Startup founded by ex-convict targets job seekers with criminal records

Entrepreneur Richard Bronson has recently launched a startup called Commissary Club, and his background is unusual for a founder: he has served time in prison.

From brokerage to federal prison

In the 1980s, Bronson worked at the notorious brokerage Stratton Oakmont, run by Jordan Belfort, known as the "Wolf of Wall Street". The firm collapsed in the mid-1990s amid accusations of misconduct. Bronson was a partner there, but left after a year to start his own firm in South Florida. By his own account, he built a $100 million business taking small-cap companies public, though part of that success came from breaking securities laws. He lost everything, including his freedom, and spent a couple of years in federal prison.

An AI platform with a community element

After his release, Bronson found that nobody would hire him despite his education and experience. That shaped his current project, an employment-focused social platform. Its name refers to the store inside a prison where inmates buy snacks and toiletries. The service is aimed at ex-offenders and uses AI to help them navigate the search for jobs and housing. It also has a social side, which Bronson added because he knows how isolating life after prison can be. The site also appears set to become a referral network and offers a way to find dates.

Team and pricing

For now the company is a team of two: Bronson and co-founder Roman Kissin, whom he calls "the brains" of the project. According to his LinkedIn profile, Kissin previously worked at eBay and IBM and was CTO of LexisNexis from 2022 to 2025.

The first 10 applications are free, after which users can buy bundles of 10 for $149, or $14.99 each. Bronson stresses the company is not a nonprofit, though he says the mission matters strongly to him. Commissary Club was selected for this year's TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 competition in San Francisco.