Richard Bronson has launched Commissary Club, an employment-focused social platform for people leaving prison. The site uses AI to help users find jobs and housing, and offers access to benefits, community and dating.
Bronson said he struggled to find work after leaving federal prison, where he served a couple of years for securities violations. He previously worked at Stratton Oakmont before starting a South Florida firm. “I built a $100 million business,” he told TechCrunch, adding that some of its success involved breaking securities laws.
Bronson said the difficulty he faced inspired the startup. The company takes its name from prison commissaries, where inmates buy snacks and toiletries. Its social features are intended to address the isolation he said people can experience after prison. TechCrunch noted that the site also appears to offer a referral network.
Commissary Club is currently run by Bronson and co-founder Roman Kissin, whom Bronson described as the project’s technical lead. Kissin previously worked at eBay and IBM and served as CTO of LexisNexis from 2022 to 2025, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The service is initially free. Bronson told TechCrunch that users receive “the first 10 applications for free,” then pay $149 for the next 10 applications or $14.99 per application. He said the company is for-profit and described its aim as helping people with criminal records find employment.
Commissary Club was selected for this year’s TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200, TechCrunch reported.
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