FAU One of Six Network Partners Selected for Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program

MEDIA CONTACT: Jim Hellegaard
561-319-2233, jhellegaard@fau.edu

BOCA RATON, Fla. (July 3, 2018) – Florida Atlantic University has been selected by the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program (VFEP), a program that offers qualified veterans the opportunity to receive an entrepreneurship education, as one of six network partners to administer an entrepreneur initiative throughout Florida. 

Other network partners include the University of West Florida, Tallahassee Community College, the University of Central Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University and Action Zone.

The Network Partners will implement the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program through their different locations. The program consists of a self-paced online module, periodic on premise workshops and a cohort-based class for a small group of veteran entrepreneurs. Mentorship will be incorporated into this program as it has proved to be the key to success in past VFEP cohort-based classes. Network Partners will also hold monthly networking and resource sharing meetings, building a community and pipeline for veterans interested in entrepreneurship. 

FAU’s Adams Center for Entrepreneurship and FAU’s Military & Veterans Affairs office have been partnering with the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program since it began in 2015.

FAU’s College of Business offers a variety of AACSB-accredited majors for students seeking a career in tomorrow's challenging business world. The college also offers minors and certificates for students looking to specialize and enhance their course of study.

Named in recognition of FAU alumnus Scott H. Adams in 2001, the Adams Center for Entrepreneurship prepares students and entrepreneurs in all disciplines who are looking to become successful business owners. The center also focuses on community engagement efforts offering a portfolio of programs such as the family business initiative, Shrimp Tank podcast, annual business plan competition, entrepreneur boot camp course, and the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program.

“Veterans Florida is excited to announce these new partnerships for our fourth year of entrepreneurship programming for our veterans,” said Bobby Carbonell, executive director of Veterans Florida. “Over the past few years we’ve served over 1,000 veterans who are interested in starting their own business and over 200 veterans have started businesses that have collectively hired over 100 employees and generated nearly $10 million in revenue. And we can’t wait to see what businesses the next group of great veteran entrepreneurs will create in our state.”

For more information on the Adams Center for Entrepreneurship, visit business.fau.edu/adamscenter or email adamscenter@fau.edu. 

- FAU -

About Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.

About Veterans Florida

Veterans Florida is a non-profit corporation created by the State of Florida to help veterans fully transition to civilian life in the Sunshine State.  We connect veterans to employers, grant funds to employers to hire and train veterans, and educate veterans on how to open their own businesses in Florida.   To learn more, visit www.veteransflorida.org.