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Happy Holidays and we hope everyone finishes out 2023 on a positive note! We are looking forward to 2023 and seeing the military veteran entrepreneur ecosystem in person as it continues to grow, improve, and as it increases its impact.

Military Veteran Startup Conference (MVS 2023)

We have hundreds of signups for the Military Veteran Startup Conference on 2/2-2/3/23 (MVS 2023) and have an incredible line up of panelists and attendees. Here are just a few of the panelists/speakers:

1. Henry Ward, the CEO and Cofounder of Carta (Marine)

2. Kai Ryssdal, the Host/Senior Editor of Marketplace (Navy)

3. Katherine Lynch, the Cofounder of Ness (Navy)

4. Riley Rees, the CEO and Founder of Sofia Health (Air Force)

5. Lenore Karafa, the Operating Partner of First in and Board President of Bunker Labs (Navy)

6. Grant Jordan, the CEO and Cofounder of SkySafe (Air Force)

7. Matt Cox, CEO and Cofounder of Beacon AI (Navy)

8. Bob Eisiminger, Entrepreneur, Member, Board of Directors at Patriapps Software Venture Studio & former CEO of Knight Point Systems (Army)

9. Bradford Davis, the former CEO now Executive Chairman of Forensic Logic COPLINK (Marine)

MVS 2023 is going to be an event full of learning, networking, & building. Several founders were able to raise a round based on last year’s event and we hope that February’s event also proves fruitful for these founders. MVS 2023 will also be bringing together institutional limited partners so we are hoping this event helps military veteran venture capitalists!

There will be (125) complimentary copies of Traversing the Traction Gap given to those who attend Bruce Cleveland (the author’s) talk.

There will also be (100) complimentary copies of Crossing the Chasm given to those who attend that talk!

Sign up for the Military Veteran Startup Conference before the end of the month/year before ticket prices increase!

Military Veteran Startup Book

We also will have copies of our Military Veteran Startup book that we are publishing at the conference. More about this book here:

What do Motown Records, Nike, and FedEx all have in common? Besides their massive impacts on American culture and society, all three giants in their field were founded by military veterans who served their country first before going on to shape our modern world.

We often read books about military history and leaders, or business moguls’ entrepreneurial journeys, but we rarely hear about the intersections between the military and business. The Military Veteran Startup tells the stories of America’s most successful military veteran entrepreneurs, from visionary dream-seekers like Phil Knight to bonafide business machines like Charlie Munger, and even modern trailblazers like Phyllis Newhouse.

Whether you’re looking for next steps in your career after the military, interesting insights from successful entrepreneurs and military leaders, or even just some amazing personal zero-to-hero stories, this book has something for everyone.

Thank you to our Military Veteran Startup 2023 Sponsors:

• Over Easy (Army)

• Fire Department Coffee (Navy)

• Woobies: Woobies is a Veteran-founded consumer lifestyle company and one of the fastest growing footwear brands in America. The Woobies team is thrilled to offer MilVet startups registered attendees a 20% discount on their flagship Mod-1 footwear system. Learn More (Army)

• Echelon (Army)

• Bravo Sierra

• JP Morgan

• Pentagon Federal Credit Union: The PenFed Foundation’s Veteran Entrepreneur Investment Program (VEIP) propels veteran-led companies to new heights. We offer a variety of programs that support veteran entrepreneurs of companies ranging from the idea stage through to Series A and beyond. At any stage, VEIP will better prepare founders for fundraising efforts and bring clarity to the elusive process of accessing capital.

If you are interested in sponsoring the Military Veteran Startup conference, then contact leaders@contextvc.com. 

Our Events Calendar

Here’s our event calendar for next year:

1. Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January

2. Military Veteran Startup Conference in San Francisco, 2/2-2/3 (a Context Ventures event)

3. SXSW in Austin in March, we will be organizing an event during SXSW so more info on this later!

4. The San Francisco Military Veteran Transition Conference, 6/15-6/16 (The Military Veteran event, a Context Ventures portfolio company)

5. The Diverse Emerging Managers Conference, 6/29 (a Context Ventures event). If you’d like to request an invite, then please contact leaders@contextvc.com 

6. SaaStr in September

7. Consumer Commerce Conference, 9/15, Friday (a Context Ventures event). If you’d like to request an invite, then please contact leaders@contextvc.com 

8. The East Coast Military Veteran Career Conference, 9/28-9/29 (The Military Veteran event, a Context Ventures portfolio company)

9. The West Point AOG Entrepreneur Conference, 10/17-10/18, this will be in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley area, Tim along with Doug Doan, Shawn Olds, Bob Eisiminger, & Guy Filippelli is one of the co-chairs for next year’s event

10. Veteran VC Office Hours

    1. March 3rd, 1300-1500 PT (1600-1800 PT)

    2. June 2nd, 1300-1500 PT (1600-1800 PT)

    3. Sep 1st, 1300-1500 PT (1600-1800 PT)

    4. Dec 8th, 1300-1500 PT (1600-1800 PT)

We hope to see you all at these events!

