The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship in the Florida State University College of Business will host its ninth annual Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) June 7-14 in Tallahassee.
The EBV program gives U.S. military veterans with service-related disabilities the training they need to become successful entrepreneurs and small business owners.
The 2016 FSU EBV class includes 21 veterans from 11 states including Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Virginia. Four veterans are from the Air Force, nine are from the Army, four are from the Marine Corps and four are from the Navy.
During the EBV program, which includes a yearlong mentoring component, veterans take a three-week online course, then travel to Tallahassee for on-site workshops with guest entrepreneurs on topics including business strategy, sales, marketing, leadership, operations and finance. The on-site training culminates with the participants preparing a venture pitch to promote their new business ideas to a group of panelists on their final day.
The EBV program is an important part of the Jim Moran Institute’s small business outreach activities.
“The EBV program gives veterans a high-quality executive education so they can develop and grow their own businesses,” said Randy Blass, executive director of the Jim Moran Institute. “We provide veterans with all of the tools and support that they need to meet the small business challenges ahead. We are proud to host this flagship veteran outreach program.”
Billy Francis, director of the FSU Student Veterans Center, said “Florida State’s sponsorship of EBV for several years now aptly demonstrates the university’s campus-wide commitment to veteran support and success.”
FSU is one of 10 sites participating in the EBV program, which was launched by Syracuse University in 2007. All FSU EBV services are provided to the veterans at no cost through the program’s generous donors. For more information about the FSU EBV program, visit jmi.fsu.edu/ebv.