Former Lt. Scott Mackes knew he wanted to start a business after getting out of the Navy in 2006, but he didn’t know what he was passionate about yet.

“If I can shorten that time frame for somebody [to find a business community], that’s what I want to do.”

He did know that he enjoyed his time at the U.S. Naval Academy and taking business classes at night while in the service, so he decided to surround himself with like-minded people who were also building businesses.

Mackes started a podcast interviewing fellow service academy graduates who were starting their own businesses, which led to creating the Service Academy Business Mastermind Group. The group connects entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners — and Mackes’ podcast is still going strong as well, with more than 350 interviews.

Mackes also helped start both 10X Vets and the Academy Fund, which he said is where he spends most of his time now.

The former is a community where veterans who are business owners can connect, but it’s not exclusive to service academy graduates.

“People can connect based off what type of business they have or what kind of goal they have,” Mackes said of 10X Vets, which hosts three events each year in different parts of the country.

Mackes also co-founded the Academy Fund, which is a group of almost 200 investors that finances veterans who are investing in real estate.

“What’s really cool is that money comes from investors, like other veterans, who have done well, and they invest in the fund, and then that money goes to real estate investors who need short-term capital,” Mackes said. “We’ve done over $85 million in loans over the last five years.”

When Mackes was getting out of the Navy, he said it was difficult to find an entrepreneurial or business community for veterans.

“It took me 10 years to figure out,” Mackes said. “If I can shorten that time frame for somebody, that’s what I want to do.”