Welcome to another edition of Meet Team VFA! This week we’re checking in with Connor Schake, the Talent Acquisition Analyst on our incredible Selection team. Connor is the numbers guy behind all things selection, and our resident data guru—if you don’t think it’s possible to find a spreadsheet beautiful, you clearly haven’t seen one of Connor’s. Read on to meet the man behind the formulas. 

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Name: Connor Schake
Position at VFA: Talent Acquisition Analyst
Department Name: Selection
College or University: Grinnell College
Job before VFA: Data Management Intern at Great Outdoors Colorado

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What does your team do and why is it awesome?

It’s good to be a chooser. Selection picks up what the Community Growth team puts down: we channel potential Fellows through five rounds of our multi-tiered application process, from the very first resume to the very last Selection Day. Our work ends in late May and then begins again right away with the next class of Fellows, when we tweak, tinker, and ramp it back up even bigger.

What do you do?

I crunch numbers and connect dots to make sure every candidate gets through the application pipeline—and that we learn enough about them along the way. All those questions on the application form eventually blossom into beautiful data. I help trim the hedges, prune the roses and pick the flowers.

What are you known for at VFA?

My cheap deployment of metaphor. Actually, probably for having hair on the lower half of my face.

How did you come to work at VFA?

I knew about VFA through reputation—you can find my name on a half-complete application from 2013. After cutting my teeth in data management in an internship in Denver while attempting to start a record label, I started itching to combine data and entrepreneurship in an eastern city. VFA came to the rescue.

Favorite part about your role at VFA:

Kicking it with the Team when we travel.

One thing you do every day at VFA that you probably couldn’t do at another job:

Hear from Drake or DJ Khaled on Slack whenever a new candidate applies (it’s just a bot for now, but one day we’ll have that outreach).

Favorite annual VFA event and why:

Still checking boxes, but trampoline dodgeball at SkyZone takes the cake so far.

Favorite Training Camp memory:

Dom dealing ice cream on the quad while I met the 2015 Fellows for the first time. [Ed. note: Dom is one of our amazing #InternsforAmerica—this year marked his third summer helping out at Training Camp. He serves a mean popsicle.]

Coolest thing you’ve done outside of work with VFA team members in the last year:

Not to cop out, but also trampoline dodgeball at SkyZone. Maybe sipping Chardonnay on the Amtrak back from Providence with Team $$$.

What newspapers, websites or blogs do you kick off your day with?

NYT Daily Briefing, TechCrunch, RealClearScience, the Broadsheet, and, ever since Gucci Mane followed us on Twitter [Ed. note: this really happened], HotNewHipHop.

What are you reading and/or watching right now?

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.

Best tip or life hack for increasing productivity during the work day:

ZestTea. [Ed. note: ZestTea, founded by our very own James Fayal (VFA ’12), makes a line of super-caffeinated premium teas. We can’t get enough at HQ.]
 

Listen to the most recent episode of Smart People Should Build Things: The Venture for America Podcast, a play.it original in collaboration with CBS!

Laura Mather didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur. While working as a mathematics researcher at the NSA, Laura and her colleagues built an algorithm for predicting the rise and fall of the stock market. They started out with $20k, and grew it to $200k in just 8 months. Realizing they were on to something, they took that code and put it online for people to use for their technical trading analysis. Their company still exists today. It was through this experience that Laura realized she had the “entrepreneurial gene.”
Laura went on to become a cyber security expert, working at eBay and as the Managing Director of Operational Policy at the Anti-Phishing Working Group before starting her own revolutionary company, Silver Tail Systems. Silver Tail made one assumption—that a criminal accessing a website engages in different behavior than a regular customer—and that assumption was powerful enough to drive an entire business. From that assumption, Silver Tail could detect criminal behavior in real time by monitoring website traffic and tracking web sessions.
After 5 years at Silver Tail, Laura planned to take a year off before moving on to her next adventure. She wasn’t unmoored for long—almost immediately, she felt a pull from potential customers who wanted to revamp their hiring processes to eliminate bias. Enter Unitive, a company that mitigates the naturally-occurring unconscious pattern matches in hiring by focusing hiring managers on the right types of pattern matches in candidates—a complicated way of saying that Unitive helps companies build diverse teams, a hallmark of innovative and effective organizations.
Download this week’s episode of the #VFApodcast to hear about Laura’s experience working with 42 VC’s before eventually raising over $22 million, why cyber criminals are so hard to fight these days, and how tackling diversity in hiring will make the world—and the economy—stronger.

