Ryan Hunt built Veteran Social to connect, uplift, and empower veterans

While Ryan Hunt never set out to be the “Walmart Greeter” of the veteran community, it’s a role he has embraced. He spent two decades serving America in an Army uniform before building an accidental million-dollar business in his garage.

Though he could never have imagined the life he leads today, his story started as anything but ordinary. 

“I was born in Riverside, California, but I pretty much grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. My dad was an entrepreneur and ran a global recruiting firm. By the time I was 11 years old, I had been to 30 countries,” he shared. 

The family traveled the world, often living in those foreign countries. His global perspective was combined with a family legacy of service to others. When his father was diagnosed with liver cancer in 1997, Hunt dropped out of college to care for him. After his father passed, Hunt felt called to enlist in the Army. 

After completing his contract at Fort Drum, Hunt headed back to college. 

“I came out of class one day, and that day was 9/11. I immediately went to the Army ROTC building to get back into the military,” he explained. “What started as going back in for a few more years to lead guys in battle became 20 years.”

While stationed at Fort Irwin, he started a business and turned his garage into a warehouse. “Bouncing Up” was selling shirts, hats, and stickers. 

“Then the next thing I knew, I had a warehouse in Las Vegas. I had all kinds of competitors in the space that did not like the little mount‑up company that was out of a garage,” he laughed. “From 2015 to 2016, we grossed 1 million dollars. That was my first entrepreneurial effort.”

At the same time, Hunt built 10th Mountain Recruiting to honor his father, and during the pandemic, he created Veteran Social. 

“I noticed that in-person conferences were failing to make the transition effectively to virtual,” Hunt shared. “I’m always up for a challenge, so I decided to build it myself. That first year in 2020, I had around 15 speakers, and we had 583 veterans attend.”

Initially, he thought it would just be a one-time event. Inspired by the Military Influencer Conference in 2023, Hunt decided to relaunch. 

“In ’24, we had 35 speakers and over 1000 registered attendees. This last year, we had over 70 speakers,” Hunt shared. “Veteran Social is a for‑profit company. It’s not a nonprofit. We’re structured as a B Corp, so we’re really about social impact.” 

Between running Veteran Social, Hunt mentors others through the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. He also teaches veteran accelerator classes when he can, committing to helping veterans access the resources they need to be successful. His goal is for Veteran Social to be seen as the official greeter for transitioning service members.

“We have three pillars, which are collaboration, communication, and grit,” Hunt said. “When it comes to Veteran Social, it’s really driven by one of my key values, which is service and being able to give back to this community. I mean, I would not be having this conversation with you if it wasn’t for the countless people that I served with over two decades.” 

Despite the continued success and opportunities after serving in the Army, Hunt is quick to point to the people around him and the partnerships that have made it all possible. It’s also meaningful work that has fulfilled his pursuit of purpose.

“This is a very fragmented space, so being able to bring resources or help people find those resources—like a Sherpa, if you will—that’s huge for me,” he explained. “Purpose, and that is another reason for what I’m doing. It’s purpose. I really want to be able to unite, amplify, and elevate others in this community.”

When you ask Hunt what he wants to know about Veteran Social, he doesn’t reference things like revenue or reach. Instead, he talks about showing up. For veterans, military spouses, or anyone trying to turn in a hard-won experience into something that helps others. 

“We hosted a webinar with Walmart, and there was someone who logged in and said he had a product. After that webinar, he received a golden pass to be able to pitch his product in Bentonville,” Hunt said. “That’s just one person that we’ve impacted.”

Those moments are the legacy he is chasing now. It isn’t businesses he’s built but rather the doors he helps others walk through. His measure of success is simple: veterans and military families winning, together. 

Learn more about Hunt and his mission to serve veterans and families at VeteranSocial.org.