New Philadelphia Program Aims To Help U.S. Veterans Pursue Life's Work
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A new program launched in Philadelphia this past week aimed at helping U.S. veterans become entrepreneurs.
The Veterans in Residence program was created thanks to a partnership between WeWork and Bunker Labs Philadelphia.
"Together we look to help veterans kick-start their businesses," explains Bunker Labs Philadelphia executive director John Witte. "Give them a great place to huddle, work together, collaborate, commiserate and sometimes kick each other in the pants to keep driving and building great businesses."
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He says the goal is to help the veterans incubate their business to hopefully become more self-sustaining...
"But more importantly," adds Witte, "helping veterans embrace the journey of starting and growing a business. We want them to learn how to execute and operate all aspects of that."
Mayor Jim Kenney was on hand for the launch, and is already a huge fan of the program.
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"Too often our veterans struggle when they leave the armed forces," he says. "But programs such as this one help put them on the path to success by supporting their ambitions such as starting a business or finding their next career."
Veterans and military spouses accepted to the program get six months of complimentary space at WeWork among other perks.
WeWork also announced they plan to hire 1,500 veterans over the next five years.