After experiencing back-to-back layoffs in her early 40s, Navy veteran Tia Christopher knew she needed to find a different path. When someone suggested entrepreneurship, she initially laughed at the idea.

Christopher had built her career as a chief operating officer, executing the vision of a CEO. Creating and executing a vision of her own felt intimidating. But the more she explored entrepreneurship, the more she discovered how much she enjoyed building something of her own.

That journey led Christopher to found The Orange Peel Collaborative, an AI policy and security company. As she worked to establish the business, she participated in Boots to Business and connected with the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) at Penn State. Through VBOC, she received one-on-one business coaching, access to IBISWorld for industry and market research and guidance on customer discovery and market analysis. VBOC also connected her with mentors who helped strengthen her marketing, branding and pitch deck.

Christopher also received support from the Penn State Law Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic, financial guidance from the Women’s Business Center and additional business support from her local APEX Accelerator.

The “360 support,” as Christopher describes it, helped her move from exploring entrepreneurship to building a growing company. She has secured multiple contracts, hired two employees, and dedicated herself full time to her venture.