Startups

SEED SPOT has a new national director of product and impact

Duane Rollins previously worked at 18F.

SEED SPOT's first D.C. cohort on their first day of class. (Photo via Twitter)

SEED SPOT, D.C.’s newest social impact–focused accelerator program, announced on Thursday that it has hired a new director of product and impact, Duane Rollins, to lead big-picture strategy in the coming months and years.

The role is intended to be focused on “helping SEED SPOT broaden its reach to serve entrepreneurs in more communities, develop new products to address market needs, and track the right metrics to better understand and communicate the change SEED SPOT and its entrepreneurs are making in the world,” according to a press release.

SEED SPOT, which started in Arizona, recently hit five years in operation and celebrated the launch of its first new location in D.C. “We are ready to scale our impact,” cofounder and CEO Courtney Klein said in a statement. “We know there are more students and entrepreneurs in communities all over the world that can benefit from our model and Duane is on the team now to help take our work to the next level.”

Duane Rollins. (Photo via LinkedIn)

Duane Rollins. (Photo via LinkedIn)

Rollins comes to SEED SPOT from 18F, the government’s digital “startup,” where he was an innovation specialist. He also cofounded STEMLY, a nonprofit that advocates for STEM education.

Though SEED SPOT is headquartered in Phoenix, Rollins will work in D.C. He’ll be part of a growing District-based team for the company — local founder Kate Glantz also recently joined as a director of entrepreneur initiatives.

Want to see what SEED SPOT is up to? The accelerator will officially kick off its first D.C. cohort with a pitch event and welcome party on April 19.

Companies: 18F

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

Why are there so few tech apprenticeships?

Do zero-waste takeout containers work? We tried a new DC service to find out

DC houses many industries — and a ton of tech jobs

This Week in Jobs: Travel far in your career with these 26 open tech roles

Technically Media