Dell Supports Veteran Entrepreneurs with Bunker Labs Partnership

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By 2030, the world needs 600 million new jobs to employ a rapidly growing, global workforce. Where will the jobs come from? Contrary to popular belief, it won’t be only big enterprises like Dell, but the vast majority of jobs will be driven by entrepreneurs and their fast-growing startups and small businesses.

panel of people speaking on a stage

Following World War II, 49 percent of veterans came home and embarked on the great American dream – entrepreneurship. Today, more than 7 percent of Americans have served in the military and while 25 percent of veterans want to become entrepreneurs, only 6 percent will! Why? While veterans embody the entrepreneurial spirit – have guts, gumption and ambition – they don’t have the access to capital and resources needed to start and grow a business.

As champions for entrepreneurs and the jobs they create, Dell is pleased to partner with Bunker Labs to connect veteran entrepreneurs with the proper resources.  Bunker Labs is a national nonprofit whose mission is to inspire, educate and connect current and retired military members and their families to the resources needed to help them succeed as leaders in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Dell and Bunker Labs recently collaborated on a variety of events designed to support veteran entrepreneurs and the unique challenges they face in scaling their businesses. With the support of Rory Read, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Sponsor of the Veterans & Supporters ERG, and Steve Harris, SVP & GM, Federal Group, here’s a look at what we’ve accomplished together to-date:

  • Muster Across America: In October, Dell participated in the Muster Across America event in Austin, which gathered 300 veterans, military spouses, transitioning service members, reservists/guard, corporate partners, innovators and supporters to bring their best ideas and develop new connections and insights during Austin Startup Week. Our partners at Alice (AI for women and veteran entrepreneurs), rolled out the platform to the veteran community, connecting them with tailored recommendations to access capital, mentorship and other critical resources.
  • Bunker Labs CEO Circle in Austin: The event gathered successful veteran CEOs to discuss the resources, networks and mentorship needed to position their companies for future success. The Austin CEO Circle paired eight companies from the Bunker Labs Austin chapter with Dell executives across areas including sales, marketing, strategy and operations to provide a full scope of business considerations and advice to position their companies for growth. Check out the feedback here.

Dell’s participation in our curriculum has immediately increased the bottom line revenue for some of our entrepreneurs.

“Dell’s executives show up, speak up and deliver amazing value in their engagement with Bunker Labs Austin’s military community,” said Sabrina Marshall-Wojtewicz, co-founder, Bunker Labs Austin. “Dell’s participation in our curriculum has immediately increased the bottom line revenue for some of our entrepreneurs.”

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In addition to our work with Bunker Labs, the Dell team is also a member of the National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC), and the Supplier Diversity team participated in the 12th Annual Veteran Business Matchmaking & Vets Night Out earlier this month in Detroit. At the event, we met with veteran entrepreneurs and discussed topics related to supplier diversity and buyer-supplier relationships.

You can check out some stories from the #VetsAtDell here, as well as how Dell supports veterans through a number of programs on our military site.

Or read more here on Direct2Dell:

About the Author: Alan Mayer

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