100 episodes

Mission Oriented, a VeteranCrowd podcast that showcases veterans’ talent from both the private and public sectors. Their impact is everywhere we are here to uncover it.

Join weekly with your host, Bob Louthan.

Mission Oriented VeteranCrowd

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 6 Ratings

Mission Oriented, a VeteranCrowd podcast that showcases veterans’ talent from both the private and public sectors. Their impact is everywhere we are here to uncover it.

Join weekly with your host, Bob Louthan.

    193 - Nick Smith - Navy Veteran & Partner, 37th & Moss

    193 - Nick Smith - Navy Veteran & Partner, 37th & Moss

    Nick Smith - Navy Veteran & Partner, 37th & Moss
    From a young age, Nick had a desire to take to the skies, inspired by his Great Uncle's job of flying F-86s during the Korean War and his Grandfather's service in the Air Force. Opting for the Navy, he fulfilled his passion for flying as an F-18 test pilot during his active duty service. Post-military life, Nick set his sights on entrepreneurship, gaining valuable experience in small businesses at a bank. This journey led him to join forces with a business school colleague, giving birth to 37th and Moss – a dynamic search fund dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs in acquiring and running small businesses.
    37th & Moss 37th & Moss, a search fund, supports entrepreneurs in acquiring and operating a single business. Through defined criteria, networking, due diligence, and negotiation, the fund aims to acquire a business, actively participate in operations, and honor the legacy of the previous owner. The focus is on a smooth transition, cohesive operations, community impact, and continuous improvement while respecting the business's mission and values.

    Learn More Nick Smith Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-b-smith/
    37th & Moss LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/37th-and-moss/
    Website: https://www.37thandmoss.com/
    VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.
     Discount Heroes by VeteranCrowd Network Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?
    It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.
    Why?
    Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.
    Until now.
    Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?
    Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.
     
    About Your Host
    Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.
     

    • 26 min
    192 - Sherman Williams - Academy Investor Network, Helping Service Academy Graduates Invest

    192 - Sherman Williams - Academy Investor Network, Helping Service Academy Graduates Invest

    Sherman Williams & Emily McMahan - Academy Investor Network, Helping Service Academy Graduates Invest in Venture-backed Startups
    Sherman Williams is a Naval Academy graduate. After serving as a Naval Intelligence Officer, he headed to Chicago’s Booth School to study finance and landed himself in investment banking. While in banking he started investing and advising startups. This was a perfect segue to co-founding Academy Investor Network.
    Emily McMahan is a WestPoint Academy graduate. After her time in the Army as a Military Police Officer, she has always been focused around community and working with entrepreneurs. She has a passion to work with startup companies and founded Capitol Post, which taught military veterans how to start and grow businesses, a great foundation for beginning the Academy Investor Network. She is also the Deputy Director at the Common Mission Project, an international platform supporting mission-driven entrepreneurs.
    Academy Investor Network Academy Investor Network was founded in 2020. From Sherman’s and Emily’s own academy experience they personally saw the unique population that made up the graduates. They wanted to offer an investment syndicate for U.S. Service Academy graduates to invest in venture-backed startups. “We enable every Service Academy graduate to connect, learn and invest in the venture asset class.” 
    Learn More Sherman Williams Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherman-williams/
    Emily McMahan Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilymcmahan/
    Academy Investor Network LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/academy-investor-network/
    Website: https://academyinvestor.com/
    Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AIN_members
      VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch, or consider if Individual or Corporate Membership in the Network is a fit for you.
       by VeteranCrowd Network Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?
    It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.
    Why?
    Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.
    Until now.
    Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?
    Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.
    About Your Host
    Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.
     

    • 23 min
    191 - David Jones - Co-Founder & General Partner at Bull City Venture Partners

    191 - David Jones - Co-Founder & General Partner at Bull City Venture Partners

    David Jones - Co-Founder & General Partner at Bull City Venture Partners
    After attending the United States Naval Academy and graduating with a BS in Electrical Engineering, David Jones served as a Naval Aviator and a Weapons and Operations Officer.  It was his military background and experience in technology that laid the groundwork to co-found Bull City Venture Partners in 2012. Bull City Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in $250K to $2M in bold founders building software and tech-enabled companies. Serving mostly the East coast, they value the power of teamwork in identifying and investing in high-potential founders.











    Learn More Bull City Ventures Website: www.bcvp.com
    VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.
     
     Discount Heroes by VeteranCrowd Network Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?
    It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.
    Why?
    Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.
    Until now.
    Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?
    Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.
      About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.
     

