Are you a veteran with entrepreneurial aspirations?

Veterans, their spouses and dependents who are considering starting or growing a business can apply to Rider University's Veterans Entrepreneurship Training program now through May 12.

Offered through Rider’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the free, seven-week program provides a platform for developing a business concept and exploring its feasibility. Participants will conduct market research, draft a market plan and study operations and financials for their business. The program runs from May 16 to June 29.
 
Now in its ninth year, the free program offers:

• Individualized attention and feedback from faculty in Rider's Norm Brodsky College of Business
• Eligibility to apply for one year of continued mentoring upon completion of the program
• The option to take the program for college credit
• Access to Rider University library resources

During the 2021 program, former Marine Keith Guarino researched the feasibility of a real estate business.
 
"I believe this opportunity has elevated my success moving forward as an entrepreneur in training," he says. “Our professor was engaging, motivating and committed to ensuring that we were comfortable and supported while learning."
 
Dr. Mayank Jaiswal, assistant professor and instructor for the program, sees a long-lasting effect from the work the participants put in during the program.
 
"The course teaches participants the skills to assess business ideas, which can be applied to multiple ideas even after they have left the program," he says. "As an instructor, it is an honor to teach veterans who have done so much for the country."
 
Classes will meet online on Mondays and in-person on Wednesday evenings on Rider’s campus this summer. Participants may receive college credit for the course with a separate registration and additional academic work, and a limited number of scholarships for the for-credit option are available.
 
The program receives support from the New Jersey Bankers Charitable Foundation and the Uncommon Individual Foundation. The New Jersey Bankers Charitable Foundation was established to honor fallen or permanently disabled military members in the post-9/11 Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts by providing scholarships to their eligible dependents. The Uncommon Individual Foundation is a non-profit leader in mentor-based learning.
 
Rider has a long history of assisting veterans and service members. Since 1865, the University has opened its doors to veterans and military service members with most of the inaugural class comprised of Civil War veterans. Today, the University continues its proud tradition of helping current and former members of the Armed Forces transition from enlistment to enrollment. Rider has consistently been recognized as a military-friendly school.

For more information and to apply to Rider's Veterans Entrepreneurship Training program, please visit rider.edu/vetprogram. For questions, contact Assistant Professor Dr. Mayank Jaiswal at [email protected].