The Military Veteran

Are you hiring for your startup or fund? The Military Veteran is a recruiting agency that helps employers hire veterans. We help you hire better candidates, faster, and easier. 

We specialize in helping companies find military veterans, with relevant business experience, for their startups and companies. From a veteran’s first job out of the military to senior business executives with decades of experience scaling companies - we can help you. 

Reach out to brendan@themilvet.org - You won’t regret hiring a vet!

Are you a veteran looking to find a new role? Reach out to megan@themilvet.org and CC Brendan with your resume and the types of companies you are targeting. 

Military Veteran & Military Related Startup News

1. Custom jeweler Wove bags $3.85M to make engagement ring purchases less stressful | TechCrunch 

2. USAA Awards $100,000 to Veteran Startup, Candelytics, Through 100th Anniversary Pitch Competition 

3. Military Spending Surges, Creating New Boom for Arms Makers

4. Shield AI raises $165M at a $2.3B valuation to fuel development of its military autonomous flying systems | TechCrunch

5. Anduril Raises $1.48 Billion in Series E Funding 

6. Kodiak Robotics wins $50M to help US Army build AVs for recon, surveillance | TechCrunch

7. Pentagon’s strategic capital office to spur investment in defense tech & Secretary of Defense Establishes Office of Strategic Capital 

8. US Army soldiers felt ill while testing Microsoft’s HoloLens-based headset | Ars Technica

9. Dcode Capital raising $50M fund to build bridge between startups and federal government | TechCrunch

10. New Mexico Investment Council commits record $100M in fund | AP News & America’s Frontier Fund Receives Up to $100 Million Commitment from New Mexico State Investment Council into Frontier Fund I; Plans to Build Albuquerque-based Frontier Tech Venture Studio Called Roadrunner Studios | Business Wire

11. How CEOcircle Helps Veterans Drive Business Growth & Business Leaders Selected to Participate in CEOcircle Program Presented by Bunker Labs and JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking 

12. West Point AOG podcast, Tim interviews the following individuals: Paying It Forward with Terry Hill and Alex McKindra, Managing Directors at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

13. This new program teaches veterans how to become entrepreneurs

If we missed any military veteran startup news, then let us know by contacting us at leaders@contextvc.com

Support Bunker Labs

As this year comes to an end, I am reaching out to kindly ask for a philanthropic donation to a cause I believe in and support as a proud member of their board: Bunker Labs. Bunker Labs has helped thousands of #veteran and military spouse #entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Help them continue to do the great work they do. Make a tax-deductible donation today: every dollar donated enables Bunker Lab to deliver programming and services free of charge to thousands of Veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs and business owners each year. Your donation supports programs and resources offered free of charge to thousands of Veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs each year.

The Bunker Labs mission is to build a more powerful and equitable economy by addressing the wealth gap and creating economic mobility for veterans and military spouses through entrepreneurship and small business creation.  

They do this through a proven impact model of inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem development and business-stage based cohort programs. Tax-deductible donations can be made easily today.

Veteran Startup Spotlight

Undoubtedly many New Year’s resolutions will be about being healthy. This startup can help your family eat healthier: True Made Foods turns junk foods into superfoods. We started by removing the added sugar and corn syrup from America’s favorite condiments- ketchup, bbq sauce, mustards and sriracha- and naturally sweetened our products with whole fruits and veggies instead. Founded by a Navy veteran who couldn’t get his kids to stop eating ketchup, so he made a better one and Hall of Fame Pitmaster and Vietnam veteran, Ed Mitchell. True Made Foods is happy to offer the military veteran startup community a 20% discount on online orders with the code MILVET.

Happy Holidays,
Carina Cho, Brendan Aronson, & Tim Hsia

Context Ventures 

* Join the Military Veteran Startup Slack Community here

* If you were forwarded this email, then subscribe to this email newsletter via this link.