Wintrust Financial Corporation (Wintrust) announced today that it will be providing a $100,000 gift as part of its strategic partnership with The Bunker, an incubator for veteran-owned, tech-enabled businesses.

“We’re proud to be a part of The Bunker,” said Edward J. Wehmer, president and CEO of Wintrust Bank. “As Chicago’s Bank, we want to see every community grow. The veteran community has a lot to offer this city, and we owe a lot to them. It is important to us to support their efforts.”

Wintrust’s commitment will support the recruitment, programming, and mentorship for the veteran-owned companies that are accepted into The Bunker’s accelerator program, which launches November 1. The Bunker opened its application process on August 14 and has identified 12 veteran owned companies that will join the first cohort “C1”.

“Wintrust has been an outstanding partner and a real visionary in seeing the need to support small business growth, entrepreneurs, and the veteran community,” said Todd Connor, CEO of The Bunker. “Since announcing The Bunker, there has been a huge national interest in what we are doing in Chicago to create a veteran-entrepreneur ecosystem. Wintrust was the first to the plate, as Chicago’s Bank, offering to support this effort.”

“1871 is excited to thank Wintrust for its generous support for our veteran-focused incubator, The Bunker,” said 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman. “We are proud to be a part of The Bunker’s ongoing work to create a tech community for veteran entrepreneurs, and will continue to give our full support to The Bunker as it continues to foster opportunities for the men and women who have bravely served our country.”