Non-Profit Creates Business Incubator For Veterans
PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) - Support, and purpose, once military service ends. They're just some of the goals of a North Texas business incubator for veterans called HCC: Honor Courage Commitment. Launched last year, HCC is now getting support from a Plano-based company, Newline Interactive.
The company is donating one of its high tech, top dollar interactive touch screens to help veterans looking to launch new businesses work smarter.
"It's walking around to the conference room to have a great meeting in an hour for no money or hopping on a plane from DFW to Silicon Valley, spending two days and $1200 and saying 'ahhh that meeting didn't go well'," says Chris Bradford, Newline's President & Co-Founder. "It's really a time and money saver, and again when you're trying to get that business off the ground, time and money are some of the resources that are usually the most scarce: so the ability to save both those should really help the guys."
Just one of the lessons that Bradford will no doubt be looking to share: Bradford says he and his partner (Kevin Wang) started the company 17 years ago-- and it wasn't always pretty.
"Most of our learning was done with blood on the floor," he confesses with a laugh, "as things went wrong, we learned not to do that again. It would have been terrifically helpful to have an HCC available."
Launched last year, HCC offers veterans looking to find that next mission training, support-- even workspace rentals.
"I can come in, I can set up all my stuff and this is my home while I'm trying to build my business to the point where I need an office," says Cliff Sosamon, HCC's Executive Director.
Sosamon says the new technology is just part of Newline's planned support: Bradford is also a veteran. He served in the Air Force as an electrical engineer and also plans to mentor HCC veterans: not just talking to them about success, but allowing them to see it up close.
Newline was recently recognized as being one of the fastest growing companies in the country, with some $25 million in revenue last year.
"Hopefully, it makes it more real," says Bradford, not just some concept, something out of a book... it's possible, it's real. If we can help them believe that, we've really met our objective of being involved."