Veterans Day Commemorated With Technology Twist

To honor Veterans Day, YourMechanic team members enjoyed an evening helping VetsInTechlaunch their S.F. expansion.

As part of a start-up company in the heart of Silicon Valley, YourMechanic Community Manager,Diana Tran was intrigued by a story about VetsInTech, an organization assisting veterans in the fieldof technology. "We are interested in becoming more involved with our community, and with VeteransDay coming up, the idea of combining the tech community with veterans seemed like a good fit."

VetsInTech has been described as a grass roots organization founded by Katherine Webster,someone with years of Silicon Valley experience and a passion for assisting those who served ourcountry. "The current generation of veterans has had more exposure to technology than any other.They grew up with smart phones, computer games, and social media. And now they have amazingleadership, problem solving skills, and discipline. Many are poised to take on careers in thetechnology industry and we need to support them."

VetsInTech offers support through education, entrepreneurship, and employment. All three of theseareas were covered at the launch event hosted by Rackspace and attended by power-playersincluding angel investor Ron Conway, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, and representatives from tech-world heavy hitters, including LinkedIn, Intuit, and WorkDay.

Conway described the approach as a two-pronged commitment. "We want to get the Venture Capitalcommunity and the Angel Investing community to invest in entrepreneurs who are Vets. If there is aVet who is an entrepreneur, we want to get them a really fair look at potential investors. And if it's aveteran who's seeking employment in tech, we want to get them a Cadillac intro into a techcompany."

The Cadillac of introductions is what one veteran, Garrett Deese, felt he received throughVetsInTech. Deese told the story of feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of job searching in the techworld and turning to VetsInTech for support. When Deese met Katherine Webster, it seemed asthough he had reconnected with a long-lost friend. Webster set up meetings with tech executivesand persisted until the veteran landed a role at Intuit.

Non-veteran volunteers were touched by the networking event. "I was moved by the stories and theopportunities this organization provides Veterans," said Nils Paajanen, marketing intern fromYourMechanic. "I'm glad we could be a part of this event and hope YourMechanic is able to workwith VetsInTech in the future."

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