We’re heading into week three of the VFA Accelerator in Philadelphia, and our six participating teams are off to quite a start. They’ve been busy coding like crazy, selling everything from boxers to weather insurance, and choosing their company names (no pressure). After setting up shop at VFA HQ in New York for two days of mentor “speed-dating” and some quality VFA bonding time, the teams are back in Philly working away.
So who are these enterprising all-stars that are growing into the next generation of American entrepreneurs? They come from California, Long Island, and everything in between, with backgrounds in finance, engineering, and coding. They’re fluent in Mandarin, Java, and tech-jargon, and spend their weekends at BYOB sushi restaurants or playing pickup basketball. So without further adieu, meet the 2015 VFA Accelerator Class:
Ash and Anvil: Eric Huang and Steven Mazur
Ash & Anvil is dedicated to making clothes designed to help shorter men look and feel good.
Eric: After graduating from Notre Dame with a degree in Entrepreneurial Studies, Eric moved to Detroit to work as UX Designer and Web Developer at Stik (now Social Proof). When he’s not busy building businesses or websites, Eric can be found either on the squash courts or devouring the newest season of ‘House of Cards.’
Steven: Prior to working at Social Proof in Detroit as a Business Development Manager, Steven attended North Carolina State University where he studied Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Despite studying abroad in Istanbul and South Africa during college, Steven’s love for NC State sports remains strong as he rarely misses a basketball game after January.
Compass: Mike Wilner and Taylor Sundali
Compass uses a network of talented freelancers to build awesome, affordable websites for small businesses
Mike: A basketball and entrepreneurship fanatic, Mike hails from Baltimore, MD. At Washington and Lee University he studied Math and Business, spending his time consulting for local businesses and serving as treasurer of his fraternity. As a VFA Fellow, Mike worked as a Product Manager at BoostUp in Detroit, MI.
Taylor: Originally from rural Idaho, Taylor went to Middlebury College where he competed in both Cross Country Skiing and Cross Country Running. While in Detroit, he worked as an Executive Associate at Rock Ventures… when he wasn’t frolicking in the indefinite Detroit winters.
LeagueSide: Evan Brandoff and Zubin Teherani
LeagueSide helps local youth sports leagues get sponsorship from big national brands
Evan: Originally from Long Island, NY, Evan attended the University of Texas-Austin where he studied Finance. At Benzinga, a financial technology company based in Detroit, he focused on Business Development. Evan is a die-hard Jets and Rangers fan, and is excited to make it to at least one Phillies game this spring.
Zubin: Zubin grew up in Dallas, TX before studying Business at Georgetown University. In New Orleans, he worked at IDScant.net as a Manager of Business Development while developing a fondness for beignets and alligators. Outside of work Zubin loves a good game of pickup basketball and cheering on the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Melville: Matt Fulton
Melville makes media consumption collaborative by allowing users to annotate the web
Matt: A Denver native, Matt majored in Finance and Entrepreneurship at Colorado University-Boulder before becoming the Lead Growth Engineer at Roadtrippers in Cincinnati, OH. When he’s not enjoying the mountain life Matt stays busy by teaching himself to code and becoming friendly with the nearest Chipotle.
Pugs: Claire Kim and Kate Leisy
Pugs is a woman’s loungewear brand that enables you to live comfortably, confidently, and true to yourself.
Claire: Claire grew up in Irvine, CA and graduated from Harvard with a degree in Social Studies after taking a semester off to work on a political campaign. As a VFA Fellow she worked as an Account Manager at Swipely in Providence, RI. Although she misses California dearly, she’s been happy to find oyster happy hours and Frank Sinatra impersonators East of the Mississippi.
Kate: One of the few real southerners in the Accelerator, Kate grew up outside of Atlanta, GA before studying Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University. Kate has already made a home in Philly and spent her Fellowship as a Marketing Manager for Curalate before starting her own company.
Sky Mutual: John Yarchoan
Sky Mutual provides weather insurance for business and events using novel models and algorithms
John: After graduating from Amherst College, John joined Resource Environmental Solutions in New Orleans, LA as a Land Analyst. A self-proclaimed weather nerd, he loves chasing tornados and in the winter months can be found leaving fresh ski tracks from Colorado to California.
Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we dive into more detail on each team and the companies they’re building!