Krannert to host entrepreneurship camp for disabled veterans

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University's Krannert School of Management will host 24 veterans from around the United States Oct. 21-29 for its eighth annual Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program. 

Participants are post-9/11 veterans with service-connected disabilities and a desire to start their own businesses.  

Created at Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management in 2007, EBV teaches participants principles of entrepreneurship and small-business management.

Students are accepted into the program based on the quality of their proposals for starting their own businesses. All expenses are paid.

The program, hosted at 10 university business schools around the country, is conducted in three phases: an online learning program; an intensive, on-campus residency session where veterans learn to develop their own business concepts and understand the basic elements of small-business management; and a 12-month mentorship with faculty experts at the participating universities.

Purdue has produced 148 graduates of the program since joining the consortium in 2009. The 24 enrollees this year include four Hoosiers and participants from 10 other states. The attendees represent the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines.

Since the program’s national inception, 1,393 disabled soldiers have been trained. More than 72 percent of graduates have started their own business with 92 percent of those still operating today. The graduates do well too with one out of every four grossing over $100,000 annually. Program graduates employ nearly 3,000 people with the average business having more than six employees.

EBV integrates faculty, entrepreneurs, disability experts and business professionals. Veterans receive instruction on topics such as feasibility and market analysis, supply chain management and financing new ventures. The veterans will spend three afternoons with Purdue's experts at the Purdue Foundry in the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship.

The veterans will present their commercialization plans on Nov. 6 at Rawls Hall and at Krannert Center.

Some activities during the week are open to the public:

* An opening ceremony will be at 5:30 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 22) at Purdue Memorial Union. Mant Hawkins, CEO and principal of 4DCircle, and Marine veteran will speak. RSVP: http://2016ebvopening.eventbrite.com 

* The EBV Class of 2016 graduation celebration dinner and ceremony will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Purdue Memorial Union. West Lafayette Mayor John R. Dennis will speak. RSVP: https://2016ebvgraduation.eventbrite.com  

 More information on the EBV program is available at http://www.krannert.purdue.edu/military/ebv/home.asp. Those with questions also can email ebv@purdue.edu or call 765-494-4392.

Writer: Muna Oto, Director of Military Affairs and Veterans Programs, 765-494-4392, mdestefa@purdue.edu

Media Contact: Howard Hewitt, 765-494-9541, hhewitt@purdue.edu

Source: Tim Newton, Krannert Director of External Relations & Communications, 765-496-7271, tnewton@purdue.edu