Supporting veteran-owned businesses with new attribute and Veteran Business Fund

There are more than 19 million veterans in the U.S.^*, and every year about 250,000 service members transition to civilian life^**. Many find employment across various industries after returning home, and others bravely decide to start their own businesses. Ahead of Veterans Day, to commemorate the entrepreneurs who have served their country, Yelp is introducing a new searchable attribute that will allow business owners to self-identify as veteran-owned on their Yelp page. To further support service members, Yelp is also launching a $100,000 Veteran Business Fund, awarding $10,000 to 10 deserving veteran-owned small businesses. 

Helping people find and support veteran-owned businesses

Starting today, people can begin searching for and discovering veteran-owned businesses on Yelp. This new attribute is free for business owners to select by logging into their Yelp for Business account. As many consumers look to support businesses that align with their values, adopting more distinguishing and inclusive attributes has never been more important. In fact, we’ve seen the rate of searches on Yelp for veteran-owned businesses in the U.S. increase by 101% in the third quarter of 2022 compared to the same period the year prior. 

Consumers will be able to see the veteran-owned attribute on Yelp’s iOS and Android apps under the “more info” section of a business page, and on Yelp’s website under the “amenities and more” section.

Yelp has also created a Veteran-owned Business Resource Hub that provides detailed instructions on how businesses can add the attribute to their Yelp pages, as well as offers valuable information and tools, inspirational stories, and more context on how Yelp is highlighting veteran-owned businesses. Additionally, all businesses that select the veteran-owned attribute on Yelp will be sent a free window decal for their storefront starting in 2023.

New fund created to support entrepreneurial service members

To further support business owners who proudly served our country, Yelp is launching a Veteran Business Fund, which will award $10,000 to 10 veteran-owned U.S. businesses. Eligible businesses can enter for a chance to win at VeteranBusinessFund.Yelp.com through Veterans Day, November 11, 2022. The official rules are available at VeteranBusinessFund.Yelp.com/rules. 

To help spread the word, Yelp teamed up with Air Force veteran, author and TV personality Mike Johnson, a Texas native and avid supporter of small business entrepreneurship. Mike will help kick off the campaign, highlighting great local veteran-owned businesses in his home state of Texas, like Lazydaze, a Black veteran-owned coffee shop.

Yelp’s mission is to connect people with great local businesses, and we have continually invested in new updates that make it easier for people to support and connect with businesses that are aligned with their values. This Veterans Day, we aim to elevate the veteran-owned businesses across the country who help strengthen their local communities and make it easier than ever for consumers to discover them.

^{_{* Source: National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, as of September 30, 2021}}

^{_{** Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as of September 6, 2022}}