RESOURCE PARTNERS
NaVOBA maintains a network of partner organizations that provide services, education, training, and access to opportunities to help veteran entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. Click on the links below to find the advice and information you need.
STARTING A BUSINESS
Bunker Labs
Bunker Labs provides community, programs, and courses to help military veterans and military spouses start and grow successful businesses and startups.
Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs)
Small Business Development Centers provide counseling and training to small businesses including working with the SBA to develop and provide informational tools to support business start-ups and existing business expansion.
Veteran Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs)
The VBOC program is designed to provide entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling, and resource partner referrals to transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard & Reserve members, and military spouses interested in starting or growing a small business.
Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
SCORE has the largest network of free volunteer small business mentors in the nation. No matter what stage your business is at SCORE has a mentor for you. Easily request a mentor to help you start, grow, or transition your business today.
A Veteran’s Guide + Resources to Start a Small Business
Recent data points to 1 out of 20 business owners being veterans, which speaks to the fact that their unique experience and perspective gives them the ideal skill set needed to successfully take on the challenges of entrepreneurship. Veterans are often able to demonstrate an inspiring style of leadership that is characterized by selflessness, balanced with the discipline to strive for continued growth and progress, and perfectly equipped to remain effective when facing the greatest of setbacks. Most of all, though every entrepreneur will have a different journey, sacrifice will undoubtedly be a part of the success story.
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP)
The Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) is now under the management of the Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) and has changed its name to APEX Accelerators. Over the next few months, the new branding will roll out across all 95+ centers.
Our mission, however, will not change! We remain committed to supporting local centers and raising awareness of the no-cost counseling services and technical support offered to businesses looking to compete for Federal, State, and Local government contracts.
National Veterans Small Business Coalition (NVSBC)
SCORE has the largest network of free volunteer small business mentors in the nation. No matter what stage your business is at SCORE has a mentor for you. Easily request a mentor to help you start, grow, or transition your business today.
The Veterans Institute for Procurement (VIP)
VIP became a national training center in 2011 and began to offer multiple 3-day, 27-hour in residence programs per year at the William F. Bolger Center just 11 miles from Washington, D.C. Veteran CEOs traveled in from across the nation to learn from industry and government experts who continued to volunteer their time and expertise. Since 2010, there have been $16.9 billion in Federal prime contract awards won by VIP Grads.
VETERAN BUSINESS PARTNERS
The Veteran Business Alliance (USVA)
The USVBA was formed in 1994 following the establishment of the DVBE Program. Its original mission was to assist California state agencies to meet the DVBE procurement goal, which is currently 3% annually. All California certified DVBEs (1,700+) are the constituency of the DBVA and are supported at minimal cost to the disabled veteran owners.
Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF)
The Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) is launched in June 2011 to serve all 25 million U.S. veterans, focusing on the social, economic, education and policy issues affecting them and their families post-service. JPMorgan Chase & Co. broadens its existing collaboration with SU to provide industry leadership, serving as founding partner of the institute.
Funding Programs
The US Small Business Administration (SBA)
NaVOBA does not actively provide funding programs. We do have some grants and scholarships available at various times but there are a host of other avenues for business owners seeking funding to explore.
Product Discovery
RangeMe
Showcase your products to more than 15,000 buyers from around the world. RangeMe provides product discovery, sourcing, and purchasing solutions for retailers and product suppliers so they can discover, connect, transact, and grow their businesses with ease. Sign up for free and list your products to become discoverable.
Veteran Benefits & Employment
Veterans Seeking Benefits
The DOD SkillBridge program is an opportunity for service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during the last 180 days of service.
For service members, DOD SkillBridge provides an invaluable chance to work and learn in civilian career areas. For industry partners, DOD SkillBridge is an opportunity to access and leverage the world's most highly trained and motivated workforce at no cost. Service members participating in DOD SkillBridge programs continue receiving their military compensation and benefits, while industry partners provide the civilian training and work experience.
Veterans Seeking Benefits
The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is a key agency within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), responsible for administering financial and other assistance programs for veterans, their dependents, and survivors, including compensation, pension, survivors' benefits, education, and home loans.
Hiring Military Veterans
The IVMF has issued a brief, “The Business Case for Hiring a Veteran: Beyond the Clichés,” which draws from academic literature to suggest a robust, specific and compelling business case for hiring individuals with military background and experience.
The report details the results of a comprehensive review of academic literature from the fields of business, psychology, sociology, and organizational behavior positioned to illustrate the foundational elements around which employers can formulate a research-informed logic for recruiting and developing military veterans in the civilian workforce.
Employing Military Veterans
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is an organization whose mission includes educating and informing Human Resource officials, providing them networking opportunities and advancing the ever-changing profession. SHRM is the world’s largest Human Resources industry professional association.
Finding pools of untapped talent to fill in-demand roles is a top priority for employers. Hiring military veterans has proven to be a successful strategy; in addition to gaining high-performing employees with low turnover, companies generally earn enormous goodwill from customers and a public-image boost when they commit to hiring more military veterans.
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
ESGR, a Department of Defense office, was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment.
Employer Guide to Hiring Veterans
Employers recognize the value veterans bring to the workplace but often find it challenging to connect with separating service members and veterans seeking employment. Veterans are in high demand, so it requires dedicated efforts by employers to find and hire veterans.
The Department of Labor (DOL) fosters and promotes the welfare of the job seekers, wage earners, and retirees of the United States by improving their working conditions, advancing their opportunities for profitable employment, protecting their retirement and health care benefits, helping employers find workers, strengthening free collective bargaining, and tracking changes in employment, prices, and other national economic measurements.
Our Mission
NaVOBA’s mission is to create corporate contracting opportunities for America’s Veteran’s and Service-Disabled Veteran’s Business Enterprises® (VBEs/SDVBEs) through certification, advocacy, outreach, recognition and education.
Thank you for your interest in the National Veteran Owned Business Association’s Certified Veteran’s Business Enterprise® (VBE) and Certified Service-Disabled Veteran’s Business Enterprise® (SDVBE) programs. This initiative creates a nationally recognized gold standard in certification for veteran-owned businesses of all sizes and enables corporate America to proactively source and confidently utilize businesses that are at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by U.S. military veterans.
