Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) has received a generous $50,000 sponsorship from The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) toward IVMF’s entrepreneurship programs. This is the third consecutive year Travelers has provided a sponsorship.

Funding will support two entrepreneurship programs: Veteran EDGE and V-WISE – Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship. Veteran EDGE is a four-day conference dedicated to veteran and military spouse business owners and the ecosystem that supports them. Stakeholders, IVMF program graduates and veteran- and military spouse-owned businesses from around the country will gather to network and learn about the latest opportunities, best practices and resources available to help them grow their companies. Veteran EDGE 2020 will be held March 5-8, 2020, in Dallas, Texas.

V-WISE is a women-focused training program and conference about entrepreneurship and small business management that provides tools, ongoing support and business mentorship to veterans, active-duty service members and military spouses aspiring to become successful entrepreneurs. To date, the program has graduated over 3,000 women — 65% of whom have launched a business; 93% of which are still in business today.

Support from Travelers will be used to reduce the cost to attend the conference for veterans and military spouses. Travelers risk management professionals will also provide business continuity education to conference attendees as part of the Small Business Risk Education program (SBRE). SBRE provides safety risk management and cyber education for minority- women- and veteran-owned small businesses in select markets throughout the country.

“Our team is grateful for the continued support from Travelers,” said Misty Stutsman, director of entrepreneurship and small business programs at IVMF. “Their sponsorship is a direct investment into our nation’s veterans, service members and their families. As we gear up to empower veteran entrepreneurs in 2020, working with like-minded partners such as Travelers is critical to our mission and impact.”

“We are proud to support organizations that value veterans and the unique skills they bring to businesses and the community,” said Tara Spain, Second Vice President of Community Relations at Travelers and Vice President of the Travelers Foundation. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with IVMF and the opportunity to implement the Small Business Risk Education program to entrepreneurs across the country.”