What Owners In Honor does

Owners In Honor (OIH) is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2023 that equips veterans, service members, military spouses, and Gold Star families to acquire, operate, and exit small businesses through Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA). The organization serves two parallel customer sets: veteran buyers seeking structured pathways into business ownership, and existing small business owners approaching retirement who lack qualified, values-aligned successors. Core products include the 6-phase Fellowship Program, the Buyer Basecamp (acquisition readiness curriculum for veterans), the Sellers Summit (succession readiness modules for retiring owners), and the Acquisition and Exit Education Platform, anchored by 'The True Cost of Capital' module co-developed with Live Oak Bank. Distribution is community- and event-led through an Ambassador Program, university-hosted Acquisitions & Exits: Day Zero events at UCLA and San Diego State, Community Fireside panels with lenders and brokers, and Operator Support Shoot live-fire leadership experiences.

The underlying technology is deliberately light: a Wix-hosted website with Wix Payments, Stripe, Google Analytics, Google Firebase, Vimeo, and Apple/Google Pay digital wallets, which supports donation processing, event ticketing, and merchandise sales rather than proprietary software IP. The economic moat is built on institutional partnerships (DAV, SMB.co, First Internet Bank, Live Oak Bank), a vetted network of allied advisors who are paid by OIH rather than the veteran, and a mission-aligned brand that has earned the Candid Platinum transparency seal in both 2025 and 2026.

Revenue is generated entirely through a nonprofit mix: recurring and one-time individual donations, three corporate sponsorship tiers ($25K, $50K, $100K+), event ticket sales ($350-$1,200 per ticket/team), and merchandise. The organization publicly states that over 85% of all funding flows directly to programming. As of November 2025, leadership publicly committed to a $500,000 fundraising campaign to scale to 500 additional veterans and expand into more cities and states in 2026, signaling an early but accelerating nonprofit scaling phase against a market of 200,000+ annual veteran transitions and 10,000+ small business closures per year due to lack of succession.

Name

Owners In Honor

Legal name

Owners In Honor

Website

https://ownersinhonor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Houston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that trains veterans, military spouses, and Gold Star families to acquire, operate, and exit small businesses through Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition, while connecting retiring owners with qualified veteran successors via a 6-phase Fellowship Program and an allied advisor network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veteran Entrepreneurship Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Operator-Led / CEO-in-Residence ETA (FSANALAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Stewardship & Active Ownership (Engagement, Proxy Voting, Shareholder Advocacy) (FSAAALAD)

Keywords

• Veteran entrepreneurship programs
• Business acquisition education
• Small business succession planning
• Nonprofit veteran services
• Entrepreneurship through acquisition

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Primary revenue stream. Individual donors contribute one-time, monthly, or yearly donations. Over 85% of all funding goes directly to programming. Donation tiers include $100 (First Steps – monthly mentorship, accountability check-ins, peer community events) and $250 (Tactical Impact – curated business education resources, workbooks, tools).
2. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from ticketed events including the Operator Support Shoot (pilot raised $12,500). Ticket pricing ranges from $350 (single person) to $1,200 (4-person team with operator).
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Sponsorship tiers designed for companies wanting to support veteran entrepreneurship: Program Sponsor ($25,000+ for cohort session naming rights and impact brief), Community Anchor ($50,000+ for multi-region programming and leader briefings), Founding Underwriter ($100,000+ for platform scale and national recognition).
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of physical merchandise and goods through the website, subject to non-refundable shipping fees calculated per order, per item, or per pound based on selected shipping option.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Owners In Honor is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps veterans, military spouses, and Gold Star families acquire, operate, and sell small businesses through Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA). The organization delivers a 6-phase Fellowship Program, an Acquisition and Exit Education Platform (Buyer Basecamp and Sellers Summit), and event-based programming that connects veteran buyers with sellers, lenders, brokers, and advisors across the full buy-operate-sell lifecycle.

