IVMF is proud to announce the 101 entrepreneurs selected to join the Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship (BBiE) 25B cohort. These AAPI, Black, Latinx, and women founders are working together to share and help each other overcome the systemic barriers and business challenges they face as entrepreneurs and business owners.
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In the heart of every military community lies a wealth of untold stories, each a testament to the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of those who serve. This blog explores just a few of those stories about veterans, spouses, and the entire family unit.
IVMF held its 7th Annual Veteran EDGE Conference in Dallas, TX last month, from March 19-21, 2025. It brought together 302 veteran entrepreneurs with actively scaling businesses, representing just over two billion dollars in annual revenue in one room. Collectively, these business leaders sought and shared strategies for survival and growth in this uncertain market.
Procurement contracting offers a wealth of opportunities for veteran entrepreneurs, providing avenues to grow their businesses through government and corporate contracts. This blog post provides a high-level overview of the procurement contracting landscape, highlighting the most relevant information for veteran-owned businesses (VOBs) and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVOBs).
It’s April, that time of year when most folks are thinking about taxes and how to better plan ahead for next year. To that end, we’ve gathered some of the Veteran- and military spouse-owned businesses focused on finances and tax preparation.
The Small Business Association (SBA) has taken over the Veteran-owned Small Business (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Business (SDVOSB) certification program as of January 2023. There are various third-party organizations offering to help you get certified, but ultimately, the SBA’s online portal is the only place to apply, and it’s honestly straightforward enough to do yourself.
As an entrepreneur, the ability to clearly articulate in layman’s terms what your business does and how it makes money is a critical skill every entrepreneur needs in their toolbox.
The IVMF’s Onward to Opportunity (O2O) program has helped transitioning servicemembers, veterans, and military spouses obtain key certifications and launch their civilian careers since 2011. This spring, O2O hit a major milestone, impacting 100,000 participants.
The 2025 Ambassador Impact Awards mark a historic moment for the IVMF Bunker Labs Ambassador Program. As we reflect on a transformative year that saw the program officially become part of IVMF through their acquisition of Bunker Labs, we celebrate the Ambassadors who have adapted to new challenges to drive meaningful change in their communities.
Amy Cotta was riddled with anxiety, depression, and was struggling to find any sort of support or outlet for those feelings. She missed her son, felt so far away from him. While he was in bootcamp, she got her hands on a pair of Marine Corps standard issue steel-toed combat boots, and just started wearing them everywhere. It helped her feel connected to her son.
A lot of veterans want to publish a book. Often, it’s a memoir with stories about their military service. Some veterans might have dollar signs in their eyes, assuming their story will be a best seller, or inspire a great movie. Other veterans just want to combat how uninformed civilians can be about the realities of military service, or set Hollywood straight.
