Blake Hall
For one month, military veterans from every branch of service received crash-courses in starting a new career in the tech industry. Each week was hosted by a different tech giant–including Andreessen Horowitz, PayPal, Salesforce and Hewlett Packard Enterprise–and by the month’s end, veterans walked away with job offers and new prospects.
Welcome to BreakLine, a veterans service that tears down the walls separating military veterans from their dream careers through networking and advocacy. The organization wrapped up its first ever session on April 1.
One of the most important issues in the military community is the dreaded ‘transition’ into a civilian career. Entering a new industry is overwhelming for anyone, but after a full career honing skills on the battlefield instead of the board room, military veterans have trouble translating their strengths and experience to a new industry.
BreakLine’s mission is to help veterans bypass the awkwardness and stress of launching a new career. During its spring session, the organization paired veterans with mentors, introduced them to hiring managers and hosted MBA-style seminars.
Seventeen men and six women were selected to participate in BreakLine’s first four-week program. Even though the program is starting small, SFGate reported that the impact of BreakLine will “snowball.”
“For every veteran who successfully transitions to a Silicon Valley career, 20 of their friends will follow,” said Margit Wennmachers, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz. “They’ll bring their own network.”
Her firm constantly scouts for talent for its portfolio companies, generally considered the most impressive roster in Silicon Valley. She can vividly see the ways veterans could plug in, get acclimated and be productive. “Anyone who runs a large organization that does customer support, sets up new markets in cities, sells to government agencies, will understand the potential,” she said.
BreakLine applications are closed until next year. Be sure to check out the BreakLine website for more information.