Entering its second year in North Texas, Bunker Labs is looking to take on new members for its upcoming cohort amid the pandemic. However, the founders it’s looking for know how to handle a crisis.
Joining 21 other cohorts across the country, the DFW branch of the Bunker Labs Veterans in Residence incubator program is seeking 8 to 10 members to take part in its upcoming program, focused on giving veterans the business tools and connections they need to transition from military to civilian life.
“We have the network ready to support you just have to some and get plugged in and make the most of the resources that we care share with you,” Sabrina Wojtewicz, director of partnerships at Bunker Labs, told NTX Inno.
The six-month incubator program is set to kick off on January 1. And Bunker Labs is accepting applications through Wednesday. Focused on veteran-founded startups that have created and MVP, the Veterans in Residence program is industry agnostic and provides, like many incubator programs, mentorship, networking and programming geared towards helping founders bring their company to market.
In all of Bunker Labs’ locations, which include Austin and Houston, the organization is partnered with WeWork, giving founders a free space to work and meet throughout the incubator program.
The Veterans in Residence incubator is the second stage of Bunker Labs’ programming, Wojtewicz said. The first stage is an online Launch Lab, that is self-paced and open to anyone. The final stage, called the CEO Circle, focuses on startups that have more than six-figure revenue, more than five employees or has raised more than $500,000 in outside funding.
“We decided that we wanted to give back get reconnected with the military community and build what didn’t exist when [my husband] transitioned, which is what Bunker Labs is today,” Wojtewicz said. “It’s a national nonprofit that inspires, equips and connects the military community with the resources and networks they need to succeed, and hopefully a little bit faster than piecing it together while you’re transitioning and trying to build a new network.”
The North Texas branch of Bunker Labs opened last November. And amid its first cohort had to adapt to the pandemic. As shelter-in-place and social distancing measures took effect, the cohort pivoted to weekly virtual training and mentoring sessions. It also had to limit the number of member to six to comply with safety measures. However, Wojtewicz said she is hoping that by spring of next year, this upcoming cohort will be able to meet again in-person – with stepped up safety measures.
“Of course, everybody wants and is eager to get together in-person, you just make better connections and better progress in your business over all when you're able to meet in-person. But we’ve seen just as much dedication, connectivity and collaboration happening within the cohorts and the program overall as we did before, so we're really happy with that,” Wojtewicz said.
To help underrepresented founders find additional education and funding, as protests over racial equality took place across the country, Bunker Labs also launched a series of Black entrepreneur workshops to focus on issues directly affecting them.
While the Black entrepreneur workshop is separate from the Veterans in Residence program, Wojtewicz said many veterans face similar issues when transitioning to the business world. She said that while on one hand veterans have the grit and determination to navigate through challenges, they can also struggle with finding the right tools and connections outside of the military’s insular world.
“Our community is very resilient, they’re very loyal and dedicated, they’re hard working and they don’t give up,” Wojtewicz said. “It’s a strength I think for them for sure to not sweat the small stuff. I mean, a day on the battlefield is never as challenging as a day in the office.”
