MilCom Founders Podcast — Episode 39: From Special Forces to Independent Sponsor with Jary Jackson

Join host Rod Loges and guest Jary Jackson as he shares his journey from Army infantry to firefighter to 22-year Special Forces career to entrepreneur acquiring and scaling lower-middle-market businesses through entrepreneurship through acquisition.

In this episode:

• How Jary left the Army after four years, became a firefighter, and then re-enlisted post-9/11 and made it through Special Forces selection
• The rejection he faced after retirement, including being told he was "too old at 42" and "unproven" by a veteran recruiter
• How he discovered the search fund and ETA model, and acquired an $8M company with $35K out of pocket
• Why he founded Intrepid Prosperity the day after realizing his own company was bad at recruiting
• How he's building Thurion Capital as an independent sponsor focused on dual-use services and defense technology

Key takeaways:

• Talent is what drives outcomes, and resumes are mostly noise. Hire for the attributes that make someone successful and train the rest
• The military runs the most developed leadership development program in the world, and that translates directly into running a business
• News doesn't get better with time. The first time you think someone needs to go is usually the right time
• You have to remove the self-limiting factors. The only person telling you to wait five years is usually you
• After the military, you have to find a new tribe. Other veteran business owners get it in a way nobody else can

Guest: Jary Jackson, Founder of Thurion Capital, CEO of TCS, Founder of Intrepid Prosperity, retired US Army Special Forces veteran (22 years)

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarytjackson78/
• Thurion Capital: https://www.thurioncapital.com/
• Intrepid Prosperity: https://www.intrepidprosperity.com/
• TCS: https://www.tcsgovcon.com/

Jary Jackson is a retired Special Forces veteran, entrepreneur, and independent sponsor focused on building mission-critical businesses that create lasting value. He leads Thurion Capital (founded Aug 2025), where he acquires and scales lower-middle-market companies across logistics, sustainment, technical services, and other dual-use sectors serving both commercial and government markets. 

Through TCS (CEO since Mar 2024), his defense platform, he delivers integrated logistics and sustainment solutions for public sector clients requiring world-class engineering, logistics, and management solutions. He also founded Intrepid Prosperity (Apr 2015), a talent management and human capital platform dedicated to placing high-performing veterans and elite operators into roles where they can make a meaningful impact. The firm provides affordable, scalable talent solutions for small businesses, M&A, and defense contractors.

The MilCom Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business owners. Each episode brings practical insights and lessons learned from successful veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

Want to support veteran entrepreneurs? Learn about the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund at https://www.milcomfounders.com/