Y Combinator and its alumni open their doors to 40 military veterans
When we founded VetTechTrek last summer, we set out to build the definitive pipeline between the military and tech. That journey has taken 150+ veterans inside tech companies, skills academies, and startup accelerators for 2-day unfiltered cultural immersions. Time and again, vets asked us about what it takes to launch their own startup or join a high-growth company as an early employee. Many of them had business ideas and were ready to go to market.
On February 10th and 11th, we partnered with Y Combinator — a seed fund in Silicon Valley that has backed 1,000 companies — for the VetTechTrek + Y Combinator Veteran Summit. We selected 40 entrepreneurially-focused veterans from our largest applicant pool ever to visit YC and 8 portfolio companies. Here are the highlights:
Day 1 — Coinbase, Gusto, Lever, Optimizely, Bannerman, Airbnb
Day 2 — WePay, Quora, Y Combinator
The culminating event took place at YC’s headquarters in Mountain View. We were hosted by YC Partners Kathrina Manalac, Michael Seibel, Geoff Ralston, and Kevin Hale who spoke together about the YC application process, tips for success during the program, and the value prop for veterans launching startups.
Each participant had an opportunity to meet one-on-one or in a small group with a partner for 20 minutes to pitch their idea and get feedback. Additionally, Derek Herrera (founder of Spinal Singularity, USMC veteran) and Robert Morris (founder of TerrAvion, Army veteran) hosted a fireside chat on their experience founding companies and going through Y Combinator.
Lastly, davemuni (GV Partner, Air Force veteran), Andrew Salamon (Atomic Labs Partner, Navy veteran), Dan Gwak (In-Q-Tel, USMC Veteran), and Bethany Coates (Stanford Ignite, Founder of BreakLine) joined us for a panel discussion on veteran career and mentorship opportunities in Silicon Valley.
We’re so thankful for the advice and hospitality from all our partner hosts. Our next event is the VetTechTrek Women Veteran Summit on April 14th and 15th in NYC. The application is live and available here.
What is VetTechTrek? A true pipeline between the military and tech.
Previous events: New York, DC, San Francisco, Virtual.Upcoming VetTechTrek Events
VetTechTrek Women Veterans Summit April 14–15th, NYC
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