A few weeks ago, I was invited to attend a session run by Capitol Post.  To be honest, I was unfamiliar with this group- but I found out they were affiliated with Bunker Labs.  Of them, I had heard.

Bunker Labs works with veterans- and their spouses- providing them the tools and skills to become successful entrepreneurs.  Capitol Post is the local DC (OK, Alexandria, VA) affiliate of the 501(c)(3) entity.  They run a 9 week startup school- folks test their ideas and learn to build a business under talented mentorship advisors.

And, the session I attended was their “graduation” exercises.  Capitol Post calls the night “Startup Standup”.  The best entities were presenting their elevator pitches to us- and some talented judges. (Alright- they did have about 10 minutes.  That elevator would have to be in a taller building than any that exist in the world.)

Generally,  the presentations were interesting.  Two were presented by folks that were clearly ready for prime time.  (I will also mention a 3^rd– and you’ll know why when we get there.) To keep the audience engaged (this was not an MIT Entrepreneurial Forum event, of course) , several of the teams provided us some karaoke entertainment.

Let’s discuss the karaoke first.  And, I should say that I don’t frequent karaoke bars.  But, these Capitol Post folks managed to entertain the lot of us.  And, that says a lot.  One guy in particular chose to emulate Michael Bolton.

David Muir pulled it off.  And, made us aware that Easter Seals works with vets to get them jobs.  Who knew that was a new part of the mission for Easter Seals?

Now, for the three presentations that made me take notice.

The leadership of Capitol Post wanted to provide some  additional entertainment.  Using a rope, a baby carriage, and a doll, these two women presented their “business concept” for a self-driving baby transport.  The device would let moms deal with other issues during the day.  Their ‘Momlis’ autonomous stroller presentation had most of us in stitches.  Congratulations to Seda Goff and Elizabeth Watson of Capitol Post.

This next presentation matches a lot of the research we do.  Arcadia is seeking to engender a series of mobile fresh vegetable markets.   Their goal is to get vitamin laden veggies to the 70,000 folks who have their limbs amputated because they have diabetes.   How will Arcadia achieve its goal?  By convincing some 700K veterans to become small farmers.   And, by working with kids to help them understand nutritional needs better.  Right now, Pam Hess (Executive Director) and her group are operating at the Woodlawn Plantation in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County.

And, then, there’s the winning presentation.  The winner actually got a check from the judges to help get their idea moving forward.  Kim DiFiori and Sara Laszaic head up the “Badges United Foundation”.   Their goal is to help alleviate the problems of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) not only for veterans- but for all of our first responders- members from our police, fire, rescue, etc.  Because every one of these folks is subject to PTSD.

It turns out most first responders are great for taking care of others.  They suck at taking care of themselves.  They don’t want to be anyone else’s problem.

The goal is to help them get better sleep, undergo wellness programs, and learn about food and nutrition.  One of the data points she shared blew me away—Every one of the first responders to the Sandy Hook massacre had resigned their position within 12 months of the event.

Think about that for a second.

Then couple that with the fact that more first responders commit suicide (about 105 K) than die on the job (about 80K).  Kim understands this implicitly- if her service dog had not intervened, she would have been one of those suicides.

While Badges United is self-funded now, they hope to partner with corporations, to extend their reach.   So, if any of you out there wants to help fund Badges United- this is the time to step up.

By the way- while it was strictly a political act (Lincoln had no jurisdiction that would be recognized over the Confederate States), today is the 156th anniversary for freedom for the slaves oppressed in the US.  (The Emancipation Proclamation was set to be in force on 1 January 1863.)