Steve Camkin ⋅ Boise, ID Self-employed ⋅ 15 years experience

If you have a local SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives) group they may be able to provide you with some leads. They are usually connected to the local Chamber of Commerce.

Good luck!

Christopher Bird ⋅ Kenilworth, IL Wells Fargo ⋅ 36 years experience

There is an organization in Chicago, Bunker Labs, that assists Marine vets in starting their own businesses with advice and capital. Their website is www.bunkerlabs.org

Good luck and thank you for your service!

John Green ⋅ Cary, NC Information Technology ⋅ 40 years experience

Hi Josh,

Do you have a business plan? If so, I would like to take a look at it. You can PM me for email address. Grants usually are not a good funding source. There is plenty of VC funding available.

If you have no business plan yet, that is your first step. No one will even talk with you about funding until you have a rock solid plan. This includes discussion about market penetration, team member composition, and how you will plan to spend your start-up funds.

If you need help with the plan, visit score.org. There are loads of templates available to jump start your document.

Ooo-rah!
JG

Cully Cavness ⋅ Denver, CO ⋅ 8 years experience

This is a veteran-focused startup incubator/accelerator, which also offers a funding component: http://www.patriotbootcamp.org/

You will see that they are mostly tech-focused, but you might reach out to them to see if they can recommend other grants, business competitions, or accelerator programs that would fit your needs.

Good luck!