Name: Sean Pennino
Hometown: Rochester, NY

University: University of Notre Dame ’11, Brown University ‘12

Business Development, Teespring
Providence, RI
 
What initially attracted you to Venture for America?
VFA seemed liked the best way to get the startup experience without compromising job security or personal finances, the normal risks faced by entrepreneurs.  I also loved the prospect of being sent to a city where I can make a difference.
What is the best part of being a VFA fellow?
Knowing that whenever other fellows are killing it, it makes me look better.
What does Teespring  do?
Think Kickstarter meets Custom Ink.  Meets awesome.  Teespring will someday be a place where you can crowdfund anything, but right now you can use our site to crowdfund custom apparel.  The benefit over Kickstarter is that we actually make and distribute the product, instead of just giving you the money raised.  Bring us an idea and supporters and we’ll do the rest.
What do you do on a typical day at work?
I wear many hats and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I spend most of the day generating leads and working with current clients, but I have done anything from writing code that increases the sales team’s efficiency to graphic design.  I’ve also recently gotten into SEM.
What’s your favorite thing about Providence?:
Providence has the culture of a big city and the comforts of a small town.  It’s a very affordable city with plenty to do year-round.
What do you hope to accomplish in your time with VFA?
I’d like to bring Teespring to global dominance and create at least 1000 new jobs in Providence.  I should also make sure to meet the love of my life before then so I know she’s not just into my fame.

Venture for America has been getting some great press on campuses recently, and with our December 3rd deadline quickly approaching, we want to spread the word to as many students as possible across the country! Check out some of the recent articles below.

If you want others on your campus to learn about the program or think VFA would make a great story for your school’s paper, we gladly accept press inquiries from student publications. Feel free to contact Megan@ventureforamerica.org to be connected with VFA Staff, Fellows, Board Members or Campus Ambassadors for your story.

Brown Daily Herald: Alum program pairs graduates with start-ups



Yale Daily News: Venture for America arrives


The Hoya at Georgetown: Fellowship Helps Graduates Launch Business Careers

Cornell Daily Sun: Four Recent Cornell Alumni Join Start-Ups Through Venture for America Program

Name: Rickey Ishida
Hometown: Bethesda, MD
University: Cornell University ’10

Business Ninja, Zipscene
Cincinnati, OH
 
What initially attracted you to Venture for America?
The name. It sounded like Teach for America so I thought it was legitimate. That was the hook. What really got me fired up was the application. The questions asked were the same intrinsic questions that I’ve been asking myself after graduation. It challenged the status quo and after completing the application, I knew I was in the right place with the right people.
What is the best part of being a VFA fellow?
Being able to meet (and sometimes live) with other people. It’s really hard to get to know someone of high caliber at a bar or some networking event. So far I’ve bonded with fifty smart and cool people. You can’t get that from joining a company. You can meet people and network with them. But bonding requires time, culture, and energy. That’s what VFA provides.
What does Zipscene, LLC. do?
Zipscene, LLC. makes and maintains websites and promotions for companies in the restaurant industry. Our clients include Macaroni Grill, Boston Market, CPK, Bob Evans, Steak and Shake, and many more!
What do you do on a typical day at work?
I do two things: project management and business consulting. I design and execute processes to maximize efficiency and expedite product development (I also speak in business lingo). On the business consulting side, I gather data and extract information so that the management team can make sound decisions during meetings.
What’s your favorite thing about Cincinnati?:
Cincy (aka ‘Natti) offers growth. The presence of Proctor & Gamble, Macy’s, Kroger, and Toyota provides essential potential and if you want to open the flood gate and ride the wave, this is where you want to be. Alternatively, you can go to established cities and compete for bits of marketshare, but I prefer the former.
What do you hope to accomplish in your time with VFA?
Get to know as many people as possible. Ultimately I hope to become a strong individual with resources to get things done.

Come see us on your campus this week to have your questions answered and learn more about VFA! We’re in Atlanta today and back to NYC on Friday:

Monday, October 22nd

Emory Info Session & Meet a Fellow
Emory University
101 White Hall
6:00-7:00pm

Friday, October 26th

Columbia Engineering Consortium Career Fair
Alfred Lerner Hall
Roone Arledge Auditorium
10:00am-4:00pm

Even while our fellows are off in their cities working hard to contribute at their startups, they’re never too busy for a guest blog post or two…
Max Nussenbaum, who now works at Are You a Human in Detroit, recently wrote a blog post called “Are You a Human and Me: A Love Story”. His story, guaranteed to give you a good laugh, details his journey from lost college senior to VFA fellow to his company’s newest “Human”. (Photo cred to fellow Kathy Cheng!)
Ovik Banerjee also recently shared his “quarter life crisis” story in a guest blog post for The Good Men Project called Adventuring Forth. He never imagined that he’d be working at a startup, but Ovik explains in his post why he feels lucky he found VFA and now has the opportunity to become a “catalyst of change”. Currently, Ovik is working as a “Swiss Army Knife” at the Downtown Project in Las Vegas, helping with their education initiative while dabbling in a little bit of everything else.
Check back regularly to keep up with our fellows and see what they’re doing in their cites!

