The Current System is Built for the Wrong Person
Veterans die by suicide every year
Never touch VA mental health services
Reach out to peers first before professional help
Spent annually on VA mental health
We're Not Building for the Person in Crisis
When a veteran is struggling, they don't call 988. They don't schedule a VA appointment. They reach out to the person who was in the foxhole with them.
They text their battle buddy.
But that battle buddy has no tools, no backup, and no connection to professional help when they need it most. The current crisis system is built for the person calling—not for the veteran trying to help.
We're building tools for the helper—the battle buddy who gets the 2 AM text and needs backup.
✕What Helpers Face Now
- • No training for crisis situations
- • No way to safely escalate to professionals
- • No backup when they're overwhelmed
- • No follow-up after the crisis passes
- • Risk of secondary trauma with no support
✓What Helpers Need
- • Instant access to crisis resources
- • Warm handoffs to qualified responders
- • Backup support when needed
- • Automated follow-up for the veteran
- • Self-care tools to prevent burnout
The Buddy Backup Button
A peer-to-clinical crisis escalation system that empowers helper veterans with the tools they need to safely connect battle buddies in crisis with qualified responders.
Helper Activates
/backup command in Discord or Messenger when a buddy needs help
Responder Notified
Qualified responder receives alert within seconds
Veteran Consents
Veteran in crisis explicitly grants permission for support
Warm Handoff
Helper stays connected until responder takes over
Veteran Agency
Consent required at every step. The veteran controls who helps and when. No forced escalation.
No Surveillance
We don't store message content. No AI reading your conversations. Just routing help when asked.
988/VCL Always Available
We complement—never replace—professional crisis resources. Always a fallback to clinical care.
A Comprehensive Approach to Veteran Support
Crisis intervention is just one piece. True stability requires addressing employment, housing, finances, and community.
Employment & Education
Gap: Current programs end at hiring—no retention support, no early warning for job loss
Solution: Continuous employment support with retention signals and employer accountability
Business & Entrepreneurship
Gap: Education and mentorship exist, but no operational execution support
Solution: Contracting as a productized OS—opportunity scanning, bid automation, delivery playbooks
Housing & Homelessness
Gap: Good programs but slow and fragmented—last-mile friction in documents and matching
Solution: Housing operations layer for risk signals, document automation, landlord matching
Financial Wellness
Gap: Scattered benefits support with no crisis-linked financial triage
Solution: Financial stability cockpit connecting benefits to budgeting to crisis prevention
Health & Crisis Response
Gap: Crisis systems built for the person calling, not the buddy trying to help
Solution: Buddy Backup Button—peer-to-clinical escalation where vets actually are
Operations & Nonprofit Admin
Gap: Nonprofits can't prove impact fast enough—admin load eats mission delivery
Solution: Nonprofit ops as productized backend—grant tracking, outcome dashboards, audit readiness
Each pillar is backed by extensive gap analysis, funding vehicle mapping, and vehicle playbooks. Full documentation available for partners.
Join the Mission
Whether you're an investor, developer, clinician, or just want to help—we'd love to hear from you.
Help Us Build These Tools
We're raising $25,000 to launch the Buddy Backup Button and put real tools in the hands of battle buddies. Every dollar goes directly to the mission.
Campaign Goal
Day 1 target: $7,500 (30%)
Join us on GiveSendGo—a faith-based platform where 100% of the platform fee goes to the mission, not shareholders. Your giving builds tools that save veteran lives.
Give on GiveSendGoScan to Donate
Important Tax Notice
FOB is a project of True North Data Strategies LLC, a for-profit SDVOSB. Contributions are NOT tax-deductible. We are pursuing fiscal sponsorship for future tax-deductible giving options.
Ways to Give
Name on supporter wall + updates
Above + early platform access
Above + FOB challenge coin
Above + founding supporter recognition
Above + 1-on-1 call with Jacob
Above + name a feature
Higher tiers available on GiveSendGo: $1,000 Company Commander | $5,000 FOB Founder
Where Your Money Goes
Founder Stipend
5 months part-time compensation to focus full-time on building FOB and the Buddy Backup Button
Development & Infrastructure
AWS GovCloud hosting, security audit, Discord/Messenger integrations, responder dashboard
Pilot Program
2-3 veteran community partnerships, responder training materials, testing and iteration
Operations & Legal
Fiscal sponsorship fees, insurance, compliance documentation, administrative costs
Can't Give Right Now? You Can Still Help.
Share the Mission
Post on social media, forward to your veteran network, tell your VFW or Legion post. Awareness is ammunition.
Volunteer Your Skills
Developers, designers, clinicians, and operations folks—we need your expertise to build this right.
Pray for the Mission
Pray for the veterans we're trying to reach, for wisdom in building these tools, and for the resources to keep going.
Funding Roadmap: We're pursuing fiscal sponsorship through American Legacy Youth Program for tax-deductible donations, with plans for 501(c)(3) formation after establishing a 12-18 month track record.
Built by a Veteran, for Veterans
Jacob Johnston
Founder & CEO
20 Years in Service
Jacob served 20 years in the U.S. Army as an Airborne Infantry soldier, including combat deployments to Afghanistan. He earned the Bronze Star for his service and leadership in theater.
Self-Taught Developer at 53
After retiring from the Army, Jacob taught himself to code. Starting from scratch at age 53, he's now built over 50 repositories on GitHub—proving it's never too late to learn new skills and build for the mission.
Why FOB?
"I've seen too many brothers and sisters struggle alone. The battle buddy system works in combat because you always have someone watching your back. But after we take off the uniform, that support disappears. FOB is about rebuilding that network—giving every veteran a digital battle buddy with real tools to help when it matters most."
True North Data Strategies LLC is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), bringing military discipline and mission focus to every project we build.