Veteran's solution for the sandwich generation wins top prize at pitch competition

Military veterans who have devised solutions to problems pitched their business ideas May 19 before a crowd of family and supporters at the Traverse City Opera House.

The participants spent the past 10 weeks in the Michigan Veteran Entrepreneur-Lab (MVE-Lab), offered through Grand Valley's DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI) in partnership with the GVSU Traverse City Regional Center. 

It was the 14th cohort for MVE-Lab and the first in Traverse City. Shorouq Almallah, director of the DeVos CEI, said it may not be the last Northern Michigan cohort.

"We started this program seven years ago because we were inspired by veterans and student veterans and their solution-oriented drive," Almallah said. "Veteran entrepreneurs are successful because they are driven and get things done."

The top pitch and $8,000 in prize money went to Hahna Martinez and her family's startup, Sweep Out Solutions, a business for the sandwich generation, people who are taking care of a family and aging parents. 

When aging seniors move into assisted living centers or downsize into apartments, their families are often left to figure out what to do with furniture and personal items. Martinez said her company was inspired by her own mother, who once told her, "All of my things are not junk."

Sweep Out Solutions will sort, donate and scrap all items in a home, based on a square footage price. "We will do anything to keep it out of the landfill," said Martinez, who had served in the Army Reserves and is now a social worker.

Shannon Owen, director of Northern Michigan programs, said she was pleased with the participation for the MVE-Lab and for the support participants received.

"Our mission in Northern Michigan is to identify the needs of the region and see how we can serve the community," Owen said. "We have four focus areas and one is entrepreneurship, so this program fits perfectly. We are very appreciative for all of the support we have received for this cohort."

Since its launch in 2018, MVE-Lab has successfully trained 200 veterans and their families in 14 cohorts and five different regions in Michigan. 

The startup businesses, Traverse City participants and the prize money they received are detailed below:

• Sweep Out Solutions/Hahna Martinez: $8,000
• 8 Bit Insights/Sabrina Jordan: $4,250
• The Sister Tour/Amber Hasan: $3,000
• Gamer Fit Club/Chad Marlatt: $2,000

People's Choice Awards:

• SoulMath Academy/Christopher MacGregor: $1,250
• Drago Research/Mark and Veronica Dragovich: $750
• Broken Pencil Pictures/Tuklor Williams: $500
• Top Acres LLC/Kevin Brown: $250
• Powerhouse/Christopher Buday: $250