Richard Bronson, the entrepreneur behind a new startup called Commissary Club, brings an unconventional background to the founding world: he spent time in federal prison. The platform, which recently launched its waitlist, is designed specifically to assist formerly incarcerated individuals in securing employment and housing after release.
Bronson’s path to entrepreneurship was marked by high-profile missteps. In the 1980s, he served as a partner at Stratton Oakmont, the brokerage firm infamous for the securities fraud that later inspired the film The Wolf of Wall Street. After leaving Stratton to run his own South Florida-based firm, Bronson successfully took small-cap companies public, building a $100 million business. However, his success was tainted by illegal activities, leading to his conviction and a prison sentence.
Upon his release, Bronson faced severe barriers to reintegration. “Nobody would hire me, despite all of my education and work experience and everything else. I was like completely radioactive,” he said.
This personal struggle inspired Commissary Club, named after the prison store where inmates purchase essentials. The site functions as an employment-focused social network that leverages artificial intelligence to guide users through the complexities of post-release life. Bronson noted the lack of support for his peers, asking, “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?”
Beyond job placement, the platform emphasizes community. Bronson described it as similar to Facebook, offering users a space to connect socially and find dating opportunities, addressing the isolation that often accompanies reentry.
The startup is currently a two-person team consisting of Bronson and co-founder Roman Kissin. Kissin, a former CTO of LexisNexis with prior stints at eBay and IBM, serves as the technical lead. According to Bronson, the service operates on a freemium model: users receive ten free job applications, after which they can purchase additional bundles for $149.
While some may view a for-profit model skeptically given the financial vulnerability of its target demographic, Bronson argues it is a sustainable way to serve an overlooked market. “People immediately assume, ‘Oh, is this a nonprofit?’ And the answer is no,” he explained. “We’re building AI that creates employment for people that society left behind.”sp>
Bronson also highlighted his personal motivation, stating that he has devoted his life since release to helping others with criminal records due to deep regret over his past actions.
Commissary Club has been selected for the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200. The competition will take place next week at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco.
Wait, didn’t Bronson run his own firm after Stratton Oakmont? How did a successful entrepreneur end up in federal prison exactly?
Charging $149 to people who just got out of prison feels predatory. Shouldn’t this be nonprofit or grant-funded?
This is brilliant. Using AI to cut through the bias against ex-cons could genuinely change lives, not just offer platitudes.