Branded, 11/10/17
Happy Veteran’s Day! An all-veteran themed episode of Branded, brands built by veterans and a look into the Charlotte veteran startup scene.
“We do a lot of experimentation; we take risks and try new things” — Andrew Sherrard, CMO, T-Mobile and Army Veteran
Branded is a daily curated report of industry news designed to help executives in marketing, advertising and branding create ROI producing media, stories, and campaigns that deliver long term results.
News that Matters
Streetshares recently announced the rapid success and impact of Veteran Business Bonds. What are VBBs exactly? Only one of the coolest investment vehicles of the 21st century.
Anyone can invest money in a Veteran Business Bond. It is like a 1-Year CD that returns 5% flat rate. Except that the money directly goes towards impacting veteran-owned business. Watch this video for more info.
Good returns + impact to help grow our economy. No brainer right?
Founder Institute announced a veterans specific online demo day where promising Veteran-led startups will present their businesses/ideas and take questions from investors. You can learn more here.
The Mission. So this might not exactly be news per se, but it might be news to you! Did you know that three members of the team at The Mission are veterans??
Chad Grills, CEO and Founder, Army Veteran
Matt Helbig, Chief Creative Officer, Army Veteran
Ian Faison, Chief Content Officer, Army Veteran (oh hey that’s me!)
Go team!
Lessons Learned
Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy. — Norman Schwarzkopf
Original Content, Series, and Shows
Star Wars announced a new trilogy! Lucasfilm is excited to announce that Rian Johnson, director of The Last Jedi, will create a brand-new Star Wars trilogy, with new characters outside the Skywalker saga. While this isn’t technically a veteran themed news, it is pretty sweet.
Plus, did you know that Adam Driver (aka Kylo Ren) was a Marine? Check out this interview from Task and Purpose.
Storytelling
He dropped out of college in 1943 and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps…
And over the next 70+ years later built one of the most respected brands in the world. Read the story here.
Marketing Q&A
Q: What are a few companies built by military veterans?
A: I thought you would never ask! Here is an excerpt from an article that I wrote earlier this year about 12 military veterans who changed business forever:
Since World War II, military veterans have continuously innovated and created enduring businesses like no other group in America. Veterans created household brands like Nike, FedEx and GoDaddy. And newer technologies like Sybase, Skybox Imaging, Ustream, RedOwl, Rhumbix and RideScout. Mark Rockefeller, CEO and co-founder of StreetShares, recently explored how the military is the best entrepreneurship training program in the country.
Spotlights
Here are 9 recently profiled veteran startups from the first ever Charlotte Veteran Startup Showcase event last month. I was there and it was a fantastic event hosted by the Charlotte Hornets and Brandon Shelton of TFX Capital. Check em out:
- ProctorFree (Charlotte, NC): An online, on-demand proctoring service that allows students to take exams from anywhere using the computers webcam and internet connection
- Catapult (Charlotte, NC): A subscription-based web application to streamline and manage the RFP submission and response process.
- Dynepic (Charleston, SC): The world’s only privacy-certified family network that activates brands through a secure API.
- Millie (Arlington, VA): A digital services platform by military spouses for military spouses.
- GoodUnited (Charleston, SC): A SAAS solution for midsized to large nonprofits that enables donor discovery at scale.
- Punch Alert (Charlotte, NC): A mobile safety platform that connects individuals, organizations and official responders into a trusted community of safety.
- SecureMarking (Charlotte, NC): A fully integrated, end-to-end supply chain security platform that incorporates nanotechnology, blockchain and the Internet of Things.
- Tenavox (Austin, TX): The commercial real estate industry’s only platform built for tenants.
- ThreatSwitch (Charlotte, NC): Web-based software for highly regulated companies to deal with security.
Opportunities
Looking for elite level talent for your company? Check out shift.org, the best place to find all-star military veterans. Reach out to Mike Slagh for more info!
Thank You
Much love to all my sisters and brothers who served in the military. Here was my team in Afghanistan in 2011:
Branded is brought to you by our team at The Mission. We create original content, shows, and series for brands and distribute them to our audience of millions. To learn more, connect with us here. Or you can email me at ian (at) themission.co