Product overview

Owners In Honor is a nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive ecosystem of programs and services focused on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA). The core offering consists of the Acquisition and Exit Education Platform, which encompasses two primary programs: the Buyer Basecamp for veterans preparing to acquire businesses, and the Sellers Summit for business owners preparing for succession. These are supported by educational modules such as 'The True Cost of Capital' developed with Live Oak Bank. The Fellowship Program provides a 6-phase structured training path, while the Ambassador Program enables regional activation through community representatives. The organization also hosts experiential events including the Operator Support Shoot (live-fire leadership events), Community Fireside sessions, and Acquisitions & Exits: Day Zero orientation events. This is a service-based nonprofit model, not a software product, with over 85% of funding directed to programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fellowship Program A 6-phase cohort-based training program designed to train, equip, and launch Veteran Operators into real business ownership through six sequential phases covering acquisition readiness, search, due diligence, deal closing, post-acquisition operations, and exit planning. Targets transitioning service members, veterans, military spouses, and Gold Star families.
• Buyer Basecamp A structured program preparing veterans and military-connected entrepreneurs for acquisition readiness through Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA), including capital readiness training, coaching, community support, and curriculum such as The True Cost of Capital module developed with Live Oak Bank.
• Sellers Summit A parallel set of educational modules designed to help existing small-business owners achieve succession readiness and prepare their companies for a responsible ownership transition to a veteran buyer. Covers valuation guidance, tax planning, transition playbooks, and dignified exit support.
• Acquisition and Exit Education Platform The core educational platform that prepares veterans and military families for both sides of small-business transition: buyers pursuing acquisition and owners preparing for succession or exit. Encompasses the Buyer Basecamp and Sellers Summit programs along with structured curriculum including The True Cost of Capital module.
• Ambassador Program A highly selective regional activation program where veterans, spouses, and community allies serve as boots-on-the-ground representatives to create local presence, visibility, and impact for Owners In Honor in their communities. Ambassadors embody mission-driven purpose, community roots, authentic storytelling, bridge-building spirit, and initiative in action.
• Operator Support Shoot A half-day live-fire leadership and team challenge experience built and run by Special Operations Veterans and Veteran business owners. Teams compete through timed range stages requiring real collaboration under pressure, with veteran captains leading non-veteran executives. Ticket pricing ranges from $350 (single person) to $1,200 (4-person team with operator).
• Community Fireside Regional events featuring candid panel discussions, expert presentations, and networking that connect Veterans and Military Families with lenders, brokers, exit planners, and advisors who support every phase of the ownership journey. Co-hosted with partners such as DAV.
• Acquisitions & Exits: Day Zero A three-hour education and orientation event hosted at university entrepreneurship centers (e.g., UCLA, San Diego State University Lavin Entrepreneurship Center) designed to introduce Veteran students, alumni, and area-Veterans to Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition as a viable pathway to business ownership.
• The True Cost of Capital An educational module developed in partnership with Live Oak Bank that introduces participants to the financial realities of acquiring and operating a small business, covering SBA lending structures, acquisition financing, capital stack dynamics, and debt service realities. Part of the Buyer Basecamp curriculum.

Quantifiable outcome

• Veterans are 4X more likely to succeed as business owners than civilian startups
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SMB.cocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026SMB.co, a modern marketplace for buying and selling small businesses, partnered with Owners In Honor to expand veteran pathways to small business ownership. The partnership grants Owners In Honor buyers preferred access to SMB.co's marketplace along with tools and resources designed to support their transition from training readiness into active business acquisition. The organizations co-hosted a joint webinar on February 20, 2026 to educate and connect buyers and sellers in the small business acquisition market.
• DAV (Disabled American Veterans)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025DAV and Owners In Honor partnered to create pathways for veterans to own businesses through startup and acquisition options. The partnership aims to provide guidance, education, and support to veterans for business ownership, emphasizing measurable outcomes such as job creation and revenue growth. The organizations co-host Acquisitions and Exits: Community Fireside events (e.g., Sandy, Utah event hosted at the DAV National Headquarters), connecting Veterans and Military Families with lenders, brokers, exit planners, and advisors.
• Exit Planning InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExit Planning Institute announced its Growth and Impact Week 2026, scheduled for June 17–19, 2026, at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa in La Jolla, California. Owners In Honor participates in this event as part of its mission to expand veteran entrepreneurship efforts to more cities and states in 2026.
• UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerUCLA hosts Acquisitions & Exits: Day Zero events for veteran students, veteran alumni, and area veterans to introduce Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition as a viable pathway to business ownership, growth, and eventual exit. Events take place at 110 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA.
• San Diego State University – Lavin Entrepreneurship CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSan Diego State University Lavin Entrepreneurship Center hosts Acquisitions & Exits: Day Zero events at the Engineering & Interdisciplinary Sciences Complex, Room 103, Centennial Plaza, San Diego, CA 92182. Events run from 5:30pm to 8:30pm with drinks and refreshments, designed to introduce veteran students, alumni, and area veterans to ETA as a business ownership pathway.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ownersinhonor
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@OwnersInHonor
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oih-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/ownersinhonor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Owners In Honor