Document Type
Research Brief
Date
12-1-2025
Keywords
URM veteran entrepreneurs; Identity work; Intersectionality; Entrepreneurship equity; Bias in funding; Veteran identity; Policy interventions; Resource access, briefs
Language
Eng
Disciplines
Military and Veterans Studies
Description/Abstract
While veteran status should serve as a credential that opens doors for entrepreneurs, our research reveals a troubling reality: underrepresented racial minority (URM) veteran entrepreneurs must perform complex "identity work" to navigate bias in funding and support systems. Through interviews with 76 veteran entrepreneurs, we discovered the Intersectional Legitimacy Work Model, a three-phase process showing how entrepreneurs strategically manage their race, gender, and veteran identities when seeking resources. Black and Latino veteran entrepreneurs report having to prove they are the "right kind" of veteran, often downplaying or emphasizing aspects of their identity depending on their audience. This creates an exhausting cycle of extra work that White veterans rarely face. This brief recommends four key interventions: training funders on intersectional bias, creating identity-safe environments, establishing peer navigation networks, and promoting veteran identity empowerment training.
Recommended Citation
Newman, Arielle Badger; Mercado, Mauricio; Gomez, Ashley; and Maury, Rosalinda, "The Identity Navigation Challenge" (2025). The Lender Center for Social Justice. 83.
https://surface.syr.edu/lender/83
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
