From Service to Startup: Warrior Rising's Activate Program for Veterans

In this solo episode of Security Halt! Podcast, host Deny Caballero breaks down Warrior Rising’s new Activate Program, an eight-week startup accelerator created in partnership with Virginia Tech’s Boeing Center for Veterans Transition and Military Families.

Designed for veterans and military spouses building tech startups, the Activate program focuses on testing, validating, and launching new companies with mentorship, resources, and community support.

Deny explains why entrepreneurship is becoming a powerful next mission for veterans transitioning out of service—and how programs like Activate provide the structure and guidance needed to succeed.

Chapters:
00:00 The Entrepreneurial Journey After Military Service
 03:00 Warrior Rising’s Mission Supporting Veteran Entrepreneurs
 04:22 The Activate Program and Startup Accelerator Explained
 07:50 Entrepreneurship as the Next Mission for Veterans

Activate Program sign up: https://forms.monday.com/forms/e4127d9884803c09496356dd5fa28100?r=use1
Warrior Rising Website: https://warriorrising.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearewarriorrising/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreWarriorRising/

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Transcript

Veterans’ Strengths In Entrepreneurship

Inside The Activate Program

Execution Over Theory

Certificate, Community, And Mentors

Avoiding Startup Pitfalls

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome back to another episode of Security Podcast. As always, I'm your host, Denny Caballero. And today I want to talk about a nonprofit that I uh I feel deserves a little bit more of a spotlight. And uh we should be talking a lot more, at least referring to our friends. That's Warrior Rising. Um I've talked to a lot of veterans in the past years since I started doing this, and I'm always hyped and pumped up when somebody's talking about their endeavor, their entrepreneurial dreams and their businesses. And as an entrepreneur, um I took a path that was, you know, largely unconventional. I don't have an MBA. I'm going for a master's in uh positive psychology and looking down the road for a PhD. But my day-to-day life, what puts food on the table for me and my family is this. I've grown a business. I talk about it a lot. I started out with just one podcast, Security Hall, and then started producing for other shows, started figuring out social media. So that became something I provided as a service to other people, other nonprofits. And along the way, I've just been figuring it out. Um, shout out to Claude AI, Mike Spaghettios, Mike Spidichetti, uh, all my close friends at um Kyle McDonald, um everybody in my life that has that spirit of being an entrepreneur, or at least diving into that world someday, um, have been amazing. Uh Philip Hunter, shout out to you, brother. We're figuring this out together. But I would be lying if I said that I didn't wish I would have found some sort of organization earlier, early on, that could help me with all this. Um, trying to figure out, trying to make sense of it. Um, I do feel that there's a formula, there's a pathway to success. And if we can offer veterans a shortcut and a way to be mentored into this life, it's something that we should be focused on and we should promote. And uh that's why I want to talk about where you're rising today. Um specifically, a new program that they've launched with Virginia Tech that's specifically aimed at our veterans in the tech space, which is something that uh I think is awesome because individuals like the boys over at Bunker Bros who are trying to create an app to help fight the suicide epidemic within our veteran community. They could really benefit from this. They could benefit from having mentors in this space specifically to know about the tech ways and and the pitfalls of app development. I can't help them with that. I I can I only know podcasting and metrics and spots I hunt down sponsors. I don't know shit about what it takes to launch an app, but these guys do. And better yet, they have a network of individuals that have already done it. So if we can help promote these resources, why not? So let's dive in. First, before we go a little further, I want to dive into the background of who Warrior Rising is. Um, Warrior Rising is one of the leading nonprofits in the veteran entrepreneurial space. Their mission is simple but absolutely powerful, helping you as military veterans and our families achieve success in business through mentorship, education, and community. Transitioning out of the military can be incredibly difficult. You go from a world where your mission is clear, your team is tight, you have a bond, and you have a purpose that's absolutely defined. In the civilian world, many veterans feel like they're starting from scratch. And that's where Warrior Rising steps in to help veterans take the leadership, discipline, and resilience they develop in service and apply those skills to building successful companies. Through programs, mentorship, training, and funding opportunities, Warrior Rising has helped thousands of veterans launch and grow businesses across the United States. We're talking about veterans becoming founders, innovators, job creators, and leaders in their communities. Because the reality is this veterans are uniquely built for entrepreneurship. We