National Hispanic Heritage Month, runs from September 15th through October 15th, setting aside important time to educate ourselves about contributions to American society and culture throughout our nation’s history. There is no better time to highlight the contributions Latinx veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs are making today, and offering our support.
So, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, here are seven veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs doing big things right now with Bunker Labs!
Transition Podcast Episodes
Thanks to the generous funding of the MetLife Foundation, host “Iron” Mike Steadman talks with fellow veteran entrepreneurs about the challenges of transitioning from military life to entrepreneurship. Below are some of his favorite episodes this year with Latinx founders, only on Bunker Labs’ official podcast, Transition Podcast!
Omar Fuentes
Marine Corps Veteran
CEO and Co-Founder of accel-EQ
Episode 122: Accelerating Efficiency and Quality of Healthcare
Marine Corps Veteran and former Veterans in Residence Alumni Captain, Omar Fuentes is the CEO and Co-Founder of accel-EQ, a digital healthcare platform that automates medical documentation using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Omar’s company increases efficiency and eliminates wasted time, allowing providers to spend more time on their patients. After transitioning out of the Marines, Omar worked in finance before finding his pathway in healthcare and accumulating almost fourteen years in the industry, exposing him to back office inefficiencies.
Jessica van Dop DeJesus
Marine Corps Veteran
Founder of The Dining Traveler
Episode 130: Finding Passion and Purpose Post-Transition
Jessica van Dop DeJesus left the Marine Corps as Lieutenant Colonel to follow her passion for Food and Travel. Her transition to civilian life was a struggle, but she found meaning and purpose as an author and solopreneur. She also recently contributed an editorial article about her journey you should read!
Breaking Barriers Standouts
Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship (BBiE) is a Bunker Labs program aimed at giving traditionally underserved demographics the networks, community, and tools to launch and grow their businesses. The following are just a few of the amazing participants from the BBiE 23B and 23C cohorts.
Juventino Gaytán Jr.
Founder, JGTaxPro
Juventino Gaytán Jr. provides accounting, tax, and business services so that you can focus on what you do best. He’s looking for clients with business or personal accounting and tax needs. Juventino loves working with service-based businesses to help optimize their business financials, culminating with a clean set of books and solid tax return compliance at the end of the year.
Juventino’s Ask: If you know someone who needs help with their accounting and tax needs for their business or personal purposes, send them to my website!
Maritza Flores Klinefelter
Founder: Law Office of Maritza F. Klinefelter
Maritza Flores Klinefelter’s office offers family law (divorce/custody/child support, etc.) legal services for veterans, law enforcement personnel, and our Spanish-speaking community in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. She offers both attorney representation and paralegal services for those needing document preparation only. She also volunteers with San Bernardino Legal Aid, advising those who qualify for low-income services.
Maritza’s Ask: Our office is always looking for experienced, bilingual, family law paralegals (Spanish and English) willing to work a hybrid or remote schedule.
Reginald Maisonneuve
Founder: Aegis LLC
Aegis’ platform, Stance, helps people more effectively navigate their financial lives by dynamically scoring and visualizing consumer and business financial health and the impact of behaviors, products and services, policies and regulations, as well as macro and microeconomic factors. Stance gives service providers new means to ID, engage, compete for, and profitably serve current and emerging markets–improving top and bottom-line performance while advancing customer financial health.
Reginald’s Ask: We’re seeking early-stage investors or grants to move Stance from its current MVP to commercialization within 6 mos. (initial tranche $350K. min. $25K). We’re also seeking business partners (including financial institutions) to pilot Stance and demonstrate its benefit to consumers, SMBs, and financial institutions.
Ofe Cox
Founder: Love Weddings & Events
Elevator Pitch: Love Wedding & Events organizes events that create beautiful memories. No matter if its your special day, or your brand’s launch event, we’ll help make it timeless, elegant, and extraordinary. Our team is built of amazing stay-at-home moms, military, law enforcement, and federal government employee spouses empowered with flexible employment.
Ofe’s Ask: We continue to seek innovative ways to simplify our process and grow through grants, angel investors, and sponsorship opportunities.
Carlos Frank Rodriguez
Founder: Parachute Group Corporation, with Parachute Advanced Apprenticeships as its subsidiary
Parachute Group Corporation is an IT Managed Service Provider offering workforce development and digital services to a portfolio of underrepresented businesses. We achieve this through our Department of Labor-approved Registered Apprenticeship Program, dedicated to reskilling veterans and veteran family members in IT project management and data analyst roles. We take pride in providing a pathway from apprenticeship to employee ownership.
Carlos’ Ask: If you’re interested in partnering with us as an investor or client, please connect with us at Jump@parachutegroup.co
About The Transition Podcast
Demystifying Entrepreneurship & Small Business Ownership
“Iron” Mike Steadman interviews veterans and military spouses with businesses and startups from all industries and stages. Listen each week to dive deep into their stories and lessons learned. New episodes drop on Thursday. Sign up for the newsletter and never miss an episode.
About the Transition Podcast Host “Iron” Mike Steadman
“Iron” Mike Steadman the Founder and CEO of IRONBOUND Boxing, a nonprofit that provides free amateur boxing training, entrepreneur education, and employment opportunities for Newark youth & young adults. Mike and his partner Keith Colon, oversee the legendary IRONBOUND Boxing Academy, their free boxing gym for youth in Newark, NJ. He also runs IRONBOUND Media, a podcast production company that produces branded podcasts for veteran-owned businesses.
To learn more visit www.IRONBOUNDBoxing.org and www.IRONBOUNDMedia.com
Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship
Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship is an 8-week virtual program that facilitates business growth and support within AAPI, Black, Latinx, and female veteran and military spouse communities. The program is designed to create an immediate impact for early to growth-stage businesses by providing access to business tools, resources, capital opportunities, mentorship, and a stronger peer network. Learn more about the program or fill out an interest form for future application windows here. A huge thank you to our sponsors for making this program cohort possible: PwC Charitable Foundation, General Motors, Macy’s, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and ADP
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!