Jen Griffin Pilcher

About Jen Griffin Pilcher

Jen Pilcher, Founder and CEO of Strategic Military Communications, is a seasoned entrepreneur who has spearheaded three successful acquisitions. Today, she leverages her wealth of experience to support fellow founders and companies as an investor, consultant, and mentor.Jen\'s entrepreneurial journey began in 2011 with the founding of MilitaryOneClick.com, a digital media company serving military and veteran families. After four years of rapid growth, she expanded their impact by launching MilSpouseFest, offering immersive in-person event experiences nationwide. MilitaryOneClick and MilSpouseFest quickly gained traction, attracting esteemed clients such as USAA, Amazon, MetLife, Starbucks, GM, and The Department of Defense. In 2015, Jen led the acquisition of her company by Suddath Global Logistics, where she continued to serve as CEO until entirely exiting in 2017. Her enduring commitment to MilSpouseFest has propelled it to become the largest in-person event for military and veteran spouses, now in its ninth year of global impact.In 2019, Jen assumed the role of CEO at Patriot Boot Camp, powered by Techstars, where she and her team empowered over veterans, service members, and military spouse entrepreneurs to start and scale their technology-based businesses. Under her leadership, Patriot Boot Camp established strategic partnerships and funders such as Google, USAA, MetLife, and MX. In 2022, Jen oversaw the successful acquisition of Patriot Boot Camp by Disabled American Veterans (DAV), ensuring a lifetime of financial and programmatic support for its participants. Beyond her operational roles, Jen serves as a Venture Partner at The Veteran Fund, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm supporting technology startups led by veterans. She also lends her expertise as an investor and board member at Rownd and Internet Strategy Labs. In addition, Jen mentors at the Techstars Equitech Accelerator in Baltimore, Maryland, collaborating with UpSurge to guide aspiring entrepreneurs. She also contributes to The Founder Institute, the world\'s most extensive pre-seed accelerator program. Recognized for her commitment to education and innovation, Jen serves on the Purdue University Global School of Business and Technology Board.Jen and her family reside in Annapolis, MD, where they enjoy boating adventures with their golden retriever, Zoe, who proudly serves as the captain of their boat.

Experience

1. Mentor

   Founder Institute

   Oct 2022 — Present · US

   Founder Institute is the world’s largest pre-seed accelerator and is the most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups.

Education

• The College of New Jersey

  Master of Arts (M.A.), Speech-Language Pathology

  1996 — 1998

• Stockton University

  Bachelor of Science (BS), Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist

  1992 — 1996

Skills

• Dod
• Public Relations
• Leadership Development
• Executive Management
• Operations Management
• Event Planning
• Customer Service
• Security Clearance
• Strategic Communications
• Small Business
• Program Management
• Proposal Writing
• Fundraising
• Marketing Strategy
• Recruiting
• Staff Development
• Government
• Nonprofits
• Strategy
• Organizational Leadership
• Information Assurance
• Entrepreneurship
• Social Media
• U.s. Department of Defense
• Blogging
• Team Leadership
• Research
• Military
• Start-Ups
• Community Outreach
• Strategic Leadership
• Training
• Sales
• Public Policy
• Conflict Resolution
• Project Management
• Strategic Planning
• Employee Relations
• Team Building
• Management