Want to know what’s going on at VFA? Check out our most recent newsletter below, and if you haven’t already,
sign up to stay in the loop with more updates like this one!
SIGN UP FOR OUR UPDATES
Dear VFA Friends and Supporters:
Happy Spring from Venture for America HQ! While our 2013 Fellows continue to work hard in their cities across the country, our 2012 Fellows are looking ahead to the future, with some even ready to start companies of their own (check out one of them below!). Meanwhile, we’ve been adding new partners, new cities, and most importantly, new members of the Class of 2014. Read on for more updates on what’s happening at VFA.
Tickets are now on sale for the 3rd Annual Summer Celebration!
We don’t know about you, but we can’t think of a better way to kick off the summer than attending this year’s Detroit-themed #VFAParty on June 5th. Past speakers have included Tony Hsieh, Arianna Huffington, and Jeff Weiner, along with sponsors like the Huffington Post, American Express, and more. So… what do we have in store this year?
We’re thrilled to welcome Chairman & Founder of Quicken Loans and Rock Ventures, Dan Gilbert, joining us all the way from the Motor City to talk about his work transforming the city through real estate investments, placemaking initiatives and the relocation of his businesses and employees to downtown Detroit.
Other special guests include: Charles Best, Founder of DonorsChoose; David Brooks, Author and Op-ed Columnist, New York Times; Alisa Volkman, Co-founder of Babble.com; Dave Gilboa, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Warby Parker; Dhani Jones, New York Giants & Fox Sports 1; Donald Katz, Founder & CEO of Audible; Cyrus Massoumi, CEO & Founder of ZocDoc; Jon Oringer, CEO of Shutterstock and many, many more. Check out the full list here.
|
Fellow Founder Spotlight: You know those days when coffee just won’t do it?
 Fellow James Fayal found himself having those days… well… everyday when he first started working full-time. But unlike the coffee-addicts out there, he wanted an alternative way to stay alert without the side effects (and thought some nutritional value would be nice, too). So what’s a Fellow to do?After he and another Fellow, Rickey Ishida, started looking for healthier ways to get the jolt they needed, the VFA pair realized the options were pretty limited. So in true Fellow fashion, they started blending their own teas, and eventually were getting requests from friends who wanted to get their hands on some super-tea of their own.
And so, Zest Tea was born– a
caffeine-packed line of teas that comes in flavors like Apple Cinnamon Black and Pomegranate Mojito Green (mmmm…). Now, Zest Tea has been filling orders since January and have already sold over 400 tins (including quite a few to VFA HQ…). We have to admit, we’re pretty big fans. (Bye, energy drinks!) Want to get your hands on some ZestTea? Visit GetZestTea.com today to support our Fellows and try it for yourself!
|
|
|
New Fellows, New Cities… Welcome to VFA Year 3.
|
|
| And here’s where you can find us this year… |
|
Along with our current 8 VFA cities– Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Providence– we’re so excited that this year we’ll be sending Fellows to help build businesses in 4 more budding startup hubs. Team VFA has been out pounding the pavement for the last few months determining which cities have the companies and capital to make it happen.
So where in the world (uh, America) will you be able to find us in 2014? Check out our new cities below!
- COLUMBUS
- MIAMI
- SAN ANTONIO
- ST.LOUIS
|
|
 |
| Andy Chatham, VFA ’12, along with Adam Joseph ’13, Shilpi Kumar ’13, and Ali Sheppard ’13 spearheaded the planning of the first City as a Startup conference. |
|
|
City as a Startup: VFA goes to Vegas
Sure, what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay there… but we couldn’t keep this one to ourselves. We want to extend a special thanks to our Fellows and supporters at Downtown Project in Las Vegas for hosting Venture for America for the first ever City as a Startup conference!
Over 100 VFA team members, Fellows, and partners from our cities descended on Downtown Vegas to hear from Keynote speakers like Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos; Graham Weston, CEO of Rackspace; and a handful of other leaders spearheading the charge to turn their cities into entrepreneurial hubs across the country.
We learned a lot, had even more fun, and can’t wait for the the next City as a Startup conference (which already has cities like Detroit and San Antonio interested in hosting). Let the countdown begin… |
|
|
|
|
Smart People Should Build Things