Name: Billy Schrero
Hometown: Highland Park, IL
University: Tulane University ’12

Employee #5, Schedulist
New Orleans, LA
 
What initially attracted you to Venture for America?
I was initially attracted to VFA so I could learn the ins and outs of starting a company and also the potential to really move the needle for my employer. I wanted the opportunity to learn, add value, and gain meaningful hands-on experience.
What is the best part of being a VFA fellow?
The open bars. Just kidding. Kinda. In all seriousness it would have to be the relationships with the other fellows (being part of such an ambitious group inspires me every day) and also the access to an amazing entrepreneurial network. The speakers, teachers, and employers we get to talk and work with is a luxury that not many, if any, young entrepreneurs get and it has opened my eyes to many things I had not even considered.
What does Schedulist do?
We make Nurses, Nurse Managers, and Hospitals happy and efficient!
What do you do on a typical day at work?
In a five person company I do a little bit of everything, from biz dev to marketing to market research. I don’t have a typical day and am required to find and create tasks that will help move us towards our short and long term goals.
What’s your favorite thing about New Orleans?:
The people. Genuine, fun, interesting, happy people. New Orleans is a small city but it punches way above it’s weight class.
What do you hope to accomplish in your time with VFA?
I hope to help my company expand beyond my founders’ expectations (which are already pretty lofty), continue the building of lasting relationships with the VFA fellows, and constantly find new ways to impact New Orleans and help it reach its potential as the greatest city anywhere!

Our first deadline has passed, but there are still plenty of opportunities to learn more about VFA before our December 3rd and February 18th deadlines! We’ll be at Cornell and in NC this week:

Monday, October 15th

Cornell Info Session
Cornell University
Phillips 101
5:30-6:30pm
Meet and Greet with Andrew Yang
POPSHOP, Cornell University
206B Dryden Road, Ithaca, NY
8:30-9:30pm

Tuesday, October 16th

NC State Info Session
North Carolina State University
Centennial Campus in EB1, Room 2015
6:00-7:00pm
UNC Chapel Hill Info Session
University of North Caroline Chapel Hill
125 Hanes Hall
7:00-8:00pm

Friday, October 19th

Harvard Career Fair
Sheraton Commander Hotel and
Student Organization Center at Hilles (SOCH)
1:00-4:00pm

Name: Gabby Bryant
Hometown: Detroit, MI
University: Harvard University ’12

Head of Community
Development, Dandelion
Detroit, MI
What initially attracted you to Venture for America?
I’m obsessed with Detroit. My obsession for the city is only rivaled by a need to be effective. Venture for America presents an opportunity to make real change in cities all over the US. By focusing on start-ups and broadcasting that young people work and live in these cities, VFA is starting a virtuous circle!
What is the best part of being a VFA fellow?
Getting exposure to people who have started their own businesses. The fact that they share their failures so openly, lets me know that mistake are not only alright, but they’re necessary to get where you want to be. Also the rest of the fellows are amazing!
What does Dandelion do?
Dandelion is a group made up of specialists in operations, strategy, and design, that solely serves community organizations on a sliding scale.
What do you do on a typical day at work?
I make a lot of calls to community organizations around Detroit. I talk about strategies about how to improve them by creating revenue streams, saving money, and branding/messaging. Then my boss and I debrief at the bar next door.
What’s your favorite thing about Detroit?:
The different type of experiences there are. Constraint is the mother of innovation and as much constraint that there is here, there is a spirit that is completely dedicated to improving the city.
What do you hope to accomplish in your time with VFA?
I hope to learn a lot about businesses and design. I want to have a wide range of skills that can help in running a business effectively.

VFA comes to the Midwest this week to spread the word! We’ll be at Notre Dame, UChicago, and Northwestern:

Wednesday, October 10th

Notre Dame Info Session
DeBartolo Hall
Room 240
6:00-7:00pm

Thursday, October 11th

UChicago Info Session
University of Chicago
Harper Memorial, Room 130
1116 E. 59th St.
7:30-8:30pm

Friday, October 12th

Northwestern Info Session
Northwestern University
207 Rock Room
Norris University Center
3:00-4:00pm

For questions about the fellowship or application process check out our FAQs or e-mail apply@ventureforamerica.org.

Name: Tim Dingman
Hometown: Sudbury, Massachusetts
University: Brown University ’11, ’12

Engineer, Accio Energy
Detroit, MI
 
 
What initially attracted you to Venture for America?
After the experiences of my undergraduate engineering career, I decided I was fully uninterested in a career in research. I wanted to combine my technical skillset with my organizational and creative abilities to make an immediate impact. With Venture for America, I knew I could fulfill my goals – at work and in my city.
What is the best part of being a VFA fellow?
The best part of being a VFA fellow is the other fellows. The other Detroit fellows are all my friends, and we have helped each other adjust to our new situations and surroundings with vigor. They impressed me during training camp, and I know we can use our talents to help rebuild our cities in the next two years.
What does Accio Energy do?
My company does wind power without blades or turbines. I can’t disclose much else, as we have patents pending and must keep the details of our technology secret.
What do you do on a typical day at work?
I have two jobs at work: one as a mathematical modeler of the physics of our technology, and one as a test engineer in our shop. Some days I sit at the computer running and analyzing simulations, and some days I run experiments and collect data. The key to working here, and at any startup, is flexibility.
What’s your favorite thing about Detroit?:
The best thing about Detroit is the communal spirit. Everyone knows Detroit has seen better days, but they know equally as well that we all have the power to change the city for the good. People here have a gritty pride about their city, and from what I’ve seen they want to help out in any way they can.
What do you hope to accomplish in your time with VFA?
In my two years, I hope to have a measurable impact on Detroit and to lock in business partners for any possible ventures. In the short term, impact might mean picking up trash or helping to construct an urban farm. In the longer term, though, I am open to the possibility of setting up shop here in the D.