Orlando-based Veterans Entrepreneurship Initiative has launched a new accelerator for veteran-led tech startups, and the first cohort is a collaboration with the Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design at Johns Hopkins University.
The program, Spear Accelerator, will see support from Johns Hopkins University in curriculum development in the areas of leveraging artificial intelligence in health care, neurotechnology software and hardware and other digital health care solutions. Further, Johns Hopkins University will provide mentors with expertise in those areas.
Director of Programs Ricardo Garcia — himself a U.S. Air Force veteran — said the target for each cohort is six to 10 startups, depending on demand and the number of applicants for each focus area. Specific qualifications for applicants will vary depending on the cohort’s vertical. Participants will enter the program free of charge, since funding for the program comes from state and local governments, as well as corporate sponsors, he said.
Spear will begin accepting applications in July through its website, with the three-month class starting in February 2025. Future cohorts will focus on different verticals, such as aerospace, though future topics haven't been decided yet, said Garcia.
“Veterans Entrepreneurship Initiative is a Central Florida success story with (Executive Director) Rafael (Caamaño) and Ricardo [Garcia] seeing a clear need and piloting support programs that are now available nationally,” said Orlando-based consultant Amy Beaird of The Ecosystem Builder’s Edge. “The impact of supporting entrepreneurs, especially veteran entrepreneurs, and companies and jobs they create helps to strengthen our business community.”
Founded in 2013, Veterans Entrepreneurship in 2023 received about $187,000 from Orange County and $250,000 from the state. Other corporate donation amounts have not been made public, said Garcia. Until now, the nonprofit has offered single-event seminars and multi-session classes to teach and mentor veterans. Spear will be the first larger program offered by the group.
Adler Archer, managing director of the Inclusive Innovation Initiative at Johns Hopkins, said he has profound appreciation for the capabilities of veterans, having been an enlisted member of the U.S. Air Force and the son and grandson of veterans.
“I can attest firsthand to the power of military-developed resilience and grit in driving innovation,” he said.
Veterans Entrepreneurship Initiative
- Top executives: Executive Director Rafael Caamaño, Director of Operations Rebecca Hertz and Director of Programs Ricardo Garcia
- Location: National Entrepreneur Center, 3201 E. Colonial Drive, Ste. a20, Orlando 32803
- Website: vei.center
- Annual budget: $490,000
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