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A startup founder who served time in prison is looking to court an untapped market: ex-cons

Published

1 day ago

October 8, 2026

Richard Bronson, an entrepreneur who recently launched a startup called Commissary Club, has an unusual background for a founder: in a previous life, he spent time in prison.

In the 1980s, Bronson worked for the notorious Stratton Oakmont — the corruption-riddled brokerage firm that was run by Jordan Belfort, the so-called “Wolf of Wall Street” whose story became a 2013 film. The firm collapsed in the mid-1990s under the weight of misconduct accusations.

Bronson was a partner at Stratton, but left after a year to start his own firm in South Florida. He was quite successful in that venture, until he wasn’t.

“I built a $100 million business taking these small cap companies public,” Bronson told TechCrunch. “Some of the success, however, came through breaking the law — securities laws — and ultimately, as I knew inevitably would happen, I had to pay the price. I lost everything, and most significantly, my freedom. And I was sent to federal prison for a couple of years.”

Bronson has been out of prison for a long time now, but he has never forgotten the struggles he had when he initially emerged from prison.

“Nobody would hire me, despite all of my education and work experience and everything else. I was like completely radioactive,” he said.

Bronson’s experience after prison helped inform his current startup, an employment-focused social media platform called Commissary Club, which takes its name from the store inside a prison where inmates buy snacks and toiletries. The site is specifically marketed to ex-cons, and uses AI to help them navigate the often confusing process of finding employment and housing after they reenter the world.

“I could not help but notice how little assistance was available to people coming out of prison,” said Bronson. “If it was this bad for me, what about the guys I was in prison with who had very little education and very little job experience? What were their chances?”

Commissary Club also has a social component, which Bronson said he added because he knows how isolating the post-prison experience can be. “It’s almost like Facebook,” he said, “where people can not only find job, and get the help with the jobs and the housing and access to benefits, but they find the other missing ingredient that’s existentially important to them that isn’t satisfied elsewhere. They find community.” Judging by the site, Commissary Club also appears primed to become a referral network, and it offers a way for users to find dates.

For now, Bronson’s startup is a team of two — just him and his co-founder, Roman Kissin, who Bronson called the technical mind (or “the brains”) behind the project. Kissin previously worked for eBay and IBM and, between 2022 and 2025, served as the CTO of LexisNexis, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The site is free at first, then switches to paid. Users get “the first 10 applications for free, and then we bundle the next at $149 for 10 applications, or $14.99 each,” Bronson told TechCrunch. Some may balk at that for-profit model, and for people just out of prison, it may be a tough sell.

Yet Bronson sees it as a win-win — a business that can help a community that few others are trying to help.

“People immediately assume, ‘Oh, is this a nonprofit?’ And the answer is no,” said Bronson. There’s a strong mission component, certainly,” he continued,” and I have devoted my life, when I came out of prison, to helping my brothers and sisters with records. Part of it is because I just felt so remorseful for the shit that I had done. I still wake up every day regretting choices I made.

“But we’re going after a huge, huge market that nobody — I mean nobody — does anything about,” said Bronson. “People talk about AI taking away employment and people losing jobs. I look at it differently. We’re building AI that creates employment for people that society left behind.”

Bronson’s Commissary Club was selected for this year’s TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200, as part of TechCrunch’s storied Battlefield Competition; come join us next week in San Francisco to see the competition live.

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Related Topics:Court excons founder Market prison served startup time untapped

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Council Chairman Vows To Crackdown On Suspected Ritual Killings In Pangshin

Published

10 minutes ago

October 10, 2026

PlateauReports

By Emmanuel Yatai

Mr Felix Gonung, Chairman of Pankshin Local Government Council of Plateau, has vowed to crack down on suspected ritual killings after two deaths were recorded in the area within a month.

Gonung, who gave the assurance during an interview with journalists on Friday in Pankshinon, confirmed that vital organs were allegedly harvested from the victims.

He said three suspects were arrested following the discovery of a woman’s body last month.

He added that further investigations had led to the recovery of suspected fetish substances from the suspects, who had since been transferred to the police headquarters in Jos.

The council chairman said security agencies were also investigating the discovery of a young man’s body at Monday Market on Oct. 6, with vital organs allegedly missing.

He said the incident might be linked to cult activities among students or criminal elements operating within the student community

He assured residents that his administration was working with security agencies to address the situation and restore peace.

