Dear VFA Friends and Supporters:
We hope you are all enjoying your summer as much as we are here at Venture for America!
Our Fellows just finished Training Camp at Brown University and are now heading to companies in Detroit, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, and Providence for two years to work at regional start-ups and growth companies. The Fellows' time at Brown was packed with everything from trainings and challenges to mixers and meet-and-greets with seasoned entrepreneurs and business leaders. To see, check out the 400+ photos we posted from our five weeks in Rhode Island. ?? ??
You can also visit the VFA Fellows Tumblr here. All of the Fellows felt that they’d developed valuable skills and long-lasting relationships through the Training Camp, and we’re excited to see them in action as they move to their cities and begin working to rebuild the country through entrepreneurship.?
Summer Celebration Update
Thanks again to those of you who attended the 2012 VFA Summer Celebration in June at the IAC HQ in New York. The evening was an incredible success with 400+ attendees and over $365,000 committed or raised. We've gotten even more photos from the evening and our VFA Photobooth, so check them out!
Class of 2013 Applications Now Open
As hard as it is to believe, we are now setting our sights on the Class of 2013. We are pleased to announce that applications are now open to join Venture for America for the 2013 Fellowship. If you or someone you know would like to apply, please visit our Admissions Info and FAQs page for more information, or click here to apply.?? The 2013 application deadlines are:
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October 1st, 2012
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December 3rd, 2012
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February 18th, 2013
All things being equal, it’s better to apply in the early rounds, so let your friends/cousins/nephews/nieces know soon.
VFA is Expanding in 2013
While our fellows head off to Cincinnati, Detroit, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Providence to begin work at their companies, VFA is already looking at potential expansion cities for 2013. In Ezra Klein's recent Washington Post Article about Venture for America, Andrew mentioned some of these cities, including Baltimore, Cleveland, New Haven, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Raleigh-Durham.??
Local organizations in many of these cities have already expressed interest in bringing Venture for America to their regions. Articles were recently published in the Pittsburgh Business Times, Pop City Pittsburgh, and the Baltimore Business Journal describing VFA's possible expansion. We’re excited to explore these cities’ growth company opportunities in the coming months.
Happy Birthday to Venture for America
On July 18th, Venture for America celebrated its first birthday in Newport, RI with the first class of VFA Fellows. Thank you to everyone who has offered their support over the past year. We couldn't have done it without you!
Even after an incredibly successful first year, VFA still needs your help as we look toward upcoming expansion, recruitment, and continued support of the fellows in their cities. We appreciate any contribution, no matter how small.
Click here to make a donation now.
We know that there are no quick fixes or magic bullets as to how you rebuild an economy. But we believe that if we send dozens of our best and brightest graduates this year and every year hereafter to start-ups in cities around the country, we can have a profound impact. Over time our Fellows will become contributors to, and even founders and leaders of, promising growth companies across the country that will generate a virtuous cycle of revitalization in Detroit, New Orleans, and other cities. They will represent a new set of role models for our young people to emulate as we restore the culture of achievement to include value creation, risk and reward, and the common good.
If you haven't already, please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to help spread the word. Thank you for your continued support of Venture for America!
Sincerely,
The VFA Team
