A startup founder who served time in prison is looking to court an untapped market: ex-cons
Entrepreneur Richard Bronson has launched Commissary Club, a social media platform designed to help formerly incarcerated people find jobs, housing, and community.
Entrepreneur Richard Bronson has launched Commissary Club, a social media platform designed to help formerly incarcerated people find jobs, housing, and community. Bronson, a former partner at the brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont who served time in federal prison for securities law violations, built the platform based on his own post-prison struggles finding employment.
The startup uses automated technology to help users navigate reentry processes. In addition to employment and housing resources, the platform includes a social network and a referral system to help users combat isolation. The company operates on a for-profit model rather than as a nonprofit. The service is free initially, offering users ten free job applications before charging $14.99 per application or $149 for a bundle of ten.
Bronson runs the two-person startup alongside co-founder and technical lead Roman Kissin, whose past experience includes a stint as chief technology officer at LexisNexis. The platform was selected for the Startup Battlefield 200 competition.
WireUnWired turns the supplied report into a clearer brief, preserves the original publisher and author details, and adds relevant context without hiding where the information came from.
Relevant WireUnWired coverage is connected so one story can lead into the larger technology context.
Original publication: 8 October 2026 22:15