SEED Venture Finance professionals bring a diverse and complimentary blend of financial skills and market experience to each project.  Our team is committed to assisting our portfolio companies in achieving their long-term financial and strategic objectives. 

Thomas Wooters, Vice President and Investment Advisor

Tom is primarily responsible for SEED Venture Finance's investment operations.  Prior to joining SEED Venture Finance, he worked as an independent consultant offering strategic consulting services to small businesses.  Prior to his work as a consultant, Tom was a founding partner at Argo Global Capital, a communications focused venture capital firm.  During his tenure at Argo, the firm successfully raised two funds totaling greater than $440 million in capital.  While at Argo, Tom was responsible for all aspects of transaction execution including deal sourcing, due diligence, deal structuring and investment monitoring.  

Before the founding of Argo, Tom worked at Advent International, a large Boston-based international private equity firm.  At Advent, his responsibilities included transaction execution and monitoring of investments in North America and Asia/Pacific.  Tom also worked at Cowen & Company (SG Cowen) in the firm’s Technology Investment Banking Group.  While at Cowen, he advised and assisted Cowen’s clients in the execution of public offerings of equity and debt, merger and acquisition transactions, fairness opinions and private placements.  Tom holds a B.S. in Business Finance from Lehigh University.

Maria Gooch-Smith

Maria is primarily responsible for the administrative operations of SEED Venture Finance.  Mrs. Gooch-Smith has 26 years of experience in all aspects of economic development.  She currently serves as the Executive Director of SEED Corporation, a regional nonprofit economic development corporation located in southeastern Massachusetts.  Maria was instrumental in the establishment of SEED Corporation in 1982 and was responsible for the growth in SEED Corporation’s lending operations from a single loan program to the six currently offered.  Additionally, SEED Corporation has expanded its operations to include business assistance workshops, counseling and a Business Center. 

Maria oversees all of SEED Corporation’s operations including commercial lending, staffing, budgeting and financial reporting.  Prior to SEED Corporation’s establishment, she served as the economic development director for the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District in Massachusetts and acted as an economic development consultant for the Massachusetts cities Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton.  Maria holds a B.S. in Government from Suffolk University and attended the graduate School of Public Communication at Boston University. 

David F. Westgate

David is a member of the SEED Venture Finance Investment Committee.  He has served as the Chairman of SEED Corporation and has been actively involved in various officer positions and as a Director of the corporation since its inception.  David has been the President of Quequechan Management Corporation in Fall River since 1990.  He has over 20 years of commercial banking experience and has served in various senior management positions including Senior Vice President and Senior Lending Officer at Bank of New England.  In addition to SEED Corporation, David serves as Chairman of Lifestream Inc. of New Bedford and Vice President and Treasurer for The Home for Aged People in Fall River.  He also serves on the Board of Slade’s Ferry Bank.  David holds a B.A. in Economics from Colby College and attended Williams College of Banking and Stonier School of Banking at Rutgers University.