The Minneapolis chapter of Bunker Labs, a nonprofit organization providing military veterans with entrepreneurship opportunities and training, has partnered with WeWork to provide free coworking space to veterans.
WeWork's Veterans in Residence program is a national effort in partnership with Bunker Labs. The 10 accepted applicants earn six months of free workspace and access to other WeWork resources. Veterans in Residence also offers discounted space to veteran-owned companies with fewer than 10 employees.
Bunker Labs and WeWork began piloting the Veterans in Residence program late last year. It started in Denver, and is now in 14 cities.
Bunker Labs has 18 chapters across the United States. The organization's Minneapolis arm officially launched during Twin Cities Startup Week in 2016. Since arriving in the Twin Cities, Bunker has run at least three cohorts through Launch Lab, its incubator for early-stage, veteran-led startups.
A giant in the international co-working scene, WeWork has expanded quickly in the Twin Cities since opening the doors of its first Minneapolis location in October 2017. WeWork's second Minneapolis space, located in Uptown, is expected to open this fall.
This Veterans in Residence announcement comes just a month after WeWork debuted a new partnership with local tech nonprofit Beta to establish Beta/Space, a new program that provides eight Twin Cities startups with free workspace for six months.
Bunker Labs' local office is located in the downtown Minneapolis location of Fueled Collective. Applications for the first Minneapolis Veterans in Residence program are due July 11.
