Headquartered inside 1871, Bunker Labs is a national nonprofit organization aimed at unlocking the entrepreneurial potential of America’s veteran community. Since its launch in late 2014, the organization has expanded to 15 cities and presented its program at the White House. But the expansions haven’t stopped Bunker Labs from incubating exciting companies right here at home. Here is a few that we think you should check out.
Saffron is one of the world’s most expensive spices, in big part because it's hard to find good places to grow it. Founded by three military veterans, Rumi Spice partners with Afghani farmers to sell sustainably-grown saffron online. The Certified B Corporation sources its products directly to encourage investment in Afghani agriculture and manufacturing. And it sells tea, too, if that’s more your thing.
If you’ve ever sat down with an older family member to talk about their life experiences, you know that every family is full of fascinating stories. OurStoriesAreUs.com is a platform that lets users capture those stories and preserve them for posterity. The platform includes a digital story builder, photo storage, family trees and tools for crafting good interviews.
Lack of reliable transportation causes 3.6 million Americans to miss or delay medical appointments every year. Kaizen Health wants to improve access to healthcare by connecting healthcare providers, patients and transportation companies to schedule rides to and from their appointments. Founded in 2015, Kaizen is a graduate from 1871’s WiSTEM program as well as a member of the Bunker Labs incubator.
Recording music lessons is a great way for teachers to track a student’s progress. But your smartphone’s built-in voice recorder app doesn’t offer many tools for teachers to keep recordings from all their different students organized. Lesson Record is an iPhone app that lets teachers create, organize and share lesson recordings, and take notes associated with each session.
Have you ever noticed the posters advertising paid medical studies on the L? Research and Me wants to connect researchers and potential research subjects in a more streamlined way. The company’s online platform lets researchers post their ongoing studies, and presents those studies to users in an easily digestible way. Research and Me also makes it easier for researchers to properly screen applicants through custom questionnaires.
Images via listed companies.
Have a tip for us? Shoot us an email or follow us on Twitter @BuiltInChicago.
