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
WATCH: No reason for ‘lone wolfing’ the startup grind, LaunchKC past winners say as application window narrows
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by LaunchKC but was independently produced by Startland News. With a July 11 application deadline nearing, LaunchKC past winners emphasized the popular, high-profile grants contest is about much more than chasing a payday. “There’s the community piece. There’s the exposure piece. But once you win — or even once…
Accelerate Tech Learning targets the (urban) core of KC’s programmer shortage
Training would-be programmers from Kansas City’s urban core isn’t about getting rich, said Joshua Clark, co-founder of Accelerate Tech Learning. But unfortunately that means it can be tricky to get underestimated students the costly education to become a certified developer in the world of information technology, added Mauri Trent, Accelerate Tech’s executive vice president of…
With Hy-vee Arena, KC Star project, southward expansion, KC Crew plans to double its players
Where KC Crew plays, growth and development follow, said founder Luke Wade. The adult sports and event company filled Kansas City’s Parade Park every night before the Urban Youth Academy broke ground on East 17th Terrace, for example, Wade said. “So it’s kind of that economic development. The same thing happened with the riverfront when…
Mycroft hopes to build community of investment backers with new online public offering
Adding to its array of successful crowdfunding efforts, Mycroft AI recently launched an online public offering that’s generating significant financial support for the startup. Thanks to 2016 changes to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s equity crowdfunding regulations, the Kansas City-based tech startup’s OPO has already amassed more than $173,000 of its $1.07 million funding goal.…