About

Almost 50 percent of World War II veterans and 40 percent of Korean War veterans owned or operated their own companies, according to Syracuse University. Today, just 4.5 percent of the more than 3.6 million men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces since September 11, 2001, have launched their own businesses.

We seek to raise that figure through our Veterans Entrepreneurship Training (VET) program. Local entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and our team offer a curriculum that features a capstone project, hands-on experiential learning, and mentorship. You’ll graduate able to leverage learned entrepreneurial skills into new ventures and career opportunities.

Curriculum

The program is split into three parts:

• Week 1: Intensive on-boarding
• Weeks 2–11: Class lectures from 6–9 p.m. on Wednesdays with ongoing field validation throughout the course. Dinner is always provided.
• Week 12: Invitation-only showcase of participants’ capstone projects to partners of the Veterans Future Lab and leaders in the NYU Tandon Future Labs community. The capstone provides participants with their first real-world, consequential experience presenting their business ideas.

Classes touch on prototyping, customer channels, business models, legal and accounting matters for startups, and more. Upon completion of the program, students are awarded a VET certificate from the NYU Tandon Future Labs.

Costs

All students admitted into the program are fully subsidized for course fees, books, and a limited amount of pre-approved startup expenses.

Certificate Requirements

Participants must complete all coursework and a capstone project.