Name:   Alison Schmitt

Hometown: Rutherford, NJ

University: UPenn, Wharton ‘12

Major: Business

 

What led you to apply for Venture for America?

I had been looking through endless job postings for I-banking and other finance-related positions on my school’s career website, trying not to vomit, when I came across Venture for America. The program offered the perfect blend of flexibility and intimacy from working at a small company coupled with a formalized training program and a network of like-minded recent graduates. Basically, I was really excited.

What were you doing when you found out you were accepted?

Doing homework with a friend. There may have been a football game on in the background (obviously I was not very invested in the teams playing).

Now that you’re a fellow, what are you most excited about with regard to VFA? What do you hope to accomplish?

I’m most excited about becoming part of the start-up scene in a new city and being part of a group of individuals committed to the revitalization of their community. I hope to learn a lot and feel pride in my work.

If you had to live one place for the rest of your life, where would you choose?

Cape May, NJ. It’s quaint, has great restaurants, mini-golf, and a beach. Basically my happy place.

Best thing about UPenn: The inspiring students.

Favorite Book: The Giver, by Lois Lowry

Favorite childhood TV show: Rugrats (or any other Nickelodeon old-school cartoon). And Supermarket Sweep. And Family Feud (with Richard Dawson).

Favorite meal: Rabbit and sausage jambalaya at Coop’s Place in New Orleans.

Favorite holiday: Halloween

Best class you’ve ever taken: Community Economic Development

Favorite movie quote: “This is war, Peacock. Casualties are inevitable. You cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs, every cook will tell you that.” – Colonel Mustard, Clue

Favorite thing to do on Sunday: Sleep in and make pancakes.

Favorite entrepreneur/role model: My sister and brother-in-law

Favorite cereal: Honey Bunches of Oats

Most worn article of clothing: Red winter hat

Favorite sports team: Uhh…I live 5 minutes from Giants Stadium so I will say the Giants by default.

Best trip you’ve ever been on: Glacier trekking in Patagonia (Argentina).

Favorite historical figure: Simón Bolívar

Accomplishment you’re most proud of: Getting accepted into VFA!

Yesterday, VFA Founder Andrew Yang visited the White House to meet President Barack Obama as one of twelve “Champions of Change” alumni who were invited to celebrate the one year anniversary of the program and share the work they are doing around the country. Photos to come!
On the way home, Andrew reflected on his experience meeting President Obama and wrote the following message:
“I’m on a train home and wanted to share my visit to the White House.
I was invited to meet the President as a past Champion of Change who had made progress since the award last year. So to everyone who’s supported Venture for America this past year, “Thank You for making this visit possible!”
It was a pretty amazing experience. I was seated next to President Obama (!!!) for 45 minutes. I told him about Venture for America – our goals and mission, what we do, the cities we’re launching in this year, and our plans for expansion. He asked a number of questions (“How did people find out about the program on campus” and “Do the participants get any support or program throughout the 2 years”) At the end, he suggested that I connect with Startup America; I told him that I have a call with Steve Case next week. I’m confident that the President now knows about Venture for America and likes it.
Afterwards, I was interviewed for a video for the White House public engagement team.
Overall, it went phenomenally well. It’s quite a trip having the President sit within inches of you. A senior White House official invited us to bring our first class of Fellows to the White House at some point – we’ll have to see about that.
Because you’ve seen the President so many times, he seems very familiar. And the impression he gives is exactly like the one you get on TV. He was very warm and friendly toward the group, and made a number of jokes to loosen everyone up. You got the sense that he was working to make those around him more at ease.
I shook his hand twice: when he first arrived and at the close of the event. He’s got a big, firm handshake. I remember thinking that his large hands must help his basketball game.
It was one of the most memorable days of my life. I know that any recognition Venture for America receives is due to the hard work and support of Eileen Lee, Mike Tarullo, Bernie Sucher, Charlie Kroll, Darren MacDonald, Cameron Breitner, Sy Jacobs, and so many other people who have gone above and beyond to make our organization a reality. And most of all it’s a testament to our first class of Fellows, without whom Venture for America would remain just an idea. Thank you all for making today happen. Here’s to even brighter days to come (though this one will be tough to beat)!”
-Andrew

