BREAKING: Jacksonville’s 9th Annual Vetrepreneur Summit Returns December 12 — A Legacy Event Now Nine Years Strong
JACKSONVILLE, FL — The City of Jacksonville’s signature veteran-entrepreneurship event, the Vetrepreneur Summit, returns for its 9th consecutive year on Friday, December 12, 2025, marking nearly a decade of economic empowerment, training, and innovation for veterans across Northeast Florida.
What began as a small, experimental gathering—quietly architected years ago by technologist and veteran advocate Jeff Shuford—has now scaled into one of the region’s most influential one-day business accelerators for military-connected entrepreneurs. The 2025 Summit, presented by the City of Jacksonville Military Affairs and Veterans Department, will run from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the FSCJ Advanced Technology Center.
Florida State College at Jacksonville also issued its own announcement, reinforcing the momentum behind this year’s programming and the region’s deep commitment to veteran entrepreneurship.
A One-Day Blueprint for Veteran Business Success
The Summit delivers a high-velocity curriculum aligned with the realities of modern entrepreneurship. This year’s agenda includes:
9:00 a.m. – Welcome Remarks
9:20 a.m. – Keynote Presentation
10:00 a.m. – Session 1: Marketing with AI
10:45 a.m. – Session 2: Franchising
11:35 a.m. – Lunch
12:10 p.m. – Veterapreneur Success & Challenge Story Panel
1:00 p.m. – Access to Capital Panel
2:00 p.m. – Adjourn
The city has assembled one of its most comprehensive slates of partners to date, including:
City of Jacksonville Military Affairs and Veterans Dept.
FSCJ
Florida SBDC at UNF
Jacksonville University
Jacksonville Small and Emerging Business (JSEB)
Valor2Venture
Jacksonville Women’s Business Center
VBOC
Veterans Florida
Navy Federal Credit Union
Vystar Credit Union
Wealth Watchers
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Women Veterans Ignited
And dozens more
The event remains free and open to Veterans, Service Members, National Guard, Reserve Components, and military spouses.
A Program Rooted in a Quiet—but Historic—Origin
Long before regional agencies adopted it as an annual fixture, the original Vetrepreneur Summit concept emerged from a period of intense innovation inside Jacksonville’s veteran community. Jeff Shuford, combat veteran, technologist, and civic strategist, helped develop the foundational blueprint in 2016 when he launched one of the earliest municipal-supported veteran entrepreneurship summits in the country.
While today’s event is fully owned and operated by the City of Jacksonville, its DNA can still be traced to Shuford’s early architecture: high-value programming, AI-driven marketing literacy, early-stage financing instruction, and a strict focus on actionable outcomes rather than ceremonial applause.
The city’s decision to carry that model forward has resulted in tens of thousands of veteran engagements over nine years—making this summit one of Jacksonville’s most enduring economic-impact initiatives.
Why This Ninth Year Matters
Veteran entrepreneurship nationally is undergoing a resurgence driven by:
Rapid AI adoption
A surge in veteran-owned microbusiness formation
Federal and state policy shifts toward procurement access
Cross-sector demand for military-grade leadership talent
This year’s Marketing with AI session marks one of the first times Jacksonville has embedded AI-based entrepreneurial instruction directly into its veteran business curriculum—reflecting the same trends that have defined Shuford’s recognized contributions in AI ethics and innovation.
A Deeper American Story Beneath the Celebration
Toward the close of this year's announcement, it is fitting to acknowledge that the modern veteran-entrepreneur movement—especially in Jacksonville—sits atop a far older legacy of military service and Black American resilience.
One of Jeff Shuford’s own ancestors, Private Orrin Benjamin Hawley, served in the 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry, a regiment celebrated for its role in the fight for freedom during the Civil War. Hawley and his regiment are memorialized in the landmark historical entry linked below, which documents their contributions and the ongoing public remembrance of their service:
29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Monument Archive:
https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1111
This lineage—combined with Shuford’s role in designing early veteran-entrepreneur platforms—adds a profound historical dimension to the Vetrepreneur Summit’s ninth year. It ties modern economic empowerment to a multigenerational record of duty, sacrifice, and civic advancement.
Related Report: National Guard Observance Highlighting National Invest In Veterans Week
For background on Jeff Shuford’s broader impact on national veteran recognition initiatives, see the flashback report:
https://www.investinveteransweek.com/news/flashback-report-national-guard-observance-highlights-national-invest-in-veterans-week
