Jul 17, 2018
Patriot Boot Camp offers a series of programs under the Techstars banner that gives military veterans the tools and connections to launch a tech startup.
Did you know that military vet entrepreneurs are twice as likely to be operating their businesses after five years of operation? And like all startups should know, only 10 percent actually stick around and go on to succeed. So why are military vets more likely to stay in business?
Some of the biggest companies in the US were founded by military veterans like Nike, GoDaddy and FedEx. Vets have historically been successful at starting their own businesses, dating back to after WWII (where 50% of veterans-owned businesses), but vet entrepreneurship has been on a steady decline over the years, now with only 5.6% veteran-owned businesses in the US.
This is because vets don’t have access to resources and
supportive communities like they did after WWII. Today’s GI Bill
doesn’t provide military and vets with access to low-interest loans
to start businesses (like the GI Bill did during World War II).
Patriot Boot Camp (PBC) is on a mission to turn these numbers
around by empowering veterans to use the skills attained from
operating in a high stress, demanding environments and translate
them into successful business ideas of their own.
PBC has already helped over 750 entrepreneurs start successful businesses, with alumni raising over $70M in capital and creating over 1,300 jobs during its six years of operation. Alumni accomplishments range from appearances on ABC’s Shark Tank, acceptance to top venture accelerators like TechStars and Y Combinator and seven successful alumni company acquisitions.
Josh Carter, CEO of Patriot Boot Camo discusses the gaps in entrepreneurial support that military veterans often encounter and much more in today's tech podcast