Plantwise Founders

Trent Overholt’s specialty is standing up and launching successful businesses. As Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Plantwise, he combines his knowledge of the CPG industry with his previous experience in both the general retail and cannabis industries to drive Plantwise forward as an advantageous alternative in the wellness and supplement market.

After starting his career as a mechanical engineering graduate of UCLA, Overholt quickly turned his product design and problem solving skill set into a business development, creative deal-making and management asset. Overholt utilized strategic planning rigor and a hyper-focus on customer value to restore profitable growth, as demonstrated in a series of successful top-line turnarounds at Rehrig Pacific Company.

His early success naturally led to his next entrepreneurial endeavor: solving the complex strategic and organizational problems of start-ups and struggling legacy companies. Overholt founded VMG Consultants & Advisors, setting strategy to effect lasting cultural change and lift revenue trajectories for consumer products, and was eventually recruited by dosist as Chief Revenue Officer to launch the brand in a crowded California cannabis market. Following his success at dosist, Overholt founded an innovative consumer marketing platform for the largest cannabis delivery retailer in California, Eaze. Most recently, he was recruited to lead 14th Round as CEO from a modestly seeded start-up in 2018 to profitable top-line growth, earning the company a $12.7M Series A raise at a $250M valuation within 2 years.

Jimmy Brophy
Chief Innovation Officer & Co-Founder

Jimmy Brophy brings a focused approach to brand development augmented by years of versatile design and brand-building experience. From initially cutting his teeth operating his own design firm right out of college to migrating into the agency world, Brophy has lent his skill set to a wide variety of companies and clients across almost every vertical in the book. Among the variety, his portfolio includes work for: M&M Mars, Keebler, Kelloggs, Miller Coors, Sara Lee, The United States Postal Service, GE, Hyatt Hotels and numerous technology, hospitality, and entertainment companies. The result? An exceptionally keen eye for detail and the ability to see the entire brand from a bird’s eye view.

Brophy is a veteran of the hemp and cannabis industry since 2014. Most recently, he held the Creative Director position at 14th Round, a cannabis branding, packaging and technology agency behind some of the leading and most strategic North American brands. As Chief Innovation Officer and Founder of Plantwise, he applies his 30+ years of experience and natural entrepreneurship, leading all creative, marketing and product innovation efforts to achieve major success in the market.

Eric Bava
Chief Operations Officer & Co-Founder

Eric Bava brings years of experience from a multitude of industries in the business world. In his role as Chief Operations Officer and Founder at Plantwise, Bava utilizes his manufacturing and distribution expertise to lead operations and customer service efforts, ensuring the integrity of Plantwise’s products. 

After a successful career as a legal consultant, Bava used his operations and relationship building skills to kickstart his own wine distribution company in 2010. From handling large scale operations and logistics, to managing marketing and sales efforts, he brought efficiencies to all business processes with one main goal in mind - solid margins - while ensuring the end consumer was satisfied with the quality of the products and service.

In 2013, Bava started the California-based cannabis brand King Extracts, which operated in the early medical market and rode the wave into adult-use. He oversaw all aspects of the business – from managing operations, to manufacturing, distribution and sales. The success of the brand resulted in the sale of the company to a Canadian corporation, Wildflower Brands.