Patriot Boot Camp, put on by high-tech accelerator Techstars, is underway in Chapel Hill. The program intends to help veterans who want to become entrepreneurs. And one Marine vet recently gave PBC a hearty endorsement.
What’s PBC?
“Patriot Boot Camp (PBC) is an intensive 3-day program focused on helping military Veterans and spouses become technology entrepreneurs. The PBC program has a focus on technology oriented startups, specifically web-based or other software companies,” the group says.
“Patriot Boot Camp (PBC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to equip active duty military members, Veterans, and their spouses with the education, resources, and community needed to be successful technology entrepreneurs.
“The objective of PBC is to provide military members, Veterans, and spouses with access to mentors and training to help them innovate and build the next generation of high-growth, scaleable and impactful companies. Patriot Boot Camp leverages a nationwide network of business and startup community thought leaders to more effectively guide entrepreneurs in bridging the gap between military service and entrepreneurial life.”
An endorsement from an entrepreneurial vet
In a recent blog post at PBC, Marine Corps venteran Bob Morgan talked about how PBC helped him.
How did you get interested in the military, and what did you do in the Marine Corps?
What made you interested in starting a technology company, and how did you get involved with Patriot Boot Camp?
I got hooked on creating a tech company after reading “Innovation & Entrepreneurship” by Peter Drucker. My first tech company was CompuGuide Services and we built web intranet sites for Merck pharmaceutical at their global headquarters in Whitehouse Station, NJ.
This time around I’m building a mobile app/web company called The University Prosperity League. UPL helps recent college grads (and their parents) convert career aspirations into career achievement by conducting fun tournaments for teams of five alumni and their assigned mentors. Matches are played against teams from rival schools.
A friend introduced me to Al Doan who introduced me to John Hrivnak, the rest as they say, is history. I attended in NYC in 2014 and 2015, both events were superb!
What have you gained through your your Patriot Boot Camp participation?
Patriot Boot Camp transformed my thinking about myself and my odds as an entrepreneur.
My view of myself went from being “an individual entrepreneur toiling alone” into “a member of a vibrant community of fellow veterans” where the other entrepreneurs, speakers and staff all conveyed the message that my military background gave me a depth of transferable skills that could help me succeed as an entrepreneur.
The encouraging words of the mentors on the Saturday sessions and afterwards have been a boost. The pitch competition on the stage of Goldman-Sachs was another high point of my PBC experience. The breadth of topics and the industry expertise of the speakers is excellent. Craig Newmark, Robin Chase, Paul Walker, and Joanne Wilson are four that have made an ongoing impression.
Out of last year’s PBC I took advantage of the generous offer from John Robinson and Michelle Markey of the Kauffman Foundation and participated in their first-ever “FastTrac for Veteran Entrepreneurs” ten week online course. Taylor’s event staff last year and Sean’s team this year have built something that is truly remarkable.
