Veteran-Owned Business Spotlight: Academy Securities Brings Post-9/11 Veteran Leadership to Wall Street

Editorial Note

Veteran-Owned Business Spotlight is a recurring New To Education series highlighting companies with publicly documented veteran founders, veteran ownership, military service, or veteran-led business models.

This article is provided for educational and informational purposes. Inclusion does not constitute an endorsement, sponsorship, paid promotion, investment recommendation, securities recommendation, or financial advice.

Academy Securities publicly describes itself as the first post-September 11 disabled veteran-owned and operated investment bank and broker-dealer. The firm states that, as of 2025, military veterans owned more than 90% of its equity and represented 48% of its employees. Readers evaluating any financial institution, broker-dealer, investment professional, or financial product should conduct independent research and review appropriate regulatory records.

Veteran entrepreneurship is often associated with consumer products, construction, security, logistics, fitness, or government contracting.

Academy Securities offers a very different example.

The New York-based company operates in investment banking, capital markets, institutional trading, public finance, asset management, and geopolitical analysis. It was founded in 2009 by former U.S. Navy officer Chance Mims as the country was recovering from the financial crisis and service members were beginning to return from the post-September 11 wars.

Mims believed veterans could bring leadership, discipline, preparation, integrity, and mission-focused teamwork into an industry that does not always recognize how military experience translates into civilian value.

Academy Securities developed around that idea.

The company does not treat veteran status only as a branding message. It incorporates veterans into ownership, employment, internships, mentorship, geopolitical advisory work, and programs helping service members enter financial careers.

That makes Academy Securities more than a veteran-founded financial company.

It is a case study in how military experience can become professional expertise in an industry that may initially seem far removed from military service.

A Veteran-Owned Firm in the Center of American Finance

Academy Securities is headquartered in New York City, placing it within one of the world’s largest financial centers.

The company provides services involving debt and equity capital markets, public finance, institutional trading, mergers and acquisitions, structured products, asset management, and geopolitical intelligence.

These services are primarily designed for corporations, government entities, institutional investors, public agencies, and other organizations rather than ordinary retail shoppers.

That distinguishes Academy Securities from many veteran-owned companies featured in consumer-oriented business coverage.

A customer cannot simply walk into a store and purchase one of the company’s products. Academy’s value is built through financial expertise, professional relationships, regulatory compliance, market access, research, and the ability to help clients navigate complex transactions.

The firm states that it has participated in thousands of transactions with trillions of dollars in aggregate value over its history. Its published transaction summary listed approximately $710 billion across 652 transactions in 2025 and $629 billion across 399 transactions during 2026 at the time the page was reviewed. Those totals reflect transactions in which Academy participated and should not be interpreted as the company’s revenue or assets.

Who Is Chance Mims?

Chance Mims is the founder, chief executive officer, and majority controlling shareholder of Academy Securities.

The firm says he founded the company in 2009 after serving as a U.S. naval officer and working in real estate, mortgage, property management, and finance-related businesses.

His decision to establish Academy came during a period of major economic disruption.

The financial crisis had led to layoffs and restructuring throughout banking and financial services. At the same time, veterans returning from military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations were entering a civilian employment market that often struggled to understand their experience.

A military résumé may list operational leadership, intelligence, logistics, aviation, communications, or command responsibility. Civilian employers may not immediately recognize how those responsibilities apply to finance, consulting, risk management, or corporate operations.

Mims saw an opportunity to build a firm that treated military experience as a source of business value rather than a background that candidates needed to minimize. Academy identifies him as the company’s founder, CEO, and majority controlling shareholder.

The Business Was Founded After the Financial Crisis

Launching an investment bank in 2009 was an ambitious decision.

Trust in financial institutions had declined sharply. Major firms were reducing staff, reorganizing businesses, and responding to new economic and regulatory pressures.

A new firm also faced competition from institutions with extensive capital, technology, client relationships, brand recognition, and decades of market experience.

Academy needed a clear reason for clients to consider it.

Its veteran-owned identity provided part of that distinction, but identity alone could not sustain an investment bank. The company also needed experienced financial professionals, regulatory systems, market access, compliance controls, and the ability to perform consistently.

This is an important lesson for veteran entrepreneurs.

Military service may help create a compelling company mission. It does not eliminate the need for technical credibility.

Academy had to demonstrate that it could provide professional financial services while also advancing its veteran-centered model.

What an Investment Bank Actually Does

The phrase “investment bank” can sound as though the company primarily manages personal savings accounts.

That is not generally the role of an investment bank.

