“Me and Derek went in there and pitched to Mike [Maples] for an hour, 9am the next morning we had a term sheet. And we were about to die. We were running out of money - we pitched to Mike on September 10th, and we got a term sheet on September 11th. If you're not used to taking risks, you're going to have a hard time succeeding as an entrepreneur. I'm $240k in debt; my credit sucks; I lived with my co-founder for three years and we were in our mid to late 30s at the time; I've given up going to weddings, I gave up skiing and surfing for six years, given up love, the list goes on and on the sacrifice."
– Anthony Garcia
Anthony Garcia is CEO and co-founder at GuideOn -a military veteran talent acquisition platform. He started out at St. Mary's University, after which he served in the Army for eight years as a Medical Service Corps Officer and Medical Evacuation Pilot. After transitioning out of the Army, he received his MBA at Cornell University. Since then he has worked as a General Manager at SRI International and the CEO and co-founder of Adjacent Applications. He started GuideOn in late 2014, and has raised funding from Mike Maple’s VC firm - Floodgate, one of the most respected investors in Silicon Valley.
In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:
- Anthony's experience with PTSD and candid advice for other veterans
- The biggest mistakes Anthony made that made his current success possible
- How Anthony raised funding from one of the best investors in the world
- What it's like to hire your father as your Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- How GuideOn is a FREE resource that will translate a veterans resume instantly
- And much, much more…
Selected Links
- Two resources I'd recommend to any and every veteran are:
- GuideOn - free resume creator tool and, soon, a candidate placement resource. What the White House has called "the Rosetta Stone for veteran placement"
- Line1.org - built venue for veterans, non-veterans, corporations, and thought leaders to help veterans transition. Free guidance for all veterans
Show Notes
- 3:25 - Anthony's background
- 4:10 - Anthony's decision to leave the Army and how he approached that decision
- 5:27 - Anthony's struggle with PTSD and how he found a way through
- 13:37 - Anthony's thoughts on business school as it relates to entrepreneurship - how the network helped, but also how there are a lot of resources available now for veterans as an alternative
- 16:53 - How Cornell's network lead Anthony to the Co-Founder & Lyft and an introduction to Mike Maples that changed his life
- 19:08 - An overview of GuideOn and how it's one of the best FREE resources for every veteran
- 22:54 - When Anthony first got the idea to start GuideOn
- 26:35 - The most painful failures Anthony experienced after the Army and how that helped him achieve his current success
- 33:03 - How veterans can work with GuideOn - FOR FREE - to instantly create a resume
- 35:16 - Common mistakes that veterans make in their transition to a civilian career
- 40:04 - Anthony's advice for veterans about the fundraising process
- 44:04 - What it's like working with your father when he is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of your company
- 49:27 - Anthony's final words of wisdom