Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program

The Florida Gulf Coast University Institute for Entrepreneurship is currently housed within the Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship at Florida Gulf Coast University and is the home to all of our co-curricular entrepreneurship programs. The Institute was started in 2005 to support campus and community wide entrepreneurial activities, and in 2013 it sponsored the first undergraduate multidisciplinary team from FGCU to compete at the Florida Venture Forum Collegiate Business Pitch Competition that went on to win 1st place against teams from several major university graduate programs.

In 2015, IFE became home to one of the most successful Veterans Florida Entre Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Programs in the State. Shortly after being granted the funds from the Naples Accelerator in Collier County in 2016, it started the FGCU Runway Program Business Incubator which has helped hundreds of students, alumni and veteran owned businesses get started.

The success of our programs have made Entrepreneurship a standalone Pillar of the University and have been the catalyst of FGCU's fastest growing major, Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurial Studies. Our Entrepreneurship Programs are ranked 1st in the state of Florida and 30th overall by The Princeton Review. 

The Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program offers Honorably Discharged Veterans free, on-campus/virtual instruction in the nationally-recognized Lean Startup Methodology. Designed to work around your busy schedule, the program provides you instruction from our nationally ranked entrepreneurial staff and faculty, access to local resources such as business leaders and mentors, and an opportunity to join the local veteran entrepreneur community.

VFEP offers multiple entrepreneurial programs designed by and for Veterans, two 12 week business startup programs in the Spring and Fall designed to walk you through the steps and give you the confidence to start your business in less than 8 weeks. We also offer 6 week growth program in the summer created for VBO who need help growing their business. At the end of both of these programs we host a pitch competition where the veterans have the opportunity to be awarded an equity free business grant. We also offer a Virtual Independent opportunity for Veterans would like on a weekly or bi weekly basis for business mentoring and advise.

Email: tbolivar@fgcu.edu

Phone: (239)745-4647

www.fgcu.edu/soe/ife/veterans-florida