Veteran-Focused Incubator, The Veteran Startup Challenge, Launches To Help Military Vets Build Startups | State
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Veteran Startup Challenge (VSC) is launching to train military vets to build startups and begin tech careers.
The VSC Boot Camp, the incubator’s first program, has begun accepting applications for its first cohort. The VSC Boot Camp is a four-week, part-time, remote entrepreneurship boot camp designed to help veterans take the first steps in their entrepreneurial journeys. In it, veterans learn Silicon Valley’s best practices, and ideate, validate, and launch their own ventures. Those eligible include military veterans, active duty personnel, gold star families, military spouses, intelligence community personnel and veterans, and Department of Defense (DoD) civilians.
The Veteran Startup Challenge was founded by Will Gregory, an entrepreneur who served in Afghanistan as a DoD civilian anthropological advisor during the 2011 surge. He went on to help build MD5 (now NSIN), the DoD’s national security technology accelerator, while serving as a Research Scientist at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering.
“When I came home from Afghanistan and started working in tech, I knew I wanted to support vets however I could,” said Gregory. “In Marjah in particular, there were some hard times, and through everything, I always knew the Marine on my left and right had my back. Since then, I’ve just wanted to do my best to repay that support in whatever small way I can.”
“I’ve been working with vet founders for almost a decade now and there are some extremely clear patterns that have emerged. Our initial focus is the area where vets struggle the most: the earliest part of their tech careers. When you’re transitioning from the military or pivoting into tech, you don’t know what you don’t know. You’re coming from a vastly different professional field and culture. Those who find the right resources, community, and support usually thrive and have a big impact. The challenge is that nobody’s waiting to help them through that process. VSC helps get them on the right track straight away.”
“The VSC Boot Camp is intense. It’s hard. It’s not just a bunch of book learning. Our vets actually get their hands dirty building their own startups. If you’re a vet who wants to do hard things that have an impact on the world, saddle up. This program is for you.”
SOURCE Veteran Startup Challenge
