Veterans Programs at Saint Joseph’s University Foster Entrepreneurship
Since 2015, the Veterans Entrepreneurial Jumpstart Program and the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans have provided the tools, education and mentorship necessary for veterans to start or grow their own businesses.
Members of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans Cohort IV stand outside Barbelin Hall at Saint Joseph’s University, the only Catholic university to offer this program.
Below is an excerpt of a story that was originally featured in Connections, an online magazine published by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.
When Jonathan Cleck, a 23-year veteran of the Navy SEALs, and his wife, Stephanie, relocated to the Philadelphia area five years ago, they were ready to jumpstart their small family business: a mobile hair styling service that caters to clients in their homes.
“When we rebranded the company under the name Concihairge and hired our first employee,” Cleck remembers, “We recognized that there were a lot of gaps in our knowledge in the scope of a more complex small business — marketing, social media, employees, hiring. There were a lot of holes in our skill sets.”
Cleck soon discovered that the Veterans Entrepreneurial Jumpstart program at Saint Joseph’s University offered the business fundamentals and resources needed to expand their business.
Since 2015, the Veterans Entrepreneurial Jumpstart Program and the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (delivered through Saint Joseph’s affiliation with Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families) have provided the tools, education and mentorship necessary for veterans to start or grow their own businesses. And of the nine U.S. universities that offer the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV), Saint Joseph’s has distinguished itself as the only Catholic university in the consortium.
