{"id":942788,"date":"2026-05-07T01:45:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/942788\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T01:45:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:45:16","slug":"san-antonio-veterans-getting-direct-pipeline-to-small-business-ownership-through-new-city-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/942788\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio veterans getting direct pipeline to small business ownership through new city program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><strong>SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 Melanie McCoy served in the Army from 1998 to 2006. However, the dream of owning her own business was always there. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Years later, she did it on her own.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cGetting out as a single mom, my son was 2. I decided school was the way to go because that seemed like the next natural progression,\u201d McCoy said. \u201cEntrepreneurship \u2014 it wasn\u2019t even on the radar because I didn\u2019t know that that was an opportunity.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">McCoy said she started her business from home within a six-month timeframe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cIt was really lonely,\u201d McCoy said. \u201cIt was very ambiguous because I didn\u2019t know where to start (or) what to do.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Though McCoy\u2019s consulting business took off, she wished there had been a program to help her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Many programs have been developed to find career paths and company jobs for new veterans, but there are none locally catered solely to entrepreneurship. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">When District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears came to her with an opportunity, McCoy said she had to take it. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">McCoy started another venture 15 months ago, a nonprofit called Supply SA, which will partner directly with the city to offer veterans a direct pathway to entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThis is an accelerator that really puts them at the front of the line for small business generation,\u201d Spears said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Spears\u2019 Small Business Accelerator program involves partnering veterans with mentors and companies that can help with business models, financial management, marketing and securing capital.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Organizations and companies already involved include: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Launch SA<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>VelocityTX<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>UTSA SBDC<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>UTSA APEX Accelerator<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>The Veterans Business Outreach Center<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Workforce Solutions Alamo<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The program will also include an annual \u201cDemo Day\u201d pitch competition featuring judges from local government, business leaders and corporate partners such as USAA, H-E-B and Frost Bank.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWhen we were meeting with our Veterans Affairs Department, they were expressing to us the challenges that their families face, and it just became really top of mind for our office,\u201d Spears said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Her team got into contact with people like McCoy, who are passionate about veteran relationships and small business success. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cAnd we\u2019re a pilot, so this has never been done in any other city,\u201d McCoy said. \u201cThis is building something really important and unique and special that others could replicate in the future.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The program is not just for veterans, but also for veterans\u2019 spouses and adult children. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cMy son is 26 now, and there are not that many benefits for him as a child,\u201d McCoy said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">McCoy said having veterans help lead the program is crucial because military members understand each other\u2019s backgrounds better. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWe are different from the rest of the population in a lot of ways because of the experiences that we\u2019ve had,\u201d McCoy said. \u201cYou have this bond that you can take with you in your journey because entrepreneurship is hard, and growing a small business is hard. So, to have people that you trust and that you connect with and that you can keep them going \u2014 they can keep you going \u2014 is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The secondary effect will be keeping those veterans and businesses in San Antonio. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cSeventy-five percent of our economy is small business and when you hear that number, it\u2019s staggering,\u201d Spears said. \u201cAnd then you realize how important it is.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The program idea already got the green light from the city\u2019s Economic and Workforce Development Committee. The whole program should be developed and ready within six months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The program is estimated to cost $350,000, which the District 9 office said will come from the existing Launch SA contract. The contract will be up for renewal in late September. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>Read also:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 by KSAT &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2013 Melanie McCoy served in the Army from 1998 to 2006. However, the dream of owning&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":942789,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3094],"tags":[51,26387,263359,3134,263361,263360,59406,16,15,52239],"class_list":["post-942788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entrepreneurship","tag-business","tag-city-hall","tag-district-9","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-military-city-usa","tag-misty-spears","tag-san-antonio","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-veterans"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116530769300077971","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/942788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=942788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/942788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/942789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=942788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=942788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=942788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}