Investment banks often help corporations, governments, institutions, and other large organizations raise money, issue securities, evaluate strategic opportunities, complete transactions, or manage financial risks.

A company may issue bonds to finance expansion. A public agency may borrow money for infrastructure. A corporation may sell shares, acquire another company, or restructure existing debt.

Investment banks can help organize those processes, identify investors, analyze market conditions, prepare transaction materials, coordinate with lawyers and regulators, and assist clients through execution.

Academy Securities also operates as a registered broker-dealer. FINRA explains that broker-dealer firms and their associated professionals generally must be appropriately registered before conducting regulated securities business. FINRA’s BrokerCheck system allows the public to examine registration and disclosure information about firms and financial professionals.

Veteran Ownership Goes Beyond the Founder

Academy Securities states that more than 90% of the firm’s equity was owned by military veterans as of 2025.

It also reported that veterans represented 48% of its workforce, with a stated goal of reaching at least 50%.

These figures are important because the term “veteran-owned” can sometimes describe a business whose military connection is limited to one founder.

Academy presents veteran participation as a broader ownership and employment model.

Veterans are involved in executive leadership, financial operations, advisory work, market analysis, client relationships, and the company’s governing structure.

That does not mean every employee must have served in the military. A financial company also needs professionals with deep experience in trading, banking, law, compliance, technology, economics, accounting, and institutional finance.

The company’s challenge is combining military experience with specialized civilian expertise.

Its business model is strongest when those two groups learn from one another rather than treating veterans and traditional finance professionals as separate teams.

Military Skills Can Translate Into Finance

Military service and investment banking may appear unrelated.

One involves national defense, while the other involves financial markets.

However, several military skills can transfer effectively.

Service members learn to operate within structured organizations, prepare for uncertain conditions, communicate under pressure, manage risk, coordinate teams, protect sensitive information, and remain accountable for their decisions.

Officers and senior enlisted leaders may manage large organizations, equipment, personnel, logistics, intelligence, and operations with significant consequences.

Those abilities can matter in finance, particularly when market conditions change rapidly or clients face high-stakes decisions.

The transition is not automatic.

A veteran still needs to learn financial terminology, market structure, securities regulations, analytical tools, and the technical requirements of a specific role.

Employers also need to provide training rather than expecting military discipline alone to replace professional knowledge.

Academy’s model is based on pairing veteran capability with financial education and experienced market professionals.

The Company Provides Veteran Transition Programs

Academy Securities operates several programs intended to help veterans and service members enter corporate and financial careers.

The firm identifies mentorship, summer internships, office visits, résumé support, and participation in the Department of Defense SkillBridge program as parts of its veteran-engagement work.

SkillBridge allows eligible service members to participate in approved civilian training and work experiences during the final portion of their military service, subject to military authorization and program rules.

Programs such as these can help close an important transition gap.

A service member may have substantial leadership experience but little familiarity with recruiting practices, financial licensing, interviews, corporate job titles, or how to describe military responsibilities in civilian language.

An internship or mentorship creates space to learn those systems before being expected to compete with candidates who have spent years building civilian professional networks.

Why Veteran Internships Matter

A standard internship is often designed for college students.

Transitioning service members may need something different.

They may be in their late twenties, thirties, or forties and already have years of professional responsibility. Some have led teams, managed complex operations, or worked in high-pressure environments.

Treating them as complete beginners can undervalue that experience.

At the same time, military seniority does not automatically transfer into seniority within investment banking.

A former commander may still be new to capital markets, client development, financial modeling, compliance, or securities licensing.

A strong transition program respects both realities.

The veteran is not starting from nothing, but the veteran is entering a new profession.

Academy’s mentorship and SkillBridge participation can provide a bridge between those two identities.

Geopolitical Intelligence Is a Distinctive Part of the Business

One of Academy Securities’ most unusual services is its Geopolitical Intelligence Group.

The group includes former senior military officers, intelligence professionals, national-security leaders, former astronauts, and other advisers with experience involving foreign policy, cyber risk, military operations, and regional instability.

The company uses this network to help clients understand how political and security events may affect financial markets, businesses, supply chains, energy, transportation, trade, and investment decisions.

A conflict in one region can influence commodity prices, shipping routes, insurance costs, interest rates, currencies, or business confidence elsewhere.

Cyberattacks can disrupt companies far outside their original targets. Changes in defense policy may affect manufacturing, technology, and government spending.

Military and intelligence experience can provide context for these developments, although no adviser can predict markets or geopolitical events with certainty.

Academy describes the group as providing clients with perspectives on foreign policy, national security, instability, and cyber risk.