“I swore an oath to protect the lives and property of my people. However, the government’s security plans are confidential and the public will soon feel their results and impact.

“This administration, in collaboration with security agencies, is doing everything within its power to restore and maintain the long-existing peace in our communities,” he said.

Gonung disclosed that the council would introduce a policy requiring landlords and hotel operators to provide information about their tenants and guests, respectively.

“This will enable us to crack down on criminal syndicates who disguise themselves as students or guests to perpetrate crimes in the community,” he said.

He noted that Pankshin had enjoyed relative peace despite security challenges in other parts of the state, adding that the recent incidents had understandably heightened residents’ concerns.

He urged residents to remain calm and vigilant and report suspicious activities to the appropriate authorities.

Gonung also called for stronger collaboration among security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders and community stakeholders to tackle the menace, stressing that security was a collective responsibility. (NAN)

Edited by Blessing Odega and Philip Yatai

Business

Cardoso Takes Nigeria’s Financial Reforms to Singapore, Signs MoU With GFTN on Innovation

Published

2 hours ago

October 10, 2026

PlateauReports

En route to the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Olayemi Cardoso, has undertaken a series of high-level engagements in Singapore tostrengthen Nigeria’s financial connectivity with Asia through institutional cooperation, financial-market development, and innovation.

The engagements included discussions with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), and the Nigeria–Asia Financial Connectivity Dialogue, convened by the CBN in collaboration with J.P. Morgan, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) and FMDQ Group.

Together, the engagements reflect the CBN’s emphasis on translating Nigeria’s financial-sector reforms into stronger international partnerships, deeper markets and practical channels for investment, trade and financial innovation.

In discussions with MAS, the CBN delegation exchanged perspectives on financial-sector development, regulation, market connectivity and innovation, identifying areas of mutual interest for continued engagement and potential collaboration.

The discussions provided an opportunity to draw on both financial systems‘ experiences and explore how stronger institutional relationships could support financial-market development and emerging technologies.

In a further step towards practical cooperation, the CBN and GFTN signed an MoU establishing a framework for collaboration on financial innovation.

The agreement provides a basis for connecting relevant institutions and innovation ecosystems, exploring areas of mutual interest and identifying practical opportunities for cooperation between Nigeria and Singapore.

At the Nigeria–Asia Financial Connectivity Dialogue, hosted at J.P. Morgan’s Singapore offices and anchored by Mr Dapo Olagunji, Managing Director of J.P. Morgan West Africa, Governor Cardoso outlined Nigeria’s ambition to build deeper, more liquid and internationally connected financial markets, positioning the reforms undertaken in recent years as the foundation for a new phase of market development.

He emphasised that reforms to Nigeria’s foreign-exchange market were aimed at removing distortions, restoring transparency and strengthening confidence in the rules governing market participation.

“The real test of reform is not whether you can attract capital once; it is whether you create the confidence for capital to stay, return and grow,” he said.

The Governor highlighted the importance of credible monetary policy, stronger governance, improved market functioning and predictable rules in creating the conditions for sustained domestic and international investment.

He noted that stabilisation was not an end in itself, but a foundation for broader participation by long-term institutional capital, stronger market infrastructure and more effective connections with international financial markets.

The Dialogue brought together investors, financial institutions, businesses and Nigerians living and working across Asia.

The event featured a panel moderated by Gbolahan Taiwo, J.P. Morgan’s Chief Economist for Africa, with Temi Popoola, Group Managing Director/CEO of NGX Group; Zeal Akaraiwe, Group Managing Director/CEO of FMDQ Group; Aderinola Shonekan, Director of Trade and Exchange at the CBN; and Olumayokun Ajibade, Special Adviser to the Governor on Financial Markets and Economic Policy.

The discussion explored Nigeria’s reform trajectory, from capital formation and foreign-exchange market confidence to the development of deeper, more liquid markets and the infrastructure needed to support sustained international participation.

Cardoso emphasised that Nigeria’s engagement with Asia is intended to extend beyond attracting investment flows to building durable relationships between financial institutions, markets, businesses and people.

He identified opportunities for stronger links between Nigerian and Asian banks and market institutions, more efficient payments and settlement channels, and greater participation by Nigerians living and working across the region.

The Governor also highlighted the growing role of financial technology and artificial intelligence in improving financial services, strengthening risk management, supporting inclusion and enhancing regulatory capabilities.

The Singapore engagements form part of a broader programme of institutional and market engagement across Asia, including further meetings in Beijing.

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