Victor: Connecting Vets, Families & Businesses

Veterans and their families have a new layer of support -- Greg Jumes, a Marine veteran, and his company Victor Tech are launching their app, “Victor.” Victor intends to connect vets from across the country with local businesses and other transitional support.https://youtu.be/kCbmtAm76BYIn 2010, Jumes realized that the exit process is far less than many imagine. “I walked around the base, got signatures, took one of those skills tests, and then a civilian contractor signed my DD-214 and said, ‘Thank you have a good day.’ and that was it,” said Jumes on his exit from the Marine Corps. “It’s all old school methods. If the military isn’t going to use technology, Victor Tech will.”Moving back to Wisconsin from San Diego, Jumes quickly realized that he didn’t have all of the support he needed. It wasn’t like when he visited home on leave. He always had the military to come back to. This time he didn’t.

The transition, as it is on many, was hard. He had many skills from the military but didn’t know how to use them in a different role. The skills test gave him the obvious job titles like a police officer or firefighter, but neither of those were a passion for him. He had to figure out his next steps on his own. “I don’t want people ten years out of the military still talking about being deployed. I want to help them rejoin 93% of America that has never served in the military,” said Jumes. “It wasn’t until I met another retired service member that showed me how to use my military skills in the civilian world.” It was that ah-ha moment that helped Jumes realize his passion and Victor Tech was born.Separating Victor App from the competition is the attention the app pays to service members’ families. For Jumes, “it’s incredibly important for the families of these veterans to have access to the same support as our veterans.” Once fully developed, Jumes has ambitions of launching similar products for non-military transitions, such as graduating high school or college, moving to a new city for a job, and more, but for now he is focused on the military transition because that is what he knows best. He’s lived it.Victor Tech's website is currently allowing veterans and their families as well as businesses to register. Veterans will be asked for their email address, basic personal information, a resume, and will need to verify service to have access to discounts, deals, and other services. They will also be able to send invitations to their family so they may join as well. Jumes hopes to have the discounts focused on things to do around town like movies, bowling, and other date/family activities.https://youtu.be/XUysGV9IMH8Veteran-friendly businesses connected to Victor Tech will have the ability to go through service members’ resumes to find candidates for openings. As development continues, businesses will have more control of events and other features within the app. As of now, Victor Tech will control the event promotions and over time will push that to the businesses themselves.While the app is available throughout the country, Jumes has focused on Chicago as the launching point. The growth efforts are first focused on Chicago, followed by other major military areas, with organic growth likely throughout the country. All veterans and businesses are encouraged to join immediately.