Military Experience Becomes Market Intelligence

The Geopolitical Intelligence Group illustrates how veteran experience can become a specialized commercial service.

A retired military leader may understand command structures, regional alliances, deterrence, logistics, intelligence limitations, or how governments respond during crises.

That knowledge can help financial professionals ask better questions.

Is a conflict likely to disrupt a major shipping route? Could sanctions affect a company’s suppliers? How quickly can a military operation escalate? What industries may be exposed to cyber risk?

The value is not in treating military leaders as fortune-tellers.

It is in adding informed perspectives to decisions that might otherwise rely only on economic models or news headlines.

Academy has continued expanding this advisory network. In July 2026, the company announced that retired Army Lieutenant General Anthony Hale had joined its Geopolitical Intelligence Group following a career that included senior intelligence leadership.

Veterans Bring More Than Combat Experience

Public discussions about veterans sometimes focus almost entirely on combat.

The military includes a much wider range of professional fields.

Service members work in intelligence, cybersecurity, finance, engineering, aviation, medicine, law, logistics, public affairs, communications, technology, personnel management, and contracting.

Many of those fields have clear civilian applications.

A military intelligence professional may contribute to geopolitical analysis. A logistics officer may understand supply-chain risk. A cyber specialist may help organizations evaluate digital threats.

A military lawyer may work in compliance or regulation. A finance officer may bring experience in budgeting and financial accountability.

Veteran employment becomes stronger when companies examine actual skills rather than assuming every veteran has the same experience.

Academy’s leadership and advisory groups include veterans from different service branches and professional backgrounds.

The Company’s New York Location Matters

New York City is a logical location for an investment bank, but operating there creates both advantages and challenges.

The city offers access to financial institutions, corporations, investors, regulators, law firms, accounting firms, public agencies, and experienced employees.

It also has high salaries, expensive office space, intense competition, and an industry culture built heavily around established relationships.

A veteran-owned firm may benefit from supplier-diversity programs and institutions seeking to work with veteran businesses.

That access does not remove performance expectations.

Academy must compete on execution, insight, service, compliance, and client trust.

Its New York presence demonstrates that veteran entrepreneurship is not limited to businesses operating near military installations or serving primarily military customers.

Veterans can build companies inside highly specialized civilian industries.

Public Finance Connects Wall Street With Communities

Academy Securities’ public-finance work is especially relevant to ordinary communities.

States, cities, transportation authorities, school systems, hospitals, utilities, and other public entities frequently need financing for large projects.

Municipal bonds and related financial tools can help fund roads, transit, schools, water systems, hospitals, public buildings, and infrastructure.

Investment banks may assist these entities with structuring and issuing debt.

The work requires understanding both financial markets and public responsibilities.

A poorly designed financing plan can place pressure on taxpayers or public services. A carefully structured transaction may help an agency complete a necessary project while managing borrowing costs and long-term obligations.

In 2026, Academy announced leadership changes intended to expand its public-sector and infrastructure-finance business, including appointing Rick Kolman as vice chairman of public-sector and infrastructure financing and Frank Oh as head of municipal banking.

Financial Careers Require Technical Preparation

Military leadership can help a veteran enter finance, but many positions require additional qualifications.

Employees may need knowledge of accounting, economics, financial modeling, statistics, law, technology, or specific markets.

Certain roles require securities examinations and registrations.

A veteran interested in investment banking should not assume that a general business degree or military leadership experience will guarantee employment.

The person may need to demonstrate analytical ability, attention to detail, professional communication, and an understanding of the firm’s business.

Veterans also need realistic information about financial-industry culture.

Some roles involve long hours, demanding deadlines, client pressure, and intense performance expectations.

The industry may offer meaningful opportunity, but it is not automatically an easier environment than military service.

Regulation Is Central to the Business

A broker-dealer cannot operate on reputation alone.

Financial firms must follow rules involving registration, supervision, recordkeeping, communications, financial responsibility, customer protection, and professional conduct.

Compliance is therefore not a department that exists separately from the company’s mission.

It is part of the product being sold.

Clients need confidence that transactions will be handled professionally and within applicable rules.

The public can use FINRA BrokerCheck to review a brokerage firm’s registration status, history, and certain disclosures. Registration does not guarantee that a firm or investment will perform well, but it provides important background information.

Academy’s veteran identity may build interest and trust. Customers and institutions should still evaluate it through the same regulatory and professional standards applied to other financial firms.

Veteran-Owned Does Not Mean Risk-Free

Consumers sometimes feel a strong sense of trust toward veteran-owned businesses.

