-5
Sponsors
Venture Partners
Interested in being a Sponsor or Partner?
If you are interested in being a sponsor or partner at the SENT Summit 2024, please email us at hello@sentventures.com
Promotional Partners
SENT Pitch
Competition 2024
Thursday afternoon at the SENT Summit up to 5 teams will compete in a pitch competition in front of a panel of seasoned VCs and Angel Investors for a cash prize of $10,000.
Want to be one of them?
SENT Pitch Competition 2024 is sponsored by:
SENT Mission
Showcase
Thursday morning at the SENT Summit up to 5 Catholic ministries or organizations will showcase in front of potential partners, funders, and supporters to take their missions to the next level.
Want to be one of them?
In partnership with…
LOCATION AND ACCOMODATIONSOmni Fort Worth
SENT is excited to offer our attendees a block at The Omni Fort Worth Hotel for $195/night. This hotel is located in the heart of downtown and will also serve as the location for the Summit.
Located at 1300 Houston Street Fort Worth, Texas 76102, the easiest way to get there is by flying into the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and then taking the Trinity Railway Express from CentrePort/DFW Airport to Fort Worth Central Station. The hotel is about an 8-minute walk from the Fort Worth Central Station. You can also choose to rideshare directly to the hotel.
Check in is at 4pm and check-out is at 11am.
All of our liturgy will take place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, one block from the hotel.
Book hotel before: August 13th
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
SENT is excited to celebrate Mass during our conference at the historic St. Patrick Cathedral, in the heart of downtown Fort Worth. Established in 1876 as the seat of the Diocese of Fort Worth, it stands as the central and timeless center of worship and prayer in the local community. And because it’s only walking distance from the hotel, attendees are easily able to drop by and spend time in prayer throughout their time at the summit.
Count Every Second Until the Summit
Tickets
Non-Member Pricing
$997
If you are clergy or in religious life and would like to attend the Summit at a discounted rate, please email hello@sentventures.com
Missed the ticket deadline? Contact us at hello@sentventures.com
FAQ
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Your registration cost covers 3 days of programming, including small groups and networking opportunities, with lunch and dinner provided most days. Many of our attendees prefer to book their own lodging and so the registration cost does not include lodging. However, we will be offering a limited block of rooms at the event venue/hotel for a special event rate of $195/night. Lodging at The Omni Fort Worth Hotel will be available to secure once the event registration is live.
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We're excited to host this year's Summit at The Omni Fort Worth Hotel. The decision to utilize a hotel for our event spaces means our attendees will be able to easily walk to access all event programming, and even step away to take calls or refresh in their hotel room if they choose to stay on-site. The hotel is only one block away from St. Patrick's Cathedral, which will be our venue for daily Mass.
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Join SENT Ventures - We are actively taking new members and would be happy to share the details of our different program options.
Join Our Roster of SENT Mentors - Want to mentor emerging entrepreneurs and business leaders? Join our Mentor Roster
Join Our Talent Pool - Send us your resume if you’d like to work or intern
Email us at hello@sentventures.com -
Dress code is business casual. Most events will be indoors. If desired, attendees may pack and bring with them dressier attire for our evening’s social. Be advised that indoor spaces will be air conditioned, so it may be a good idea to bring a warmer layer for particularly cool indoor spaces.
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We take the health and safety of our attendees, guests, and speakers very seriously and thus ask that if you exhibit any covid symptoms in the week leading up to the event, please do not come.
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You can request a 50% refund before July 31, 2024. We will not be providing refunds after August 1, 2024.
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Yes, if you are clergy or in religious life and would like to attend the SENT Summit at a discounted rate, please email Ana at ana@sentventures.com by June 28th