Faced with constant change, entrepreneurs are finding creative ways to lead, innovate and grow—no matter the obstacles. For military veterans like Grant Demaree, co-founder and CEO of Onebrief, and David Kervin, co-founder and CEO of Proteus Space, the entrepreneurial journey is not just about overcoming challenges—it’s about leveraging their unique backgrounds to build innovative, mission-driven companies.
Their stories offer practical advice for founders on raising capital, overcoming setbacks and building relationships that scale.
Raising capital: Milestones and proof points
Securing funding is a perennial challenge for startups, especially in today’s dynamic market. Both Demaree and Kervin emphasize that investors respond to tangible achievements and clear market demand.
For Kervin, the key to successful fundraising is setting ambitious goals and delivering on them. His company, Proteus Space, develops automated, highly reliable engineering systems and hardware for national security and scientific missions in space, leveraging machine intelligence to accelerate innovation and mission success. His team’s rapid development of a custom satellite for Space Force—designed, built and tested in just nine months—provided the kind of proof that investors look for.
“Say you’re going to do something and then do it. When you have those real proof points to show investors—that you've done something highly differentiated, that's got a big market behind it, with real demand from real customers—it makes capital raising a lot easier.”
David Kervin
Founder and CEO, Proteus Space
Demaree echoed this sentiment, noting that persistence and a strong track record make later funding rounds easier. His company, Onebrief, provides collaborative software that streamlines operational planning for military staff, enabling faster, more efficient decision-making across defense organizations.
In the beginning, Demaree said it was difficult for his startup to raise capital. “I really struggled to raise a pre-seed, and then Series A, B and C were much, much easier,” Demaree said. Once the company matured and revenue came in, fundraising became more straightforward.
Persistence: Turning “no” into rocket fuel
Both founders credit their military backgrounds for instilling resilience and a mission-first mindset. For Kervin, persistence is the “rocket fuel” that drives his business forward. “‘No’ is kind of the formula for success for me. It’s got to be the rocket fuel to fuel the business, pun intended,” Kervin said.
Like Demaree’s experience with starting Onebrief, Kervin describes the early challenges of starting Proteus Space as a series of setbacks and rejections. “It’s really just about having the persistence and the guile to go ahead and ask people for help. And then just to not quit when you hear the word ‘no,’” Kervin said.
For Demaree, networking was just as critical as persistence. He met an angel investor by chance at a restaurant early on in his quest for capital. That angel investor ended up introducing him to a company that wrote Onebrief’s priced seed round. “There’s value to being able to meet people who are genuinely writing angel checks,” Demaree said.
Building relationships that scale
Building strong relationships is vital for long-term success. Demaree recommends drawing advice from three buckets: investors, founders at later stages and industry leaders.
“You need a pretty broad variety of people advising you. It’s really helped me to have a multitude of mentors.”
Grant Demaree
Founder and CEO, Onebrief
Kervin’s recommendation for networking is to ensure that the connections you’re making will benefit your business as it grows. “The biggest advice I can offer is get relationships around you that are going to scale with your business,” Kervin said.
After experiencing instability with other banks, Kervin switched to J.P. Morgan for its stability and ability to scale. “We decided to bank with J.P. Morgan because we want a relationship that scales. Whether we become a hundred-million-dollar business or a billion-dollar business, we know J.P. Morgan will scale with us,” Kervin said.
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For more insights from founders who’ve navigated uncertainty and built thriving businesses, explore these inspiring stories:
- Shawnna Feddersen, founder and CEO of Gameday Couture, who disrupted the women’s sports apparel industry with innovative designs and strategic partnerships
- Jessica Jesse, entrepreneur connecting fashion and mindfulness with her brand BuDhaGirl
- Travis Mack, a Navy veteran, serial entrepreneur and philanthropist
- Guide to business growth: Resources featuring veteran business owners
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Visit jpmorgan.com/commercial-banking/legal-disclaimer for disclosures and disclaimers related to this content.
