The Bunker Labs KC lands funding to help veteran entrepreneurs
May 18, 2016 | Bobby Burch
The area’s go-to organization for military veteran entrepreneurs, Bunker Labs KC, will boost its impact in the area with new financial support.
The local organization, which is a part of the national network of Bunker Labs, announced Wednesday that it received $100,000 from the Missouri Technology Corporation. The funds will primarily be used to bring the organization’s entrepreneur educational resources to active duty military members who are transitioning within the next six to twelve months.
“It is extremely rewarding that others see our vision and want to support military veteran entrepreneurs,” said Sean McIntosh, Bunker Labs KC executive director. “Many veterans have had unique leadership and management experiences conducting combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Conducting these operations successfully requires constantly making the best decisions with the intel and resources you have at the time, while adhering to a strategic vision greater than yourself. This is also a fundamental aspect of startup life.”
The Bunker Labs KC offers entrepreneurship educational events, pro bono consulting and access to mentors as well as angel investors. Since its launch in 2014, the local organization has helped more than 400 military veterans.
McIntosh said that there are roughly 157,000 veterans in the Kansas City metro. In 2016, the Bunker Labs KC hopes to help 600 veterans with its entrepreneurial and business services. McIntosh,who previously worked with Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., on the Veterans Entrepreneurial Transition Act of 2015, said that the Missouri Technology Corporation’s funds will help it directly reach out to active-duty military members to promote entrepreneurship as a career option before they transition into civilian life.
“Once fully established, (the Bunker Labs) network will be a powerful tool for Kansas City-based veteran entrepreneurs as they will have the ability to tap into angel investors, strategic corporate partners, and subject matter experts nationwide,” McIntosh said. “I can’t wait to see everything come together!”
The Bunker Labs KC is one of nine chapters of the Bunker Labs, which was launched in Chicago in 2014. Bunker Labs recently announced that it received a $1.5 million sponsorship from JP Morgan Chase that will aid the lab’s “Midwest Muster” military veteran entrepreneurship conference series, one of which will be held in Kansas City. The Kansas City Midwest Muster conference will be Sept. 21 at the Kansas City Convention Center.
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
$11M renovation in the works for historic hub of Black entrepreneurship; project ties into 18th Street pedestrian mall plans
Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by AltCap, an ally to underestimated entrepreneurs that offers financing to businesses and communities that traditional lenders do not serve. For more than one hundred years, the Lincoln Building has served as a cornerstone of commerce and community in the 18th and Vine district. The historic district —…
MTC’s spring $1.4M investment cycle loops Facility Ally, DevStride into equity deals
Two Kansas City startups are among a handful of Missouri companies receiving a collective $1.4 million in investment allocations through a state-sponsored venture capital program. Facility Ally, led by serial entrepreneur Luke Wade; and DevStride, co-founded by Phil Reynolds, Chastin Reynolds, Aaron Saloff and Kujtim Hoxha; must now complete the Missouri Technology Corporation’s due diligence process…
Kauffman CEO: Foundation’s reset aligns Mr. K’s intent with KC’s needs of the moment
A recently announced strategy refresh for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation will drive the organization’s collective impact in the community — honoring the vision of its namesake while recognizing the challenges Kansas City faces today, said Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace. “Mr. K had very distinct philosophies and ideas around how he wanted this work done,” explained…
Block by block: Prototype builds startup’s housing vision where everyone can afford their own castle
A mock home facade project on the grounds of Kansas City’s historic Workhouse Castle serves as a proof point for Godfrey Riddle’s rebooted Civic Saint — a social venture built on compressed earth blocks as its key to affordable, sustainable housing. “CEBs (compressed earth blocks) are great for Kansas City, because non-expansive sandy clay soil…