When U.S. Army veteran Bryant Coronado became a father, his priorities changed quickly. He wanted stability for his son and a path that would let him build something lasting. That, he said, is what first drew him to military service.
Coronado said his time in the military gave him structure and taught him how to lead under pressure. After leaving the service, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and began looking for ways to apply what he learned in uniform to business ownership.
That search led him to Startup Training Resources to Inspire Veteran Entrepreneurship (STRIVE), a three-phase entrepreneurship training program operated by Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), and delivered locally through partner networks, including Houston Community College.
STRIVE supports veterans, service members and military family members who are developing a business idea or working to strengthen an early-stage venture. The curriculum focuses on core business fundamentals and helps participants test assumptions, identify risks and build a practical plan for growth.
Coronado’s time with the STRIVE program helped him refine Maps Flowers, a company that exports fresh flowers from Mexico to Texas. The business is built around connections, offering customers a way to mark birthdays, celebrate milestones or send a simple reminder across the distance.
Earlier entrepreneurship training also played a role, including the Boots to Business program.
“It pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me see my true potential,” Coronado said. “When I showed my first sales projections, I realized this wasn’t just an idea. It was a movement.”
His experience reflects trends the D’Aniello Institute’s researchers have documented among military-connected entrepreneurs over the years. According to IVMF’s 2025 A Framework for Advancing and Strengthening the Veteran Entrepreneur Ecosystem, 37% veteran entrepreneurs stated a lack of access to initial capital was a leading barrier to entrepreneurship, with nearly 46% of veterans saying navigating local resources for entrepreneurs was not easy.
IVMF’s entrepreneurship programs are built to address those gaps with training, mentorship and structured support at different stages of business development. In addition to STRIVE, the institute offers Military Founders Lab, a 10-week virtual program for veterans and military spouses; Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE), which provides women-focused training and mentorship; and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) Accelerate, a growth program for established business owners.
Across its programs and research, the institute reports it has impacted more than 230,000 transitioning service members, veterans and military family members.
For Coronado, the result is straightforward. He said STRIVE helped him turn experience and ambition into a plan he could execute, and it gave him access to people who could help him make better decisions as the business grew.
Now, he said, he wants other veterans and military family members to see business ownership as a realistic next step.