Trademark Assistance to Nonprofit That Will Promote Veteran-Led Small Businesses

San Francisco career intellectual property associate Michael Richmond, supervised by San Francisco intellectual property partner Beth Goldman, is representing Youth Business America (“YBA”) in determining whether the organization can trademark the name “Startup Veterans America,” and if so, helping to prepare the registration. YBA is a relatively new nonprofit based in Oakland, California that seeks to ensure that young entrepreneurs who have a sound business concept and the desire and skills necessary to successfully start their own business can do so, regardless of their economic circumstances,

YBA has recently created “Startup Veterans America,” to find, fund and mentor returning Veterans who have an entrepreneurial idea and need mentoring and access to loan capital in order to start-up or expand a new business. These small businesses will offer returning Veterans a pathway to self-employment and a means to promote the economic health of low-to-moderate income communities.  The impetus for this program is the fact that veterans have been particularly hard hit since the recession in finding employment and access to mentoring and business capital. YBA, based on three years of history and a global support network, is well positioned to immediately assist these returning Veterans in creating new companies.  Currently, there are very few programs in America that are focused on specifically providing Veterans with entrepreneurial assistance.