Jake Wood, Team Rubicon
After 9/11, Jake Wood chose to serve by enlisting in the Marine Corps. As a Fire Team Leader and Scout Sniper, he faced combat in defense of our Nation. Now, as the cofounder of Team Rubicon, Wood credits the Marine Corps with forging the determination, perseverance, and judgment that continue to guide his mission.
A Marine Veteran in Action
Jake Wood served in the Marine Corps from 2005 to 2009 and then cofounded Team Rubicon, an organization which empowers veterans to rapidly deploy to crisis situations around the globe.
When Marine Jake Wood cofounded Team Rubicon in response to the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he began a mission of engaging veterans and providing critical humanitarian aid in areas impacted by natural disasters.
Since then, Team Rubicon has grown from an eight-person team to a global disaster relief organization made up of 35,000 veteran volunteers. The cofounders say the training they received in the USMC prepared them to win battles others say cannot be won, and that training continues to help them achieve success today.
Wood admits that when he and his team set out to start Team Rubicon, they didn't know the first thing about running a business. In the beginning, they didn't have experience being entrepreneurs, raising money, or building systems.
"We were humble enough to acknowledge our gaps and address them, and hungry enough to not let anything get in the way of success," Wood says. "I truly think that anything is possible with a lot of passion and enthusiasm."
With his continued service through Team Rubicon, Jake Wood exemplifies the commitment to communities that defines the legacies of so many Marine Veterans.
“The Marine Corps taught me many things," he says. "But one of the most important things it taught me was how to overcome seemingly impossible odds."