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of Communications
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2012
White House “Champion of Change” Alum Andrew Yang Meets with President Obama
WASHINGTON, DC – Tomorrow, Thursday, April 26th, Andrew Yang will be one of twelve White House Champions of Change Alumni who will meet with President Obama in celebration of the program’s one year anniversary. The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different sector has been highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders, have been recognized for the work they are doing to serve and strengthen their communities.
Since the program began, the White House has hosted over forty Champions of Change events honoring over 500 individuals from all 50 states for their work in their community. This event highlights the great accomplishments the alumni have achieved since initially being honored as White House Champions of Change.
“We created the Champions of Change program to honor ordinary Americans who are doing extraordinary things,” said President Obama. “By making their communities better places to live, our Champions are helping to ensure that our country’s best days lie ahead.”
To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions.
Andrew Yang, a Youth Entrepreneurs Champion, is the Founder and President of Venture for America, a non-profit fellowship program that sends top college graduates to start-ups and early stage companies in Detroit, New Orleans, Providence, and other economically challenged U.S. cities in order to generate job growth. Previously, Andrew spent over 10 years as co-founder and executive of several start-up companies, most recently as the CEO of a test prep company that was acquired by Kaplan/the Washington Post. Andrew graduated from Columbia Law School and has a B.A. in Economics from Brown University.

 

Name: Andy Chatham

Hometown: Wickford, RI

University: Cornell ‘12

Major: Policy Analysis and Management, Consumer and Regulatory Policy Concentration

 

What led you to apply for Venture for America?

The incredible opportunity it presented for me to learn and be supported within an environment that is typically inaccessible for recent college graduates. After hearing Andrew Yang speak at an information session I immediately went home and wrote my application start to finish. It was the easiest application I wrote because I meant everything I said – the same cannot be said for all of the cover letters I wrote for banks and consulting firms.

What were you doing when you found out you were accepted?

At the exact moment, I was reading my email. Shortly after, I was celebrating with my friends.

Now that you’re a fellow, what are you most excited about with regard to VFA? What do you hope to accomplish?

I am most excited about the network that surrounds the program and the ability for me to be exposed to so many like (and differently) minded people in such a supportive environment.

My goal is to develop into a strong leader within an exciting and high growth business. I’ll leave it at that for now.

If you had to live one place for the rest of your life, where would you choose?

Wickford, Rhode Island.

Best thing about Cornell: Incredible depth and breadth of the culture and tradition.

Favorite Book: Currently Life of Pi by Yann Martel or Boomerang by Michael Lewis. It changes a lot.

Favorite childhood TV show: The Simpsons

Favorite meal: Fall-off-the-bone barbecue ribs

Role model: George Washington

Favorite holiday: 4th of July

Best class you’ve ever taken: Tie: Social & Political Philosophy / Creative Writing

Favorite movie quote: “Sounds like a case of the Mondays.”

Favorite thing to do on Sunday: Play Basketball.

Favorite entrepreneur or start-up: Entrepreneur: Dietrich Mateschitz (Red Bull)
Company: Whichever company I am placed in.

Favorite cereal: Captain Crunch

Most worn article of clothing: My Grandfather’s watch

Favorite sports team: Boston Red Sox

Best trip you’ve ever been on: Guatemala, both the highlands and the jungle.

Favorite historical figure: George Washington.

Accomplishment you’re most proud of: Anything that makes my Mom proud of me.

Monday night I received the following message from the White House:
INVITATION: Meeting with the President (4/26/2012)
Dear Andrew Yang,
April 2012 marks the one-year anniversary of the White House Champions of Change Program. To celebrate this anniversary, we are inviting a small group of our past Champions to participate in a small meeting with the President on April 26, 2012.
As one of our great Champions, we wanted to invite you back to the White House to personally tell the President about the incredible work you are doing in your community.
Although we do not have a time confirmed, this meeting will take place on April 26, 2012 at the White House in Washington, DC. Please respond to this email indicating whether or not you will be able to accept this invitation. If you are able to attend, please complete the attached security form and send it to [xxxxxxxx]@who.eop.gov by Tuesday, April 17 at 6:00 PM EST.
Thank you,
Kyle Lierman
I had been selected as a White House Champion of Change last August, and enjoyed the chance to meet up with Josh Linkner and Jen Medbery during the event. But I certainly didn’t figure on a return visit.
Upon processing what this invite meant, I responded “Yes” and then shared it with my teammates, Board members, entrepreneurs, Fellows, supporters, and others who have brought Venture for America to this point. From the beginning the world has been conspiring to help VFA succeed, and the conspiracy has taken the form of many different people. VFA would be nowhere without Eileen Lee, Mike Tarullo, Bernie Sucher, Charlie Kroll, Darren MacDonald, Brielle Beaudette, Sy Jacobs, the folks at Manhattan Prep, and so many others who have gone above and beyond to see Venture for America put in position to achieve its goals. Perhaps most importantly, our 40+ Fellows are demonstrating what our best and brightest are capable of taking on if given the proper opportunity.
I wish that everyone who’s been part of VFA’s success could come next week, but the group would be bigger than even the White House could accommodate. I’ll do my best to bring part of the experience back with me (and write it up). And hopefully we’ll all get to celebrate together for real when Tony Hsieh comes to town for our big Summer Celebration in June.

