In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we’re looking at some of the standout founders from our Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship (BBiE) and Veterans in Residence (ViR) program participants from the AAPI community over the past year. BBiE creates a space for veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs from traditionally underserved communities to come together to support and educate one another in the face of unique challenges, and help spread the word about opportunities.
We encourage you to learn about these exceptional entrepreneurs, and think about their asks of the broader Bunker Labs community. Be sure to follow and connect with them on social media!
Sandra Nam
Army Veteran Spouse
Qiqo Inc.
BBiE and V-WISE Alum
Qiqo helps local businesses turn their neighbors into customers. As a local business owner, you don’t want to spend money on things you don’t know will work or on expensive Facebook or Nextdoor advertising, so you end up not doing anything at all or spending too much time trying to figure it out. Qiqo is a network of hyperlocal marketplaces that helps local businesses get discovered through social proof.
Sandra’s Ask: We are looking for investors as we raise a $500K seed round to build the sales and engineering teams for rapid growth. We already have an MVP in the market with the first paying customers already onboarding.
Kimberly Nguyen
Air Force Spouse
Art Therapy With Kim
BBiE Alum
I’m a second-generation Vietnamese American and board-certified art therapist in San Antonio, Texas. My business is aimed at supporting trauma healing through talk therapy and art-making.
Kimberly’s Ask: If you know anyone needing a therapist in Texas, please reach out: contact@kimberly-nguyen.com.
Cynthia S. Kao
US Air Force Reserves Veteran, Mother to Service Disabled Army Veteran Son
Rebirth Innovation, Inc
BBiE and ViR Alum
Rebirth Innovation is an early-stage health-tech startup building a workforce more resistant to burnout, lost productivity, attrition and chronic illness through custom, clinically based resources and skills training.
Our services include corporate resilience and employee training in the areas of: DEI strategy & diversity program implementation, conflict resolution and de-escalation, leadership training, HR mediation and corporate retreats to build team morale, cohesiveness, growth and organizational strategy, as well as employee assistance programs.
Cynthia’s Ask: My ask is to connect us with companies you may be familiar with who would benefit from a free consultation for services or partner with us in our work!
Simon Karmarkar
Army Veteran
MasRefund
ViR Alum
MasRefund is the first and only bilingual Spanish-English tax filing app. It’s affordable, simple, and 100% mobile. It’s a time-saving hack, so it’s perfect for Millennials and Gen Z. We use AI to maximize your refund. Filing is as easy as uno, dos, tres. Uno, sign up. Dos, scan documents. Tres, Submit your return.
Simon’s Ask: We are seeking brand ambassadors in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Tennessee, and Washington. For more information email me: simon@masrefund.com.
Jeffrey Tam
Army Veteran
Pesce Lulu Seafood Kitchen
BBiE Alum
Pesce lulu seafood kitchen is the first fine fast casual seafood spot in NYC and beyond. My belief Pesce lulu as a global seafood concept offering meals that are fast, fun, and fresh. Try our crispy mahi tacos and sautéed greens!
Jeffrey’s Ask: We are open to partnerships with established restaurant operators and licensors to grow our:
– Share of the frozen seafood market via a licensing partner for mass distribution.
– Distribution channels for our wild mahi mahi from a sustainable fishery in El Salvador.
– Distribution channels for our specialized custom blended salts and spices through our sister company, The Salt + Spice Company.
Raya Arbiol
US Navy Veteran
New York Life (Arbiol Business Unit)
BBiE and ViR Alum
I’m Raya Arbiol, a Partner at New York Life, where I specialize in hiring, training, and leading individuals who make people richer.
The people who find success in this business love their job, and are motivated entrepreneurs seeking the autonomy of running their own business, yet value the stability and resources of a Fortune 100 company. With our proven training and support systems, coupled with the backing of a trusted brand, success is virtually assured.
Raya’s Ask: If you know someone ready to embark on this journey with me, I’d love to connect with them.
Support AAPI Veteran and Military Spouse-owned Businesses
In addition to the featured entrepreneurs presented above, there are dozens of Asian American and Pacific Islander-led companies participating in our Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship (BBiE) workshop today that could use your support. Browse the many AAPI veteran and military spouse-owned businesses that have come through the program, including our most recent graduates in the 24A cohort, and show them some support and patronage.
Representation matters, especially in the entrepreneurial world. Through the power of community and connection, the BBiE workshop aims to help participants shatter society-erected barriers for entrepreneurs of historically underserved communities. Interested in going through the workshop? BBiE is currently accepting interest forms for the next cohort.
Bunker Labs is Now Part of IVMF
As of January 2024, Bunker Labs is now a part of Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF). In addition to ongoing Bunker Labs programming, we’d encourage you to browse IVMF’s deep wealth of entrepreneurship programming, much of it available virtually or at locations across the country. Find the program to help your business take the next step today!