That support can be meaningful, but it should not replace careful evaluation.

A veteran-owned company can make mistakes, face conflicts, experience financial difficulty, or offer a service that is not suitable for a particular client.

Military service is evidence of service. It is not a guarantee of business performance.

This distinction is especially important in financial services.

Investments and financial transactions can involve loss, uncertainty, fees, regulatory complexity, and market risk.

Clients should understand what service is being offered, what responsibilities the company has, how it is compensated, and what risks are involved.

Responsible support means taking the business seriously enough to evaluate it professionally rather than assuming veteran status makes all further research unnecessary.

The Firm Combines Mission With Commercial Growth

Mission-driven companies face a difficult balance.

They must demonstrate that the social purpose is real while generating enough revenue to remain competitive.

Academy’s veteran hiring and ownership model requires a financially sustainable investment bank.

Without clients, transactions, and revenue, the firm cannot create veteran employment or mentorship opportunities.

At the same time, the company could weaken its identity if veteran engagement became only a marketing message.

The most credible approach is to connect the mission with measurable operations.

Academy reports its proportion of veteran employees and veteran equity ownership. It operates transition programs and maintains military and intelligence expertise within its advisory business.

Those practices make it possible to evaluate whether the mission is visible within the organization rather than appearing only in promotional language.

Corporate Partnerships Can Expand Veteran Opportunities

Academy Securities has developed partnerships with major financial institutions.

J.P. Morgan Asset Management, for example, offers designated Academy share classes for several money-market funds and describes the partnership as supporting Academy’s mission of mentoring, training, and hiring veterans transitioning into civilian work.

Partnerships can provide a smaller veteran-owned firm with market access, scale, technology, distribution, and credibility.

The larger institution may gain access to the veteran-owned company’s expertise, mission, and relationships.

These arrangements should still be evaluated through their actual structure.

A partnership has greater value when it produces meaningful revenue, training, hiring, or client access rather than functioning mainly as a public-relations announcement.

Why Veterans May Struggle to Enter Finance

Veterans can bring strong leadership and problem-solving skills while still encountering structural disadvantages.

Someone who entered the military after high school or college may not have completed the internships that often lead to financial careers.

The veteran may also lack family connections in banking, familiarity with recruiting timelines, or experience translating military work into business language.

Leaving military service can create additional stress involving relocation, family responsibilities, disability, identity, and financial uncertainty.

A lengthy hiring process may be especially difficult for someone who needs immediate employment.

Research and reporting on veteran entrepreneurship have also identified access to capital and civilian professional networks as continuing barriers for veterans entering business ownership.

Academy’s model addresses part of that challenge by creating a company where military experience is already understood.

The Business Expands the Meaning of Veteran Entrepreneurship

Veteran entrepreneurship is sometimes presented through a familiar story.

A service member leaves the military, recognizes a problem affecting military communities, and launches a product designed for veterans.

That is one valid path.

Academy Securities follows another.

It uses veteran ownership and experience to compete in a mainstream professional industry serving governments, corporations, and institutional clients.

The company is not limited to selling services to the Department of Defense or other veterans.

Its military background becomes one source of expertise within a broader commercial business.

That distinction matters because veterans should not be restricted to industries that appear visibly military.

Military service can contribute to careers in finance, education, media, healthcare, technology, design, research, and many other areas.

What Other Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Academy Securities

The first lesson is that a company’s mission should influence its structure.

Academy’s veteran focus appears in ownership, hiring, mentorship, internships, advisory services, and leadership rather than existing only in its name.

The second lesson is that personal experience can reveal a workforce opportunity.

Mims recognized that veterans possessed valuable abilities but frequently lacked clear pathways into financial careers.

The third lesson is that identity cannot replace expertise.

Academy needed financial professionals, regulatory systems, client relationships, and strong execution before its veteran-owned status could become a durable advantage.

The fourth lesson is that businesses can commercialize specialized experience responsibly.

Military and intelligence knowledge became part of Academy’s geopolitical advisory capabilities.

The final lesson is that partnerships can help smaller firms gain access to markets that would be difficult to reach alone.

How Schools Can Prepare Veterans and Students for Finance

Academy Securities’ story also has educational value.

Students may think financial careers are limited to stock trading or personal financial advising.

The industry includes investment banking, public finance, compliance, economics, cybersecurity, geopolitical research, technology, data analysis, accounting, law, operations, and institutional sales.

Schools can help students understand those pathways earlier.

Veterans entering college may benefit from career counseling that recognizes military experience rather than treating them exactly like recent high-school graduates.

