Top 10 Best Veterans Resource Committees Veteran Owned BusinessesVeteran Owned Business Directory

Part of the Silberman College of Business since 1989, the Rothman Institute supports entrepreneurship and innovation in the academic, business, and nonprofit communities. An outstanding entrepreneurship curriculum taught by an excellent faculty has helped make the academic program among the top 20 in the nation. In addition, our innovative outreach programs help people succeed in their new or growing ventures as well as in their corporations or organizations. Our signature program, Veterans Launching Ventures, is a free 10-week course for veterans and their family members that provides them with training to launch a business or work on an existing business. Veterans can choose between a hybrid course option with three in-person sessions and a strictly online course option. All veterans are assigned a business mentor on the first day of the course and receive 10 additional months of free mentoring once the course has been completed.

The Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program offers Honorably Discharged Veterans free, on-campus/virtual instruction in the nationally-recognized Lean Startup Methodology. Designed to work around your busy schedule, the program provides you instruction from our nationally ranked entrepreneurial staff and faculty, access to local resources such as business leaders and mentors, and an opportunity to join the local veteran entrepreneur community. Florida Gulf Coast University's Institute for Entrepreneurship (IFE) has been hosting the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program (VFEP) since spring 2016, and has been successful in assisting veteran start-ups and facilitating programs that help veteran entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses. The IFE houses an on-campus, full-service incubator, which is also open to all program participants and VFEP alumni. Additionally, the IFE will open our weekly speaker series to veteran participants and will offer at least two annual networking events in conjunction with the Lee County Economic Development Office and other local organizations for veteran entrepreneurs. All cohorts will culminate in a pitch competition where participants completing the program will have a chance to win equity-free seed funding for their businesses. Comments on the Military and Business Ownership As a veteran, I have learned that the post Gulf War generation of veterans does not have their own group like the older generations. I feel that this has contributed to increase in veteran suicides. The FGCU Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program not only aims to help veterans start or grow their business, but we are actively building a community of Veteran Entrepreneurs who meet and build each other up on a regular basis.