OSHKOSH, Wis. — The lights were on for pitch time as businesses vied for a $5,000 check to help fuel their entrepreneurial dreams. They had three minutes to sell their idea and then face questions from a panel of four judges.
For the past seven weeks, groups found guidance to help reach their goal.
“We’ve been working with them once a week. I’d say for the last three weeks, we’ve been working on nothing but the pitch,” said Jason Turner, executive director of Salute the Troops, based in Fond du Lac.
Turner, a 12-year army veteran, runs the nonprofit Salute the Troops. Part of its mission is the Vetrepreneur Project, a business accelerator for Wisconsin military veterans.
“We walk them through the entire process. We have vets come to us as early as when they’re still creating the idea, the idea is still new and in its infancy stage, to when veterans are already in business and just looking for ways to increase their performance and take their business to the next level,” explained Turner.
Turner collaborates with Ellizer Clune of the Venture Project of Oshkosh. Clune said he wants to help veterans who served. He said many traits learned in the military lend themselves to an entrepreneurial lifestyle.
“We take them through a seven-week program and walk them through step by step, finding their value proposition, walking them through what systems, what tools they can use to make their business operation run smoothly and get them partnered with mentors that are similar to the business that they are starting,” said Clune, Venture Project of Oshkosh general manager.
He said he respects the contributions of veterans and wants to see them succeed when transitioning to civilian life.
“When they get back, it’s a different world for them. Being able to help them segue back into the civilian world and also make something that they get to own and grow. That means a lot to me, and that’s what really brought me into the program,” said Clune.
The program is free for veterans, and Turner said he hopes to see more veteran-owned startups.
“You don’t have to have a ton of cash in hand to start a business. You can start from literally nothing and grow it into something huge,” said Turner.
Some pitches included life coaching, a fitness gym, glamping and construction. The ultimate winner was Jon Pethke and his dating app targeted toward introverts, called CoyAmore.
He’s been through a few business accelerators and said practice makes perfect when pitching in front of judges.
“It’s funny because the first one that I did, they gave me a laser pointer, and I was like, ‘oh that will be cool. I’ll use that.’ So I pointed it at the screen, and everyone could probably see that the laser was shaking because my hand was shaking,” said Pethke.
Pethke, an Air Force veteran, plans on using his new funds to build what he’s calling “wingman,” an artificial intelligence component to his dating site.
“Essentially, the AI can analyze another user’s profile and help with talking points or preexisting conversations and keeping the conversation going,” explained Pethke.
The Vetrepreneur Project held two pitch contests on the same evening. Pethke won out of the Oshkosh group. In the Green Bay group, Gail Nohr took home the $5,000 check for Veterans First of NEW, a nonprofit focused on building 21 homes in a cottage court for veterans.
She said the Vetrepreneur Project prepared her for the pitch.
“They told us how to present it, what was important to the judges, and how to get our word out there,” said Nohr.
Nohr said the money will help furnish four homes for veterans in need.
While everyone hoped for the seed money, each veteran-led business walked away with $500, plus a wealth of knowledge, experience and networking opportunities to help push their business forward.