    • 16 min
    190 - Brandon Shelton - TFX Capital Update, Removing the Barriers to Capital for Veterans

    190 - Brandon Shelton - TFX Capital Update, Removing the Barriers to Capital for Veterans

    Brandon Shelton - Removing the Barriers to Capital for Veterans, TFX Capital
    Brandon grew up in rural Virginia. He was part of a long line of military service. This led him to utilize the ROTC program and attend the University of Richmond. After being commissioned as an Airborne Infantry Officer in the U.S Army. and serving for eight years he landed himself on Wall Street. This was the beginning of Brandon’s experience in the financial realm. He worked hard and received his MBA from Duke University. 
    It was through these years that Brandon began the passion and desire to remove the barriers to capital for veterans. He firmly believes that Veterans make great startup founders because of their experience in service. According to the Small Business Administration, 1 in 10 small businesses in the United States are owned and operated by Veterans. This is despite that less than half a percent of the the U.S. population has served in the military.  Knowing this in 2015 Brandon founded TFX Capital
    Task Force X Capital Management Started in 2015, TFX Capital “invests in service driven, high performing and commercially tested former military and national security leaders.”
    Learn More Visit Brandon Shelton's  LinkedIn Profile 
    Visit Task Force X Capital Management
    Check out their Instagram @taskforcexcap
    Email:  bshelton@tfxcap.com
    VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.
     Discount Heroes by VeteranCrowd Network Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?
    It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.
    Why?
    Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.
    Until now.
    Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?
    Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.
      About Your Host Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.
     

    • 21 min
    189 - Brendan Aronson - USMC Veteran, Co-Founder & CEO The Military Veteran

    189 - Brendan Aronson - USMC Veteran, Co-Founder & CEO The Military Veteran

    Brendan Aronson - USMC Veteran, Co-Founder & CEO The Military Veteran
    Brendan attended the United States Naval Academy for his undergraduate degree and commissioned as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps. He served for six years before starting his entrepreneurial journey. He is the co-founder and CEO of The Military Veteran and has a passion to help transitioning veterans. He is a big proponent of in person events and the compound effect that networking can have on the business builder and the job seeker.
    The Military Veteran
     The Military Veteran works with employers looking to hire veterans and holds conferences to help veterans network. Each event allows participants to network in person. Whether looking for employment or looking to build your company these events help you build your professional network. This year they have their MilVet Startup conference in San Francisco, February 8th-9th. Following that, April 25th - 26th, they are hosting The Military Veteran Career Conference in Austin, Texas. Check out The Military Veteran events here.




    Learn More Brendan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrenburrell/
    The Military Veteran Website: https://www.themilvet.org/
    MilVet Startup Conference:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/military-veteran-startup-conference-2024-tickets-528521832027
    VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.
    Discount Hereoes by VeteranCrowd Network Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?
    It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.
    Why?
    Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.
    Until now.
    Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?
    Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.
    About Your Host
    Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

    • 14 min
    188 - Ryan Micheletti - The Veteran Fund & Founder Institute

    188 - Ryan Micheletti - The Veteran Fund & Founder Institute

    Ryan Micheletti - The Veteran Fund & Founder Institute 
    Ryan Micheletti served in the California State Military Reserve for six years. He would tell you that he learned leadership, resilience and the value of a team during his time in service. This laid the foundation for his journey as an entrepreneur.  He began by starting a security company with his brother. This grew from just the two of them working overtime to now being the 2nd largest veteran owned business in the San Francisco bay area. They focus on hiring veterans. Ryan has also helped to found Vet-Tech, which works with startups by providing “advanced mentorship, traction with corporate partners and access to our international investor network.”  Ryan’s most recent endeavor was co-founding The Veteran Fund in 2021.  He truly believes that “a veteran founder, is one of the most powerful change agents that we have to actually drive positive impact in the world.” In addition to the Veteran Fund Ryan is the Head of Global Operations for Founders Institute, the world's largest pre-seed start up accelerator. For the last 10 years, he's been leading the operations team there as head of operations to help us scale to 7,000 portfolio companies across 200 cities with a mentor network of 35,000 mentors.
    “The Veteran Fund is an early stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley that invests in top military veteran-led technology startups. The Veteran Fund finds, funds and scales top performing startups within the military veteran and spouse community by leveraging our unique access to the global startup ecosystem and our partners' experience launching thousands of startups worldwide.”
    Learn More Ryan Micheletti LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmicheletti
    Website:  https://veteran.fund
    Veteran Startup:  fi.co
    Applying for Funding: veteran.fund.startup
    VeteranCrowd Network Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.
       Discount Heroes by VeteranCrowd Network Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?
    It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.
    Why?
    Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.
    Until now.
    Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?
    Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.
    About Your Host
    Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

    • 16 min

Customer Reviews

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6 Ratings

6 Ratings

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Bob asks great questions to keep you wanting to listen to more.

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