A successful business is never guaranteed. It takes hard work, dedication, financing, and, of course, a solid idea that appeals to the masses. If there is one class of people specifically primed and ready for the challenges of the business world, it is veterans.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) says that 25 percent of veterans (Post 9/11) have an interest in starting their own business. We scoured the Internet for the top 5 veteran-founded startups and discovered these successful companies:
- Plated: com is an online meal delivery service that employs more than 700 people. Nick Taranto, U.S. Marine Corps, Infantry, founded the company in New York, NY. Its mission is to deliver all the ingredients and instructions necessary to prepare a chef-designed meal in your own home in less than 30 minutes.
- VersaMe: Founded in 2014 in the heart of the Silicon Valley, com is a tech company looking to learn about how babies learn to speak. Army veterans Chris and Jon Boggiano created a device that keeps track of the number of words your baby hears in a given day. The device also gives parents tips and sets daily word goals.
- BMNT: Another Silicon Valley tech company, BMNT describes itself as a problem-solving business working with national security organizations. Peter Newell (Army), Joseph Felter (Army), William Treseder (Marines), Guy Parmeter (Army), and Jackie Space (Air Force) founded the company, which works with Special Operations Command, The Marine Corps, and many others.
- Black Rifle Coffee Company: Salt Lake City-based com is disrupting the coffee industry by direct shipping premium, small batch roasted coffee beans. Founded by veteran Army Special Forces Evan Hafer, who saw tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and worked as a contractor for the CIA, BRCC claims to have perfected espresso and drip coffee.
- Bottle Breacher: As seen on ABC’s Shark Tank, Bottle Breacher is a novelty bottle open fashioned out of a 50-caliber bullet shell. U.S. Navy Seal Eli Crane started the Tucson, AZ, company out of his home in 2013 and now employs 20 people.
Think we missed a top veteran-owned startup? Let us know.
