San Antonio, Texas – The city’s thriving veteran‑owned business community has a new success story. Marine Corps communications officer turned tech entrepreneur Kelsey Waters co‑founded Openlane in August 2024. The San Antonio‑based startup offers an artificial‑intelligence platform that helps small businesses navigate security audits and compliance certifications, giving them a clear signal of trustworthiness to potential customers.
From the battlefield to the boardroom
Waters served as a communications officer from 2009 to 2012, keeping field networks operational – often from the back of a Humvee. “The joke in my community is – if it plugs in, you’re responsible for it,” she recalled. After leaving the Marine Corps, she spent several years in the tech sector before recognizing a persistent problem: many small firms still manage security evidence with spreadsheets, a method Waters described as “insanely inefficient.”
Motivated by the same initiative and bias for action that the military instills, Waters and her two co‑founders set out to build a solution that would be “materially better.” The result is Openlane, an AI‑powered platform that automates the collection, organization, and presentation of compliance documentation, dramatically reducing the time and effort required for audits.
Community support fuels growth
Openlane’s early development has been bolstered by San Antonio’s vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. Waters has been a member of Geekdom, the city’s leading tech hub, since 2020. In early 2026 she secured a $30,000 investment from the Geekdom Community Fund, a grant designed to accelerate promising local ventures.
Geekdom’s entrepreneur‑in‑residence, Brian Sierakowski, emphasized the importance of a supportive network. “When you’re building a business, nothing’s fixed,” he said. “There’s basically an infinite number of permutations of how you can get to success – and that’s the most challenging thing.”
Veterans bring a ready‑made skill set
Waters believes the veteran community already possesses the core competencies needed for entrepreneurship. “You already know deeply about responsibility, about bias for action,” she noted. She points to a growing cohort of current military, veteran, and reservist founders operating in San Antonio, creating a collaborative environment that bridges experience and innovation.
According to data compiled by the San Antonio Business Journal from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey, veteran‑owned firms constitute nearly 7‑8% of all employer businesses in the metro area – almost double the national average of 4.65%. Texas hosts roughly 213,000 veteran‑owned businesses, and San Antonio consistently ranks among the top‑20 U.S. cities for veteran entrepreneurs.
Looking ahead
Openlane is poised to expand its reach as more small businesses recognize the value of streamlined compliance. The platform’s AI capabilities not only reduce administrative burdens but also enhance the credibility of local firms seeking contracts with larger partners.
San Antonio’s upcoming SA Startup and Tech Week, featuring over 40 free sessions across Geekdom, the Central Library, and Texas Public Radio, will provide additional exposure for Openlane and other home‑grown innovators. Waters encourages fellow veterans to consider entrepreneurship as a viable post‑service path, emphasizing that “founders are going to be founders – especially veterans – we’re not easily dissuaded from much of anything.”
Original reporting: San Antonio, TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