understand the risk. We understand leadership. We understand solving problems under pressure. And Warrior Rising provides a framework and support, key word, support, to turn the mindset into successful businesses. And Warrior Rising provides a framework and support to turn that mindset into successful businesses. And the main thing I want to talk about right now is the Activate program, an eight-week execution-driven pre-seed accelerator program built specifically for veteran and military spouse founders who are developing technology-based businesses. And what makes this program especially exciting is that it was created in collaboration with Virginia Tech's Boeing Center for Veterans Transition and Military Families. So you're not just getting mentorship, you're getting access to one of the leading academic institutions working on veteran transition and innovation. So let's break it down. Who's this program really for? Activate is designed for veterans, military spouses, founders with technology, or software as a service ideas, entrepreneurs who are still in the early stages of building a company. Maybe you have an idea for a platform. Maybe you have a tech solution for a real-world problem. Or maybe you've been sitting on an idea for years but didn't know how to test or launch it. This program is designed to help founders validate and build before they launch, because one of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is trying to build something before they've proven that the market actually needs it. Activate focuses on doing it the right way. So here are the benefits of this program. Over the course of eight weeks, participants will work through structured processes focused on testing their idea, building a minimum viable product, validating the concept in the market, developing the business model, and preparing for launch. The focus here is execution, not theory, not just listening to lectures, but actually building something. Participants will receive guidance on the product development, market validation, customer discovery, startup strategy, tech entrepreneurship. And because it's built specifically for veterans, this program is designed with a military mindset in mind, mission-focused, action-oriented, and built around accountability. And this is value added. But here's where the program becomes even more powerful. Participants who complete Active A will also receive a certificate from Virginia Tech's Boeing Center for Veteran Transition and Military Families. Not only are you gaining entrepreneurial skills, but you're also gaining recognition from a major research university that is deeply committed to helping veterans succeed after service. You're also gaining access to a community. A network of veteran founders, mentors, and advisors who understand exactly what it means to transition from military service into entrepreneurship. And if you've ever built anything, you know that community and mentorship can make the difference between success and failure. Programs like Activate are incredibly valuable because they solve one of the biggest problems early stage founders face to help you avoid expensive mistakes. The reality is most startups fail not because the founder isn't capable, but because the product never solves a real problem. Activate is designed to help founders test, validate, and refine their ideas before they invest years of time and money into building something that might not work. It's about building smarter. For veterans especially, programs like this can be a powerful bridge between service and the next chapter of life. Because entrepreneurship gives veterans something incredibly important: a new mission, a new challenge, a new way to lead. Instead of just looking for a job, veterans are creating companies, building teams, solving real problems, and contributing to our economy in powerful ways. That's a future Warrior Rising is helping to build. So if you're a veteran or military spouse with an idea or tech company, if you've been thinking about launching a startup, or if you've been sitting on a concept but didn't know where to start, this might be the opportunity you've been waiting for. The Activate program by Warrior Rising and Virginia Tech is designed to help founders move from idea to validation in just eight weeks. It's structured, it's mission-driven, and it's built specifically for the veteran community. If you want to learn more about the program or apply, head over to WarriorRising.org or check out the Activate program. Because the mission doesn't end when we leave the military, it just evolves. And sometimes the next mission is building something that changes lives. If you're interested in the program, head on over to the episode description, click the links, and sign up today. I made it super simple. Go to the episode description and there's a sign up link right there. Don't have to wait, don't have to go to warriorising.com. Just go to the link and sign up today. And follow them on social media. Links to all their sites are going to be also being in the episode description. Please follow them today. If you found value in this episode, make sure you subscribe to the Security Out Podcast, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and keep supporting the organizations that are helping veterans build the next chapter of their lives. Thank you all for tuning in, and we'll see you all next time. Till then, take care.