FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bunker Labs RDU & MetLife to Empower Veteran Entrepreneurs
through Raleigh-Durham Muster on September 22
Bunker Labs Raleigh-Durham (RDU) will hold their first Muster RDU event, which enables veterans who are considering entrepreneurship to gain access to the resources, programs and community they need to help transform their military experience into business success. Muster RDU is presented by MetLife Military Veterans Network, an employee-based diversity business network at MetLife that advocates for and supports the military community.
Made possible in part by a $25,000 grant from MetLife, Muster RDU is free to veterans and will be held at the MetLife Global Technology Campus in Cary, NC on Thursday, September 22, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The event brings together hundreds of veterans, corporate partners and innovators for a full day of networking and sharing ideas, including keynote speakers, veteran business pitches, discussion panels and a showcase of products from veteran-owned small businesses and companies that support the veteran community.
Approximately 25 percent of post-9/11 veteransstate a desire to start a business, yet less than 10 percent of small businesses are actually owned by veterans.
“Most veterans point to a lack of professional networks as a hindrance to launching a venture,” said Dean Bundschu, the Executive Director of Bunker Labs RDU. “Bunker Labs is changing this by offering veterans a chance to bring out their entrepreneurial spirit in highly networked communities in key markets across the nation.”
MetLife joins JPMorgan Chase & Co., Cisco, The Research Triangle Park Foundation and The Support Center as sponsors of the Muster RDU event, which marks the fifth stop on a national tour and promises to be one of the largest veteran entrepreneurial events in the southeast.
In partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Co., the Bunker Builds America Tour will travel to 12 cities across the country to showcase veteran entrepreneurs, empower local entrepreneurial ecosystems with large-scale events, and serve as the launching point for local Bunker Labs chapters.
About Bunker Labs
Bunker Labs is a national not-for-profit organization built by military Veteran entrepreneurs to empower other military Veterans as leaders in innovation.Through local chapters organized in 12 different cities including Raleigh-Durham, Bunker Labs provides educational programming, mentors, events, and thriving local networks to help military Veterans start and grow businesses.Bunker Labs works to inspire, educate, and connect Veterans with the right people and the right resources to be successful as entrepreneurs and as innovators.Our online platform, Bunker in a Box, gives active duty and Veterans worldwide access to entrepreneurship education, complete with dozens of interviews with military Veterans who have successfully started a diverse array of businesses. For more information, please visitbunkerlabs.org
About MetLife
MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the largest life insurance companies in the world. Founded in 1868, MetLife is a global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management. Serving approximately 100 million customers, MetLife has operations in nearly 50 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. For more information, visitwww.metlife.com.
For more information about the Muster RDU, and/or to reserve tickets, please visit:
www.bunkerlabsrdu.org/muster.
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Media Contacts:
Virginia Conlon
Bunker Labs RDU
Phone: 919.389.3268
Email: