Top 10 Best Florida Veteran Owned Business Associations Veteran Owned BusinessesVeteran Owned Business Directory

National Disabled Veteran Business Council is a 501 (c) 19 Veteran Service organization headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL that acts as an advocacy for the thousands of disabled Veteran business owners across the country as well as provide accountability and oversight for Veteran initiatives. The NDVBC has lobbied, supported, and assisted positive legislation for Veteran owned businesses. Veteran Community Resources is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization founded by the leadership of The National Disabled Veteran Business Council, Inc. (NDVBC) to provide empowerment programs such as training, employment and affordable housing for the Veteran community. Its new Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program was developed working with the USDA.

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.