Giving back to veterans is paramount to Andrew Hoffman, an account manager at Blend, a San Francisco-based fintech company.
“Transitioning out of the military is scary. I was fortunate to have an amazing network to help guide me through the process,” Hoffman said. “I am more than happy to help others in any way that I can.”
In Blend — which announced a $75 million Series F in August — Hoffman has found an org that allows him to do that, through initiatives like its employee resource group, Blend Salutes. And it was because of the company’s partnership with BreakLine — an organization that, among other focuses, helps connect veterans with roles in tech — that Hoffman was first introduced to Blend.
“Blend’s partnership on this front is an amazing step in helping the veteran community, and it shows a clear commitment to hiring more veterans,” Hoffman said.
Similarly, Menlo Park-based GRAIL realizes support for veterans through a handful of efforts, such as utilizing partnerships with diversity organizations.
“We hope to build strong connections to attract more veteran organizations and continue introducing diverse candidate slates to our hiring committees so we can better reflect the world we live in,” Linda Baltes Mansolillo, the senior director of national accounts, said.
In honor of Veterans Day, Built In San Francisco connected with Baltes Mansolillo and Hoffman to learn how their respective companies empower individuals who have served.
Grail strives to detect cancer early using a combination of sequencing, clinical studies and data science. According to Baltes Mansolillo, one of the ways the healthtech org is supporting veterans is through the creation of its Armed Services Employee Resource Group (ASERG).
What steps has your company taken to hire more veterans?
We’ve leveraged our partnership with diversity organizations to connect with regional veteran organizations. We hope to build strong connections to attract more veteran organizations and continue introducing diverse candidate slates to our hiring committees so that we can better reflect the world we live in.
We hope to build strong connections to attract more veteran organizations.”
What internal resources do you have in place to support and empower the veterans on your team?
GRAIL is launching an employee resource group for its armed forces members, ASERG. The group’s mission is to cultivate a military-friendly culture to raise awareness, empower and support the transition and retention of military talent to the workplace, and foster GRAIL’s community of armed services members. ASERG strives to promote a greater understanding of the contributions of those who have served, or who are serving, by creating community and resources to support the larger armed services network.
Blend's mortgage and consumer banking-focused platform aims to make securing loans more turnkey, leveraging tech to help automate key parts of the process. Support for veterans manifests itself in a handful of ways at the company, from ERGs to corporate partnerships.
What steps has your company taken to hire more veterans?
Blend has a great partnership with an organization called BreakLine, which focuses on helping veterans get jobs in tech. As a participant in the BreakLine program, a handful of other transitioning veterans and I visited Blend’s office to learn about the company and the broader world of tech.
From that interaction, I ultimately found a role that fit for me at Blend. Their work on this front is an amazing step in helping the veteran community, and it shows a clear commitment to hiring more veterans.
The veterans here started an ERG called Blend Salutes.”
What internal resources do you have in place to support and empower the veterans on your team?
There are a number of ERGs that employees can join. The veterans here started an ERG called Blend Salutes, composed of veterans and allies, which focuses on furthering diversity and awareness of veterans at the company. We also assist with mentorship for transitioning veterans and promote veteran candidacy by assisting hiring managers in translating military experience and skills to job requirements.
What external initiatives do you support or have in place that help bring more veterans into the tech industry?
As an alumni and supporter of BreakLine, I frequently take calls with transitioning veterans who have questions about the process. Transitioning out of the military is scary. I was fortunate to have an amazing network to help guide me through the process. I am more than happy to help others in any way that I can.
The company also supports my continued service in the Navy Reserve, which allows me to stay connected to my Navy community and help those who are leaving active duty service.