Name: Sean Pennino

Hometown: Rochester, NY

University: Notre Dame ’11, Brown Grad ‘12

Degrees: B.S. in Physics & ScM in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship

 

What led you to apply for Venture for America?

I knew I wanted to work for an early-stage company after graduation. When I learned that VFA combines the startup experience with a socially conscious mission and a community of young entrepreneurs, deciding to apply was a no-brainer. As was accepting the offer.

What were you doing when you found out you were accepted?

I was in a pub in Tralee, Ireland while on a class trip. I stepped out to take the call and when I returned my friends were ready with a celebratory Guinness! (They eavesdropped.)

Now that you’re a fellow, what are you most excited about with regard to VFA? What do you hope to accomplish?

I’m most excited about being surrounded by other recent graduates who share the same interests and aspirations. I hope I can make a meaningful contribution to whichever company I am with.

If you had to live one place for the rest of your life, where would you choose?

Probably New York City- it has the best combination of opportunity and proximity to friends and family. Though I hope not to be tied down to one place!

Best thing about your universities: Notre Dame: The camaraderie. Brown: The progressiveness.

Favorite Book: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Favorite childhood TV show: Saved by the Bell

Favorite meal: Chipotle burrito bowl

Role model: Phil Dunphy

Favorite holiday: Fourth of July

Best class you’ve ever taken: Wood Sculpture

Favorite movie quote: “How do you like them apples?” – Good Will Hunting

Favorite thing to do on Sunday: Netflix and nap.

Favorite start-up: Forsake Footwear

Favorite cereal: Cap’n Crunch

Most worn article of clothing: Gray Notre Dame hoodie

Favorite sports team: New York Yankees

Best trip you’ve ever been on: Road trip from Chicago to Seattle to LA (among many other stops) last summer with four college friends.

Favorite historical figure: Ambrose Burnside – 19th century US general, politician, and namesake of the facial hair he popularized, sideburns.

Accomplishment you’re most proud of: Remaining an Notre Dame Football fan despite attending the university during the worst four cumulative seasons in school history.

 
 
There’s a lot going on here at VFA! Check out our most recent newsletter below for more info on our recent press, the newest additions to our Fellow Class of 2012, and our Summer Celebration fundraising event in June:
April 2012 Venture for America Newsletter
If you don’t currently receive the newsletter and would like to stay up to date on what’s happening at VFA, just submit your e-mail address under the “Keep in Touch with VFA!” section to the right.
 

We drafted a mission statement for Venture for America a number of weeks ago:

To revitalize American cities and communities through entrepreneurship.

To enable our best and brightest to create new opportunities for themselves and others.

To restore the culture of achievement to include value-creation, risk and reward, and the common good.

Though they’re all appropriately ambitious, I think that the third goal is perhaps the most far-reaching and profound and vital to achieving the others.

To restore the culture of achievement to include value-creation, risk and reward, and the common good.

When I was in college at Brown, I had a general desire for status and achievement. In my case, it led me to law school and a job as a corporate attorney in mergers and acquisitions and banking in New York.

That didn’t make me a bad person. I volunteered to do pro bono work as a sign that I was still interested in doing something kind of positive. That was maybe 2% of my time. The other 98% I was grease on a wheel, helping large transactions happen.

We need transaction attorneys to keep the wheels of commerce turning.  But we need more than that.

Our culture of achievement has grown to emphasize visions of success that are, for the most part, fairly predictable. Go to Goldman Sachs/McKinsey/Bain/BCG/Morgan Stanley, then to a top-ranked business school, then back to banking/consulting/private equity/a name-brand tech company. Or in the legal realm, go from law school to top firm to partner or in-house at an investment firm. Live in New York or SF.

People who head down these roads are generally very smart and hard-working. But we need smart and hard-working people to build businesses around the country as much as we need them to process complex transactions.

