Bunker Labs is now a part of the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF)! With this change comes a mountain of opportunity for Bunker Lab’s program participants and alumni. We wanted to take this opportunity to highlight a few people who have taken programs at both Bunker Labs and IVMF, and asked them to share their thoughts on the two military entrepreneur giants joining forces.
You can read more about Bunker Labs joining IVMF in our announcement.
Charlynda Scales
CEO Mutt’s Sauce
Air Force Veteran
A 10-year active-duty veteran and current reservist, Charlynda created Mutt’s Sauce to bring a beloved family sauce recipe to everyone. Charlynda cites Bunker Labs’ as a source of mentorship and a key resource as she begins scaling her company nationwide. She is also a current CEOcircle program participant, and has participated in several IVMF mentorship panels, sharing what she’s learned along the way, and has seen firsthand the impact IVMF has made in the military community. Be sure to sign up for Mutt’s Sauce’s mailing list to place your order soon!
Bunker Labs and IVMF is a collaboration that just makes sense. The organizations are like-hearted (sharing the same core values) and whereas Bunker Labs has great social capital, IVMF has the business infrastructure to help make both efforts scale higher, farther, and faster. I look forward to the impact this partnership will make.
—Charlynda Scales
Renee Krieg
CEO Vertical Athletics
Army Veteran
Renee served from 2001-2007 in the Army as an Intelligence Analyst, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant (E6). She’s now the CEO of Vertical Athletics, a performance sports apparel company scaling at a prodigious rate after striking licensing agreements with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer, and getting on shelves at Rally House, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and most MLB and MLS stadium stores.
Renee is a current member of Bunker Labs’ CEOcircle, and credits Bunker Labs with helping her understand how to do business with large corporations. At IVMF, she’s been a part of Veteran EDGE and the IVMF Acceleration Challenge, and treasures the friendships and bonds that have endured long after the programs run their course.
IVMF is excellent at creating and executing programs that bring resources and people together for tactical learning opportunities, while Bunker Labs has done a wonderful job at creating a sense of community among veteran entrepreneurs by offering the opportunity to be connected locally and in annual programs.
The consistency of year-round support Bunker offers will be largely enhanced by combining forces with IVMF’s program strength and resources resulting in the shared vision of both organizations to successfully grow entrepreneurship among the military and veteran community.
—Renee Krieg
Sheena Parker
CEO 4SYT Industries
Army Veteran
Sheena served in the US Army as a Signal Support System Specialist, and then a Signal Warrant Officer, and deployed to Korea, Qatar, and twice to Kuwait. Her company, 4SYT Industries, is a building management company dedicated to bringing buildings back to life and restore their beauty with a full suite of maintenance, cleaning, and restoration services.
Sheena participated in Veterans in Residence (ViR) 21A, and feels it was the most impactful program on her business that created so many lasting connections, critical hires, and detailed information. IVMF also played a critical role in her business development, and she’s participated in many of the programs and conferences, lauding their professionalism, organization, value, and personable approach.
The prospect of Bunker Labs and IVMF collaborating is like combining entrepreneurial fireworks with a military precision playbook—a dynamic explosion of innovation and strategy! I love this idea, and I’m excited to see how this comes together!.
—Sheena Parker
