Aspiring veteran entrepreneurs look to UCLA for small business training
Los Angeles, CA – (07/11/17) – More than two dozen military veterans are gathered this week at the UCLA Anderson School of Management for the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV). This is UCLA Anderson’s 10th year in the EBV consortium, offering the program through the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
“We are honored to participate in the EBV Consortium,” said Alfred E. Osborne, Jr., senior associate dean of UCLA Anderson and faculty director of the Price Center. “As a public institution, UCLA has a demonstrated legacy of service and we look forward to helping these distinguished young men and women develop the skills that they will need for the next phase of their careers.”
EBV teaches post-9/11 veterans the nuts and bolts of small business ownership, leveraging the unique skills they’ve gained from military service. Participants receive expert instruction from world-renowned professors and expert entrepreneurs, studying topics ranging from accounting and financing to legal matters, HR, and management. Throughout the EBV experience, students engage in workshops to develop strategies for raising capital, attracting customers, and ultimately writing business plans that are most effective for their business models.
Financial assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration, corporate partners and private donors allows participants to attend the program cost-free.
EBV is a three-phase program, beginning with a 30-day online course, where participants shape their business plans and learn business language. The second phase is an intensive nine-day residency at the participating university. Following the residency, EBV graduates have year-long access to support and mentorship through EBV Technical Assistance, managed by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University.
The program was founded in 2007 at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management, and has expanded over the years to include ten institutions. This consortium represents one of the first significant partnerships of its type since World War II, with entrepreneurship programs at universities throughout the United States opening their doors to veterans who are motivated by business ownership.
Nationwide, more than 1,300 veterans have graduated from the EBV Program since 2007, 68% of whom have started their own businesses and created jobs. Some participants have continued to work for their current employers, often receiving promotions, while others have returned to school to complete their educations. UCLA will count more than 200 veterans and military family members among its program graduates when the current session wraps up on Sunday.
For more information about UCLA’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) program, EBV alumni and their military service to veteran-owned business stories’ please contact the Price Center at (310) 825-2985 or visit UCLA’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans.
About the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University
The Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) is the first interdisciplinary national institute in higher education focused on the social, economic, education, and policy issues impacting veterans and their families. Through its professional staff and experts, the IVMF delivers leading programs in career, vocational, and entrepreneurship education and training, while also conducting actionable research, policy analysis, and program evaluations. The IVMF also supports communities through collective impact efforts that enhance delivery and access to services and care. The Institute, supported by a distinguished advisory board, along with public and private partners, is committed to advancing the lives of those who have served in America’s armed forces and their families. For more information, visit IVMF and follow the IVMF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities
The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) is a first-of-its-kind initiative that transforms veterans into entrepreneurs. Delivered by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University, the EBV leverages the skills, resources and infrastructure of higher education to offer cutting-edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans and transitioning service members with service-related disabilities. Founded at Syracuse University in 2007, the program has since expanded to nine additional universities across the U.S., including Cornell University, Florida State University, Louisiana State University, Purdue University, Saint Joseph’s University, Texas A&M University, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Connecticut and University of Missouri. Assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), corporate partners and donors allows participants to attend the program at no cost. For more information, visit Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities and follow the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UCLA Anderson School of Management is an internationally recognized leader in entrepreneurship education. With a distinguished faculty as its cornerstone, the Center oversees activities that advance the theory and practice of entrepreneurship as well as the related fields of technology commercialization, venture capital and private equity, and social innovation. Well known for the impact of its outreach programs, the Price Center fosters a spirit of innovation in individuals, enhances the managerial capacity of organizations, and prepares entrepreneurial leaders who provide significant economic value to society.
About UCLA Anderson School of Management
UCLA Anderson School of Management is among the leading business schools in the world, with faculty members globally renowned for their teaching excellence and research in advancing management thinking. Located in Los Angeles, gateway to the growing economies of Latin America and Asia and a city that personifies innovation in a diverse range of endeavors, UCLA Anderson’s MBA, Fully Employed MBA, Executive MBA, UCLA-NUS Executive MBA for Asia Pacific, Master of Financial Engineering, Master of Science in Business Analytics, doctoral and executive education programs embody the school’s Think in the Next ethos. Annually, some 1,800 students are trained to be global leaders seeking the business models and community solutions of tomorrow.