Check out our latest newsletter for an update from Providence, RI, where our Fellows are well into their startup Training!

Dear VFA Friends and Supporters:

Summertime and the living’s easy… unless you’re a VFA Fellow, that is. While most of us are gearing up for the most patriotic day of the year (and our favorite holiday at VFA!), our Fellows have landed in Providence, RI and launched into 5 weeks of rigorous startup training.
Luckily, we’ve found 100+ Fellows for the Class of 2014 who are not only ready to take on the challenge, but excited to spend their summer learning everything they need to hit the ground running at their startups in August.

Training Camp… It’s all we can think about. It’s all we can talk about. And as our friend, we didn’t want you to feel left out. Read on for updates, and you’ll feel like you’ve been right there with us.

Meet Mike Patterson. He’s one passionate Fellow.  Mike Patterson is many things: a newly minted UPenn alum, a crazy-skilled programmer, and now… a VFA Fellow. We’re so excited to have Mike as part of the Class of 2014, and last week he wrote a blog post about his journey with VFA so far, why he’s excited about Training Camp, and why “failure isn’t an option”. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.Check out Mike’s post here, and learn more about the rest of our Fellows here.

Training Camp Top 5: What’s been happening in Providence?

1. Redesigned the VFA Website. Training Camp kicked off with a bang as each Fellow group did a startup-weekend style redesign of the VFA Website. After learning all about UI/UX design from Graphics Institute of America Co-founder Jennifer Smith and getting a crash course in basic programming from The Flatiron School, the Fellows spent the next 30 hours reimagining our current site. What they were able to accomplish in that amount of time was incredible… so incredible, that we may even have to take some of their ideas for our own website revamp.2. Spent an afternoon with David Rose and Gary Chou. What’s the best way to see yourself through the eyes of an investor? Hearing from the experts themselves, of course. We were lucky to have David Rose, serial angel investor and founder of the New York Angels come by to talk about what he– and other angel investors– are looking for in the companies they help get off the ground. Then we wrapped up the week with Gary Chou, who’s held product roles at startups and big companies alike, and most recently managed an impressive portfolio of companies at Union Square Ventures. He also happens to be a VFA early-adopter, Fellow mentor, and generally awesome person.3. Heard some awesome stories about what brought our Fellows to VFA. One of our favorite VFA Training Camp traditions is hearing from our Fellows each morning about why they chose VFA, and which of our five “Credos” speak to them the most. Whether it’s “My career is a choice that indicates my values” or “There is no courage without risk”, we never get sick of hearing about the journey that led them to VFA. One Fellow, Swad Komanduri, brought down the house with his story about how he became a Cal Tech engineer to get a job that mattered, but slowly realized that he needed to follow the path less traveled (VFA!) to actually make that happen.4. Got a visit from a Rhode Island Senator. That’s right! At the end of week 1, we were lucky enough to start the day with a visit from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who has dedicated himself to helping small businesses grow in Rhode Island and couldn’t wait to meet our newest class of Fellows. We’re so glad we have the chance to spend 5 weeks in Rhode Island, and that our Fellows have been able to have an impact on Providence over the past two years. Can’t wait to see what they do in year 3! 5. Reunited with the 2012 and 2013 Fellows For a few days this week, 2012 and 2013 Fellows from all over the country came to Providence for a big #VFAFamily reunion.  The 2014ers got a chance to connect with older Fellows over lunch and at the 2012 Class Graduation/Alumni Launch.  Emotions were running high at the 2012 Graduation, as VFA got its first ever class of alumni – it was inspiring to hear stories from the 2012ers and learn about the big things they’re going on to do! David Rose (left) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (right) had plenty to say to our Fellows when they dropped by in Week 1. The 2012 and 2013 Fellows connected with 2014ers about their cities over a picnic lunch. Fellows and VFA team at Providence’s G Pub for a mixer with our board members!

Want to join our awesome team? We’re hiring!   We’re energetic. We work really hard... and we also have more fun than anyone we know. Check out our current job openings for your chance to join our killer team! See our openings! Become a Community Marketing InternAre you a student who loves connecting and building relationships? Are you energetic and enthusiastic? Do you love startups and VFA?We want YOU to become a Community Marketing Intern. Learn more today! Fellow-led Detroit startup Banza gets a shoutoutIf you follow VFA, you’ve probably heard about Banza— a chickpea pasta company founded by 2012 Fellow Brian Rudolph. We love following his progress and success– and really loved the recent article published about Brian’s journey as a founder so far.  Want to get involved in VFA? You can… – Become a Mentor – Make a Donation – Spread the Word … and more! For more on how you can help, e-mail us at info@ventureforamerica.org. Smart People Should Build Things by Andrew Yang HAVE YOU GOTTEN YOUR COPY YET? Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram

Wish us a Happy Birthday and get some sweet VFA Swag!  Our birthday is just a month away, and we want you to help us celebrate! In a few short years, we’ve trained and placed more than 200 Fellows in 12 budding entrepreneurial hubs across the country. And now, we’re ready for the next challenge. So what’s on our birthday wish list, you ask? For the first time, we’re making our awesome VFA swag available to the public– and we want you to rock it!Here’s the deal… Click here to make a donation and receive a hoodie, t-shirt, tank, onesie or one of our other cool items. Your birthday gift can help support our work in cities across the U.S.  Show your support and get your swag today Thanks for supporting VFA! We look forward to keeping you up to date on our progress. All the Best, The VFA Team and the Class of 2014