EXCLUSIVE | Beyond profit: How SENT Ventures helps Catholic entrepreneurs put God first

For Catholic entrepreneurs, building a successful business can also be a means of serving God and helping others grow personally, professionally, and spiritually — a mission SENT Ventures is working to advance, its CEO told Zeale News.

Nick Madden, CEO of SENT Ventures, a formation and coaching community for Catholic entrepreneurs, shared with Zeale News in an Oct. 27 interview how it helps business leaders put their faith into practice. 

“As Catholics, we have to recognize that success is measured on an eternal timescale,” Madden told Zeale News. “The things of this world — money, power, prestige — are passing. What lasts is the impact we have on people and their souls.”

Madden’s own understanding of success took shape through SENT’s Fellowship program and its founder, John Cannon, who founded SENT in 2020 and previously spent nearly eight years as a Carmelite friar, according to the organization.

Among SENT’s efforts is its summit focused on faith, business leadership, and cultural renewal. Held Sept. 8–11 in Denver, the gathering drew more than 400 Catholic founders, CEOs, investors, and ministry leaders from 39 states and seven countries. 

“They didn’t come for another conference. They came to be formed,” Madden said in a statement about the summit.

That mission continues through SENT’s Fellowship program, peer coaching, and executive coaching, which Madden said help entrepreneurs find guidance and community as they navigate the demands and often isolating work of building a business.

“As Catholics, we also believe in an all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God who is ultimately in control,” he said. “That gives us a different relationship with time. We don't have to operate from a place of fear or constant urgency.”

Madden said that perspective encourages Catholic entrepreneurs to pursue their ambitions with future generations in mind.

“I don't think the mentality of sacrificing people or principles for quarterly returns has ever aligned with our faith,” he said. “Instead, we're called to build businesses that create lasting value, honor human dignity, and serve generations beyond our own.”

Building a strong team also means finding employees whose values align with the company’s, Madden explained.

“That doesn't mean everyone on the team needs to be Catholic,” Madden told Zeale News. “But it does mean finding people who are hopeful, hardworking, have grit, believe in doing the right thing when nobody's watching, and genuinely want to make a difference.”

One success Madden highlighted was SENT’s support for Truthly, a Catholic AI app whose co-founders include Karim Chehade and which offers answers grounded in Scripture and the Catechism. Madden called it a “powerful example” of a community committed to both business excellence and a company’s mission.

“Through prayer and relationships developed within SENT, he was able to connect with his CTO and essentially build out his entire executive leadership team,” Madden said. “The SENT network also helped him make connections for raising capital, expand awareness of the company's mission, and reach new users.”

Chehade described SENT’s personal impact in a testimonial provided by the organization.

"My life would be on a different trajectory without SENT,” he said.

Madden has also seen entrepreneurs develop faith-aligned investment products and rethink how their businesses can serve their local communities. 

Ben Davis, founder of The Gents Place, a men’s grooming company, has made employees’ personal growth part of the company’s culture — an approach Madden described as “a beautiful example of Catholic leadership in action.” 

“He could easily view these positions as hourly jobs and leave employee development entirely to individual franchisees,” Madden said. “Instead, he's intentionally investing in the personal growth of the people who work throughout his organization.”

Davis described how SENT helped him maintain his own priorities in a testimonial provided by the organization.

“I met a group of people that always put God first in their business,” he said. “And that was exactly what I was looking for. I've appreciated it more than anything, being held accountable to the things that matter most.”

After the September summit, Madden heard from business-to-business entrepreneurs who were becoming more intentional about the clients they served.

“Several shared that they've actually turned down five- and six-figure deals because they didn't believe in the products or missions of the companies seeking their services,” he said.

Madden hopes that commitment to integrity will help make SENT companies sought-after places to work over the next five years as Fellowship participants mentor a new generation of entrepreneurs.

“I'd love for being a SENT company to become a badge of respect,” he said, “something that signals an organization is serious about treating its employees well, operating with honesty and integrity, and building a culture where people can flourish.”