Universities can also create veteran-specific finance clubs, mentorship programs, internships, and connections with employers that understand military transitions.

Technical preparation matters, but professional networks matter as well.

Many financial careers depend on exposure and relationships that students from military or working-class backgrounds may not automatically possess.

Why Academy Securities Fits This Spotlight Series

Academy Securities broadens New To Education’s veteran-business coverage.

Many previous spotlights have focused on consumer products, construction, outdoor equipment, food, pet products, clothing, or home services.

Academy introduces readers to a veteran-owned company operating within institutional finance.

Its story involves entrepreneurship, regulation, capital markets, public infrastructure, national security, veteran employment, professional education, and business-to-business services.

It also meets the geographic focus of this spotlight series through its New York City headquarters.

Most importantly, the company demonstrates that supporting veteran entrepreneurship does not mean confining former service members to a narrow group of industries.

Veterans can lead companies at the center of American finance.

How New To Education Approaches Veteran-Owned Business Spotlights

New To Education publishes Veteran-Owned Business Spotlights to introduce readers to former service members who have built companies, created jobs, entered new industries, and converted military experience into civilian leadership.

These articles do not rank businesses or guarantee the quality of their services.

They examine publicly documented stories that may offer lessons for veterans, students, educators, aspiring entrepreneurs, professionals, and consumers.

Academy Securities provides a particularly valuable case study because its veteran mission is connected directly to ownership, hiring, career transition, financial expertise, and geopolitical analysis.

Key Takeaways

Academy Securities is a New York-based investment bank and broker-dealer founded in 2009 by former U.S. Navy officer Chance Mims.

The firm describes itself as the first post-September 11 disabled veteran-owned and operated investment bank.

As of 2025, Academy reported that military veterans owned more than 90% of the company’s equity and represented 48% of its employees.

Its services include capital markets, institutional trading, public finance, mergers and acquisitions, asset management, and geopolitical intelligence.

The company supports veteran career transitions through mentorship, internships, office engagement, résumé guidance, and participation in the Department of Defense SkillBridge program.

Its Geopolitical Intelligence Group includes former senior military, intelligence, national-security, law-enforcement, and space professionals.

Academy’s story demonstrates that military skills can transfer into finance when veterans also receive the technical training and professional exposure required by the industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Academy Securities?

Academy Securities is a veteran-owned investment bank and registered broker-dealer headquartered in New York City.

Who founded the company?

Former U.S. Navy officer Chance Mims founded Academy Securities in 2009 and serves as its chief executive officer.

Is Academy Securities veteran-owned?

The company states that military veterans owned more than 90% of its equity as of 2025.

How many of its employees are veterans?

Academy reported that veterans represented 48% of its employees, with a company goal of reaching at least 50%.

What services does the company provide?

Its publicly listed services include debt and equity capital markets, institutional trading, public finance, mergers and acquisitions, structured products, asset management, and geopolitical intelligence.

Does Academy Securities help transitioning service members?

Yes. The company identifies mentorship, internships, veteran career support, office engagement, and participation in the Department of Defense SkillBridge program among its veteran initiatives.

What is its Geopolitical Intelligence Group?

It is a group of former military, intelligence, national-security, law-enforcement, diplomatic, and space professionals who provide perspectives on geopolitical and cyber risks that may affect markets and businesses.

Can individuals invest through Academy Securities?

Academy primarily presents itself as an institutional investment bank and broker-dealer. Anyone considering a financial service or investment relationship should contact the firm directly, review the specific service being offered, and examine applicable regulatory information.

Does veteran ownership guarantee that a financial company is safe?

No. Veteran ownership does not eliminate financial, market, operational, or investment risk. Clients should conduct independent research and review regulatory disclosures.

Final Thoughts

Academy Securities demonstrates that military service can lead into areas of business where veterans have historically been less visible.

Chance Mims did not build a company selling only to the military community.

He created an investment bank operating in capital markets, public finance, institutional trading, and geopolitical analysis.

The firm’s military background became part of its business strategy rather than a limit on where it could compete.

Veterans contribute through ownership, employment, mentorship, leadership, and the application of national-security experience to market analysis.

That model carries an important lesson.

The transition from military service should not require veterans to discard the experience they earned. It should help them translate that experience into new technical and professional environments.

Academy Securities still has to meet the same standards expected of any financial firm. It must serve clients, follow regulations, manage risk, retain talent, and compete in a demanding market.

Its veteran mission does not remove those responsibilities.

It gives the company a distinct reason for accepting them.

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