Bunker Labs empowers entrepreneurship amongst post-9/11 veterans

Military entrepreneur Todd Connor served in the U.S. Navy during Operation Iraqi Freedom aboard the USS Bunker Hill. In June 2014, he built the national not-for-profit organization Bunker Labs at a co-working space known as 1871, Chicago’s center for technology and entrepreneurship. The organization, designed to empower other military veterans to start and grow businesses, is now available nationwide.

Through educational programming, mentorship and events, Bunker Labs helps military veterans succeed and thrive in 15 chapters across the United States: Austin, Texas; Redwood City, Calif.; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Jacksonville, Fla.; Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles; Madison, Wis.; Minneapolis; Nashville, Tenn.; New YorkCity; Philadelphia; Seattle; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and Washington, D.C.

Bunker Labs also offers veterans an online space to meet and share ideas.

There are 200,000 military veterans transitioning out of the military and 25 percent of them want to start a business. Less than 5 percent of post-9/11 veterans have started businesses and Bunker Labs is working to improve that number.

A celebration to establish a new chapter in Los Angeles was attended by nearly 100 veterans, including members of The American Legion. Justin Walker, executive director of Bunker Labs, thanked The American Legion for helping to bring the local chapter together.

“(The American Legion has) been incredible with moving us forward and helping us with all the challenges.” said Walker, a former special warfare combatant craft officer who became an instructor toward the end of his Navy career. “That’s really where I found a big passion for teaching people. I ended up starting my own business to help bring team building and collaboration to companies through a Special Forces model.”

Walker started his business when he transitioned out of the Navy and it became apparent he needed more help and a network. “I needed to reach out and get to know more people,” Walker said. “I got to a point where I felt like I really got stuck and I needed some help.” Bunker Labs in Chicago had just kicked off.

The process was a meaningful experience for Walker where he learned the business mindset and had a veteran network that he needed to have as soon as he transitioned. “I still needed people to talk normally in front of,” he said. “It’s nice to just be around a veteran who is capable of understanding that language; it helped my transition immensely.”

Bunker Labs offers several ways to learn, develop and connect: Bunker in a Box, Bunker Brews, Epic, CEO Circle and a membership app. Bunker in a Box gets you started. It’s an online platform for military veterans to explore entrepreneurship by watching interviews and TED talks, listening to podcasts, and by taking assessments and quizzes.

Physical meet-ups organized by Bunker Labs are called Bunker Brews. This happy hour event for military veteran entrepreneurs, innovators, entrepreneurs and community advocates is held regularly from New York City to Los Angeles and cities in between.

Epic is an accelerator program for veterans who are coming in with an idea and are ready to do the work to find out if the idea has merit. It is a 14-week curriculum, along with mentors, advisors and business connections to help veterans dreams succeed and will soon be running in all 15 locations.

CEO Circle is a program led by military veterans who’ve started a company and are demonstrating continuing success. They are ready to take it to the next level. “CEO Circle is where we want to capture the value of those veterans who are already over the hurdle of sustainability and support them as they grow into the next challenge for their business,” Connor said.

Bunker Labs is using all the technology available. Part of that is a membership app that allows veterans to create a profile, join discussions, find local events, and find veterans with expertise. The mobile app accesses a local and national network of military veteran entrepreneurs, business experts and nonprofit partners. It’s a powerful tool for bringing people together across the national network. You can learn about recent activities, local or national activities and with a simple click you'll be going to these events.

Bunker Labs currently supports over 370 companies across the country. “We know that we are on to something that is working,” Connor said. “We know what we need to do this year to make it stronger and better, and we know that we’ve got the team in place to make that happen.”

“The Bunker has been an excellent resource for the development of my entrepreneurial mindset. It contributes by providing not only education, but professional resources necessary to be successful,” said Sandra Edwards, founder of Wheelz on Time, an online finance company based in Chicago that provides new tire and auto repair financing to consumers at brick and mortar merchants.

None of what has been built these past two years would have been possible without the generous and early backing of corporate and foundation sponsors like JP Morgan Chase, Deliotte, USAA, and many others. “To see all of the goodwill and leadership that exists amongst this community has been an incredible personal and professional joy,” said Connor.

The key ingredient for helping veteran-run start-ups is creating strong communities of support. On a national level, Bunker Labs has been able to build strong local and statewide veteran entrepreneur communities with the help of veterans dedicated to helping other veteran entrepreneurs become successful in their endeavors.

“The four-stage model is really built to support the military veteran from active duty into the growth and success and sustainment of the businesses,” Connor said. “Across all of our cites in the network that we have every single month, if you’re in a city that has a Bunker Labs chapter, show up to Bunker Brews, meet other veterans, meet people that are committed to the entrepreneurship community and start a conversation about what it could mean for you.”