I was talking to someone who said, “I wanted to take a risk. That’s why I left Google for Foursquare.” This was AFTER Foursquare had just raised millions of dollars and had become a household name in tech circles. I thought to myself, “That’s a risk?” But to this person (who had graduated from Stanford), it probably seemed awfully risky.

Charlie Kroll started his software company as a senior in college with some seed money.  He worked for years in relative uncertainty and obscurity.  He almost went out of business multiple times, and had to figure out what to say to employees if he couldn’t make payroll.  Now, a decade later, his company, Andera is thriving, with 85 employees in Providence.   Jen Medbery is building Kickboard, an education tech company in New Orleans, that is making teachers’ lives better and more efficient and is hiring right now.  Don Naab is the CEO of Danotek Motion in Detroit, which is making more efficient wind turbines using magnets.  These are people who took on significant personal risk in order to build businesses that deliver real value and create jobs. 

We had our applicants and Fellows agree to the following statements as part of their application process:

1. I see my professional pursuits and my career as a moral choice that indicates my values.

2. I appreciate those who assume personal risks in order to build a company or pursue a common good.

3. I believe that actions are the proper measure of one’s accomplishments.

4. I believe that creating value and opportunities for myself and others is an important aspect of professional success.

5. I believe that one’s professional conduct is a reflection of personal character, and will always strive to act accordingly.

These statements likely represented something of a ‘check the box’ for most applicants. But our Fellows are actually demonstrating these values through their actions. They are dedicating the first portion of their careers to building businesses in parts of the country (Detroit, New Orleans, Providence, Las Vegas, Cincinnati) that could use an economic boost. Most of them turned down far more lucrative offers. They’re taking a risk in that the company environments they are heading to are uncertain (and in this 1st year, Venture for America is kind of new). The goal is that most of them over time will become the kind of job creators and business leaders that the country needs.

We need to redefine achievement to include these qualities.   We need more intelligent risk-takers and value-creators who see their communities reflected in the work they do.

 

Name: Brian Bosche

Hometown: Bozeman, MT

University: Dartmouth ‘12

Major: Environmental Studies

 

What led you to apply for Venture for America?

I listened to Andrew Yang speak at Dartmouth after seeing half of my senior class apply for banking and consulting jobs. He convinced me that working at a start-up was not only the best way for me to learn how to be an entrepreneur, but it would also help drive economic development in cities experiencing hard times. I also wanted to become part of the Venture for America mentorship and peer network where I can work and learn with people who are driven to do social good through business.

What were you doing when you found out you were accepted?

I was outside Dartmouth’s Alumni Gym walking into basketball practice while eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Now that you’re a fellow, what are you most excited about with regard to VFA? What do you hope to accomplish?

I am most excited to work in a city that is growing and changing for the better. I am excited to work with a start-up where my role can change day by day and I will have the opportunity to drive the business to success. I am excited to live and spend time with fellows to build a strong fellowship network. I hope to build my skills as an entrepreneur, help my company build and grow, benefit the community I work in, and contribute to making my company socially and environmentally beneficial.

If you had to live one place for the rest of your life, where would you choose?

Australia. I wanted to run away to Australia when I was 5, but my parents wouldn’t let me. It still has a special appeal to me. It is warm, has interesting cultures, fun cities, diverse environments, and great accents.

Best thing about Dartmouth: Close community of students, faculty, and staff.

Favorite Book: The Doc Ford Novels by Randy Wayne Wright

Favorite childhood TV show: Rugrats

Favorite meal: Breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, pancakes and pretty much any other breakfast food.

Role models: My Mom and Dad.

Favorite holiday: July 27th, My Birthday.

Best class you’ve ever taken: Science for Sustainable Systems

Favorite movie quote: “Do or do not, there is no try” –Yoda

Favorite thing to do on Sunday: Lou’s Breakfast, intramural sports, grilling outside, and watching a movie with friends.

Favorite entrepreneur: Phil Knight, Founder of Nike

Favorite cereal: Cocoa Krispies

Most worn article of clothing: Black North Face Jacket

Favorite sports team: Denver Nuggets

Best trip you’ve ever been on: Coaching tennis and vacationing on the island of Anguilla.

Favorite historical figure: Ernest Hemingway

Accomplishment you’re most proud of: Starting and growing the Dartmouth Men’s Club Basketball Team. We started as a group of guys playing pick up basketball and losing almost every game to a traveling team of great friends that finished the season in the top 16 in the country.