Venture For America
Venture For America (VFA) is a national nonprofit and two-year Fellowship program that gives recent college graduates firsthand startup experiences that help them become leaders who make meaningful impacts with their careers. VFA is creating economic opportunity in American cities by mobilizing the next generation of entrepreneurs and equipping them with the skills and resources they need to create jobs.
The VFA Approach
- Recruit: VFA recruits recent graduates who are ambitious, diverse, and looking for a challenge with their careers. VFA's rigorous application and selection process makes sure they find Fellows who can add value on day one.
- Train: VFA connects recent college graduates with jobs in startups, entrepreneurship-adjacent organizations, and early-stage companies. When Fellows see someone building a business first-hand, it lets them see that they can, too.
- Connect: Fellows explore opportunities in cities with emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems. The companies where they work contribute to job growth and economic progress in those cities and the Fellows become part of a new community.
- Support: Through VFA's network of investors and industry experts, VFA supports Fellows when they start their own companies. Even Fellows who decide not to start companies are offered ongoing programming to keep them connected to our community.
Apply Today to become the next UMD VFA Fellow.
- Online Application - In the first step, you’ll submit your demographic and academic information, and respond to an open response question. More specifically, you’ll share three of your professional, extracurricular, and/or creative experiences, and tell us about the skills you acquired during them. Finally, you’ll upload your resumé and tell us why you want to be a Fellow.
- Video Interview - Candidates invited to the video interview stage will have a 45-minute conversation with a Team member, current Fellow, or Alumni. We discuss why the candidate wants to become a Fellow, their experiences, and what they’ve accomplished.
- Selection Day - Selection Day is a full day of group activities and individual interviews designed to be challenging, fun, and an opportunity for self-exploration. This final step helps us determine if Venture For America is a good fit for the candidate.
- Applications for the Class of 2023 are now open! If you have any questions you can reach out to Recruitment Manager, Ani Solomon, by scheduling a time to chat or email her at anastasia@ventureforamerica.org.
Several University of Maryland alumni have participated as VFA Fellows.
In this panel conversation, Solomon Asad '22, Vanessa Barker '20, and Ben Gold '21 share their experiences.
Get to know more about the UMD alumni who have served as VFA Fellows.
Benjamin Walton '19
Served in Cleveland
VFA Guiding Principles
For Fellows, VFA is an on-ramp into careers in innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship, particularly for communities that have been historically underrepresented in these industries.
VFA represents a unique community and opportunity. VFA's aim is to leave everything it touches better than they found it – with the Fellowship stronger and the entrepreneurship industry more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming.
At Venture For America, the commitment to advance values of diversity, inclusion, and equity is central to the organization's work. VFA strives to be anti-racist in all its actions and intentionally promote – and expect – the inclusion of diverse representation in its leadership, Fellowship, and amongst its organizational partners. VFA encourages Fellows’ intentional examination of their new communities with the express purpose of understanding the history of places where they live and how they can play a role in influencing positive change. VFA also commits to celebrating the dignity and contributions of those who are underrepresented.
Historically, and presently, access presents itself as being elusive for many. In partnership with community partners and stakeholders, VFA supports budding professionals – diverse across racial and ethnic, gender, sexual, and socioeconomic backgrounds – by providing access and resources to develop the entrepreneurial skills and exposure needed to thrive, contribute to, and found or lead companies.
VFA Impact
- More than 1500 Alumni and Current Fellows
- More than 500 Company Partners
- 29% of Fellows have started Businesses
- Fellows have raised more than $750 million of Investment Capital