The atmosphere buzzed with enthusiastic conversation as 18 transitioning service members reimagined their identities with the encouragement of mentors from companies including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Capital One, Microsoft and Carta, a Private Equity Firm.

The event took place on September 11-12 in Silicon Valley’s Menlo Park, Calif. The two-day workshop is a culmination of work the participants have been doing through The COMMIT Foundation to design their lives after military service and exploring opportunities in their next chapter.

As one of several participants, Patrick Salmon, a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and diplomat, who is leaving the military after more than 20 years of service connected with several mentors and discussed steps he was taking to design his post-military life.

“The workshop has given me the opportunity to reimagine my next steps,” said Patrick “I am wearing this unicorn pin to keep in mind that anything is possible, and I want to keep the focus on my three young daughters as I explore my next opportunity.”

The technology capital venture firm, Andreessen Horowitz, has hosted the workshop for several years and provides the bulk of the mentors working with the transitioning service members.

“Andreessen Horowitz gets as much out of these two-day workshops as the veterans,” said Matt Oberhardt, a partner on the Talent Network team at a16z and a board member for The COMMIT Foundation.

Mentors brought the energy to Menlo

A highlight of every workshop is the incredible mentors that join us to walk beside our transitioning service members. They consistently bring a vast array of talent and wisdom balanced with vulnerability.

“This is always a highlight of my year,” said Stephanie Doppelt, partner on the a16z talent team and one of the workshop mentors at the closing reception. “I am so honored to be able to meet these incredible people who have served our nation and protected my freedoms.”

“What a blast!” said David Weekly, who runs Capital One's innovation team. David was one of 11 mentors who met with participants of the COMMIT Transition Mentoring Workshop, which was hosted by a16z in Menlo Park last week. David provided invaluable advice and insight to several service mentors exploring entrepreneurship and is ready to stay engaged with COMMIT.

Bill Sherrod, who transitioned from the Navy after 29 years of service shared a few thoughts about the workshop. “I joined COMMIT because I wanted to find my ‘why.’ A lot of my purpose was grounded in what I’d done in my military career, and as I looked to transition, I wanted to make sure that I could add value and continue to serve and make a difference.”

Sherrod credits COMMIT with helping him, “Having someone walk alongside me during transition was really helpful, and COMMIT did that for me. They helped me rethink what I want to do next.”