Third Cohort of the Entrepreneur Bootcamp for Native American Veterans Off to a Strong Start

The University of New Mexico, UNM Rainforest Innovations, and Hesperus are partnering for the third Cohort of the Entrepreneur Bootcamp for Native American Veterans.

This partnership began in spring of 2023, and since then, the partners have successfully brought the bootcamp and entrepreneurial training to Native American veterans throughout the Southwest United States for three years in a row. Consisting of three separate phases, Phase 1 is online and consists of various videos, quizzes, and journal entry prompts from the UNM RI University Center. By completing Phase 1, participants earn a certificate in Entrepreneurial Capabilities and become eligible to participate in Phase 2 which is a week-long, in-person session held at the Lobo Rainforest in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Phase 2 consists of various speakers who present on important entrepreneurial topics such as access to capital, business model canvas, pitching & presenting, scaling your business, and government contracting, to help the veteran participants either start or grow their business. Participants are also encouraged to tap into additional programming and resources available to them such as the Small Business Development Centers, Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC), APEX Accelerators, and the SBA Boots to Business Program. Phase 3 consists of ongoing support and networking opportunities made available to each participant upon graduation of Phase 2.

This year, 21 veterans have been accepted into Phase 1. Phase 2 will take place the week of September 8^th – 11^th at the Lobo Rainforest Building in Albuquerque, NM with a community reception on Wednesday, September 10^th at 5:30pm at the Lobo Rainforest Building. If you are interested in attending the reception please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reception-2025-entrepreneur-bootcamp-for-native-american-veterans-tickets-1520441594739?aff=oddtdtcreator

Thank you to our generous sponsors: Comcast, Nusenda, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

If you would like more information about the program, please contact Matt Brogdon at mattb@hesper.us