91探花

Veterans Incubator for Better Entrepreneurship (VIBE)

The recruits 91探花 Tacoma students with military backgrounds into a cohort-based program that provides coaching, mentorship from local business leaders and peer support as they flesh out and implement their ideas for new businesses. On Veterans Day 2013, the Tacoma campus , which Alfie Alvarado-Ramos, director of the Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs, celebrated as 鈥渢he only one of its kind in the nation.鈥� VIBE students benefit from specialized mentoring that integrates their in-class learning and their broader goals. Director Phil Potter says, 鈥淭his is a learn-by-doing experience. We鈥檙e looking to help veterans understand what it takes to plan a business, start a business, launch a business, but do it within the educational context so they鈥檙e not alone. We want to make sure these students know what it takes, and put them in positions to succeed.鈥�

Veterans are natural entrepreneurs: Potter believes military veterans naturally have the necessary skills to run a business. 鈥淚f you take a look at a spec sheet for what we think good entrepreneurs are and what we know veterans are, they match up really well,鈥� he says. 鈥漈hey both understand when to lead and when to follow. Both groups are innovative and push themselves. They have a tendency to complete an outcome or a mission, oftentimes in the absence of ideal resources. And at the end of the day, they just get things done.鈥� VIBE member and U.S. Army veteran Steve Buchanan runs , a task-outsourcing business founded on his confidence in other veterans. He says, 鈥淭he Army has already background checked them, they鈥檝e been trained and they know how to call you 鈥榮ir鈥� and 鈥榤a鈥檃m鈥� and get a job done.鈥�

Helping student-veterans translate their skills to the civilian context: Potter considers 鈥渋ncredible veteran talent鈥� one of the South Puget Sound鈥檚 best 鈥渘atural resources.鈥� However, many of VIBE鈥檚 student-veterans report struggling to find an outlet for their skills after returning to civilian life. Shem Zakem, a former Army signal support systems specialist who recently graduated from 91探花Tacoma, remembers, 鈥淚 thought that the training and skills I had from communications would have a good translation to the civilian sector, but I came to find out that…not so much.鈥� VIBE seeks to 鈥渦nleash that talent for great things,鈥� says Potter.

The cohort model facilitates creative collaboration and peer-mentoring: VIBE students come to the 91探花with different military training and enroll in a variety of degree programs. As a result, they often find that one of their best assets is each other. Zakem describes his symbiotic friendship and professional relationship with attorney and business school graduate Buchanan, commenting, 鈥淪teve can say, 鈥業鈥檓 having trouble with my software, what should I do?鈥� I can go to Steve and have him explain what an LLC is,鈥� referring to a limited liability company. Now as alumni of VIBE, Zakem and Buchanan are focused on growing the businesses they nurtured during their time at the UW. Both are receiving widespread attention for their work: Zakem鈥檚 company, Bettery, was identified by the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs as one of the top new veteran-led startups in the state, and Buchanan was invited to attend the State of the Union address with the Washington state delegation as an innovative business leader seeking to benefit veterans.

Cohort now, professional network later: In the challenging, risky world of entrepreneurship, a supportive community can make a big difference. VIBE provides a space for 91探花Tacoma students who are veterans and aspiring entrepreneurs to come together as professional collaborators. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not just in VIBE together, we鈥檙e friends颅, too,鈥� says Buchanan. Zakem adds, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a competition, it鈥檚 a team effort. Everyone has contributed to everyone else鈥檚 company in one way or another, whether it鈥檚 advice or a sympathetic ear. So we鈥檙e all invested in each others鈥� successes.鈥� Most VIBE students are also committed to the Puget Sound region for the long term, notes Potter. As a result, VIBE relationships can grow into a professional network with a lasting impact on the community.

91探花faculty are a key resource: As entrepreneurs and students, VIBE members can draw on courses and faculty across the University to help further their business goals. When Zakem realized his background in computer science didn鈥檛 prepare him to run the financial side of his company, he signed up for a class at the. 鈥淚 could have banged my head against the wall teaching myself, but I took a class and learned it in three months,鈥� he says. Zakem also sought out advice from faculty members such as Andrew Fry, assistant director of Industry Partnerships and lecturer at the 91探花Tacoma Institute of Technology, who is also an experienced entrepreneur.

A curriculum driven by student needs: VIBE is mostly a mentor-led model, says Potter. Local companies and business leaders run small seminars for VIBE students that are tailored to their current needs and interests. Because it is a small group颅鈥攖he first cohort was 15 students鈥攎entors can meet them where they are. Potter says, 鈥淭hey come in at different stages鈥攏ot just different stages in their business development but also their academic career. This requires a flexible curriculum.鈥�

The university as convener: Comparing VIBE members to entrepreneurs going it alone, Zakem says, 鈥淏eing associated with the 91探花 lends us instant credibility.鈥� A number of business incubators exist across the country, but VIBE benefits from three key attributes that are rarely found together: one of the largest veteran populations in the country, the Puget Sound鈥檚 thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem and the faculty and expertise of a world-class public research university. The University brings these elements together and connects veterans with the people who want them to succeed, such as vocal VIBE supporters U.S. Senator Patty Murray and Joint Base Lewis-McChord Commander Colonel Charles Hodges, along with the local business community.

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