Sep 14, 2017   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Bunker Labs Minneapolis to Host Muster Across America Tour During Twin Cities Startup Week

Bunker Labs Minneapolis, a 501(c)3 organization committed to veteran entrepreneurship, will host The Muster Minneapolis on October 10, 2017, to showcase and empower local veteran entrepreneurs. The experience, part of the Muster Across America Tour presented by JPMorgan Chase & Co., is designed to connect veterans in business, empower the Minneapolis entrepreneurial ecosystem and foster growth, knowledge and success.

The Minneapolis Muster invites veterans, corporate partners and innovators to come, bring their best ideas and develop new connections and insights. The Muster will bring together participants and partners for a half day event, which will include veteran entrepreneurs presenting their businesses in a pitch-style competition, and an Innovation Lab, presented by Comcast, showcasing opportunities, programs, products and services from a variety of providers for start-up and established veteran entrepreneurs.

The main stage will feature national thought leaders sharing their advice and experiences with the community, including Carol Eggert, Brigadier General (Retired) and Senior Vice President, Military and Veteran Affairs for Comcast NBCUniversal.

“Comcast is excited to team up with Bunker Labs to present the first-ever Muster Minneapolis, and I’m personally thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of the event,” said Eggert. "Comcast’s commitment to the military community starts with our roots as a veteran startup more than 50 years ago, and we’re honored to partner with Bunker Labs both locally and nationally as they continue their successful efforts to accelerate veteran and military spouse-owned businesses."

In Minneapolis, Tim O’Neil, a Marine veteran and entrepreneur in his own right, helps champion the local effort as the Executive Director of Bunker Labs Minneapolis. “The Muster is our once a year opportunity to shine a bright light on the positive economic impact military veterans are having on our local community and at the same time provide a platform for the dozens of early-stage ventures we meaningfully interact with throughout the year.”

For those interested in attending the Minneapolis Muster, RSVP here.

Confirmed Event Speakers

  • Eric Ryan: Eric is co-founder of Olly, an easier-to-use, design-savvy take on vitamins, and before that co-founder of Method Products, the natural-positioned, style-conscious household- and personal-products brand.
  • Eric McElvenny: Eric is an endurance athlete living in Pittsburgh, PA. Eric deployed three times as a Marine and on his final tour, an incredible experience in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, was wounded after stepping on an IED. Eric suffered the amputation of his right leg below the knee, a life-changing opportunity that began his next journey.
  • Carol Eggert: Carol brings more than 30 years of military and civilian experience to Comcast. During her career, she served in the Army, the Army Reserve and the National Guard, serving in a variety of command and staff positions, including Assistant Adjutant General, Battalion Commander and Chief of Staff and recently retired as a Brigadier General.
  • Paul Douglas: Paul Douglas is a nationally respected broadcaster and meteorologist, with 34 years of broadcast television and 36 years of radio experience. Paul is well known to Minnesota residents as the head meteorologist for KARE-TV and WCCO-TV.
  • Rob Webb: Rob is currently the president of UnitedHealth Group Ventures, leading investment strategies to advance innovative business models that improve the quality and affordability of health care.
  • Marjorie Eastman: Marjorie has been recognized by the Nashville Business Journal with the 2015 Award for Veteran Leading in Business and has been described as a veteran thought leader in PBS’s Veterans Coming Home initiative. Marjorie is the acclaimed author of the 2017 Independent Publisher Award (IPPY) winning book, “The Frontline Generation: How We Served Post 9/11.”

Event Time/Location
October 10, 2017 (10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CDT)

Minneapolis Event Center
212 2nd Street Southeast #212
Minneapolis, MN 55414

The event will feature expert talks and panel discussions, a pitch stage where veteran entrepreneurs can compete for the title of “top startup” and $5,000 in awards from Comcast, as well as a post-event networking reception.

About Bunker Labs:

Bunker Labs is a national not-for-profit organization built by military veteran entrepreneurs to empower other military veterans as leaders in innovation. Through local chapters organized in 13 different cities, Bunker Labs provides educational programming, mentors, events, and thriving local networks to help military veterans start and grow businesses. Bunker Labs works to inspire, educate, and connect veterans with the right people and the right resources to be successful as entrepreneurs and as innovators.

Following World War II, roughly 50 percent of returning veterans started a business. Today, approximately 25 percent of post-9/11 veterans state they want to start a business, yet veterans own less than 10 percent of small businesses. Veterans in the Minneapolis region interested in starting or growing small businesses have access to resources, programs, and curriculum at Bunker Labs MPLS that is designed to translate military experience into starting sustainable and scalable businesses.

For more information, visit: https://bunkerlabs.org/minneapolis/.