Kauffman FastTrac® Accepting Applications for New Online Courses for U.S. Military Veterans

10-week training builds skills in entrepreneurship for aspiring business owners

As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day and recognize the service members who fight for our freedom, Kauffman FastTrac® is proud to announce the latest outreach in its continuing Veterans Initiative. Two new online courses will be offered this summer and fall for U.S. military veterans interested in starting and growing their own companies.

The first online offering of FastTrac® NewVenture™ for the Veteran Entrepreneur will begin July 24. The course helps veterans with entrepreneurial aspirations transition into the civilian workforce by equipping them with the information and knowledge necessary to launch a business.

The newly announced online courses continue Kauffman FastTrac’s Veterans Initiative, launched in 2012 to deliver specially tailored courses to U.S. military veterans. In the program’s first year, 300 veterans took a FastTrac course, and 50 percent report having started a business after completion. This year, Kauffman FastTrac aims to deliver face-to-face and online courses to an additional 500 veterans through its affiliate organizations across the country.

“Veterans make outstanding business owners,” said Alana Muller, president of Kauffman FastTrac. “Many of the qualities they possess—tenacity, focus, risk tolerance and leadership—position them well for entrepreneurial success. Our company is honored to support U.S. veterans in pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams.”

The online course is a $700 value but will be offered to veterans for just $325. The first course will run July 24-Sept. 25. The second is scheduled for Sept. 23-Nov. 25. Each course has limited space available so interested veterans are encouraged to apply soon. Courses will be held one day each week from 5:30–7 p.m. CT.

Facilitator Emily Bowers will lead the first course beginning July 24. Bowers is an instructional designer and performance consultant. A graduate of FastTrac NewVenture, she currently works with National Marketing & Learning and Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City. Dr. Janet Smith will facilitate the second course beginning Sept. 23. An entrepreneur, teacher and veteran, Smith is also a Kauffman FastTrac graduate and president of Borgman’s Dairy Farm in Holden, Mo.

The online courses are made possible through a grant awarded to Kauffman FastTrac by a corporate partner. The grant covers training, implementation and development of supplemental course materials specific to veterans’ needs.

In another outreach to aspiring veteran entrepreneurs, Kauffman FastTrac is again a partner in the TechStars RisingStars Patriot Boot Camp. This three-day program is designed to educate and mentor a selected group of veterans and service member founders to build technology companies. The program will be held July 17-19 in Washington D.C.

Those interested in the Kauffman FastTrac Veterans Initiative can find more information and register for courses at www.fasttrac.org/veterans.

About Kauffman FastTrac®
Kauffman FastTrac is the leading global provider of learning curricula that equip aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with the business skills and insights, tools, resources, and network to start and grow successful businesses. Kauffman FastTrac was created by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the largest foundation in the United States devoted to entrepreneurship. For more information about Kauffman FastTrac, visit www.fasttrac.org and follow the organization on Twitter at @fasttrac, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kauffmanfasttrac and connect on LinkedIn at www.fasttrac.org/linkedin.

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