In conjunction with National Small Business Week and Columbus Startup Week, JPMorgan Chase announced a two-year, $1.5 million commitment to Bunker Labs, a non-profit organization that supports early stage startups that are owned by veteran entrepreneurs. This new grant will allow Bunker Labs to launch their Bunker Builds America Tour, which will see a series of events hitting 10 cities across the US. The goal of the tour is to showcase veteran entrepreneurs and their companies for investors and customers alike. Bunker Labs has a long history of promoting veteran entrepreneurs in various startup ecosystems around the world. The program was launched by a Navy veteran by the name of Todd Connor. His aim for the company was to provide training, workspaces, access to investors, mentorship and peer learning opportunities to the post-service population in order to promote their well-being and utilize their unique, military business skills. The data is quite favorable for this move by JPMorgan Chase and Bunker Labs. In the wake of World War II, 50 percent of veterans started a company. Now, only 10 percent of veterans are the hard-working owners of businesses around the country, while 25 percent hope to do so one day. Bunker Labs has been doing their best to make sure they feel supported in these leadership roles. And it seems to be working.
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