This week Jeremy sits down with Laura Mather, Founder & CEO of Unitive, a company that is working to eliminate unconscious biases from hiring decisions. As a former employee at the NSA and Director of Trust and Safety at eBay, Laura shares her fascinating insights on cyber security and lessons she learned while starting her own cyber security company, Silver Tail.
Click here to listen

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Listen to the most recent episode of Smart People Should Build Things: The Venture for America Podcast, a play.it original in collaboration with CBS!

Charlie Bonello and Matt Harrigan became fast friends when they were students at Regis, a prestigious tuition-free Manhattan prep school. Years later, over beers, they lamented the careers of many of their former classmates—all smart, all talented, all with a huge amount of creative potential, and now, seemingly all doctors or lawyers. Their classmates were certainly successful—but not in a way that broke any molds. Charlie and Matt determined that part of the problem was the lack of access and exposure to alternative career paths they had received as high school students—and they decided to do something about it. During Summer 2013, Charlie and Matt convinced Regis to provide them with empty classrooms to be used by nascent startups, with the promise that the startups would take on Regis graduates as interns, and the Regis Tech Accelerator was born. Their first class had 7 companies that hired 18 interns, and they knew they were onto something.
A fellow Regis alum, John Conway, took notice of the innovative use of empty classroom space and introduced Charlie and Matt to the Milstein family, a prominent New York real estate dynasty that saw the value in bolstering the NYC tech scene. The Milsteins made Charlie and Matt an offer that they couldn’t refuse—15,000 square feet of free space (Facebook’s former headquarters) overlooking—you guessed it—Grand Central. There, they launched what is now Grand Central Tech, a unique accelerator that provides free office space, support, and resources—all without taking equity in the growing companies.
GCT announced its second class of startups in mid-July and isn’t slowing down. Download this week’s episode of Smart People Should Build Things: The Venture for America Podcast to hear more about GCT, and what Charlie and Matt are learning as they try to create a new tech hub in Midtown Manhattan.

In the most recent episode of the Venture for America podcast, Jeremy chats with Charlie Bonello and Matt Harrigan, high school buddies and co-founders of Grand Central Tech, a unique New York City based accelerator that provides free office space, support and resources without taking ANY equity.

Click here to listen

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You may know where our Fellows live, what startup they work for or even if they’re starting their own company, but ever wonder which books or blogs they couldn’t live without? What they love most about their city? Their pro tips for being productive at work? 2014 Baltimore Fellow Merlin Patterson sits down with Team VFA to talk how to be an effective startup employee, why they love Baltimore, and life lessons they’ve learned since becoming a VFA Fellow. 
Name: Merlin Patterson
College or University: University of Pennsylvania ’14
Major: Computer Science
VFA City: Baltimore
Company Name: ClassTracks
Role: Product Wizard
Describe what your company does in a tweet: Blended learning for foreign language. By using our platform, teachers can focus on communication instead of drills in their classrooms.

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Best part of startup life:

The best parts of life at an early stage (5 person) startup have been being able to see different parts of the company firsthand and watch them grow. As a developer, I could have easily been pigeon-holed, but at an early-stage startup like ClassTracks, I get to help out with everything: recruitment, marketing, infrastructure, funding, etc.

One thing you’ve learned about how to be a great startup employee:

To be a great startup employee, I’ve learned that I have to be proactive. On occasion, someone will give you a specific task, but generally, you have to seek out your own work. If you want to do something different, just ask.

One tip/life hack for staying productive at work:

I stay productive at work by using a standing desk all day. I also have just started listening to film and video game scores, which were designed to help you focus on the film you’re watching or game you’re playing.

The coolest part about living in your city:

The coolest part about Baltimore has to be the harbor. Living only two blocks from the waterfront is quite relaxing. I also enjoy the free transportation via the Charm City Circulator, which includes a free ferry across the water.

Best weekend of the year in your city:

Well, I can tell you at least what my best weekend of the year was – The weekend I got a Harbor Pass and toured the American Visionary Arts Museum, the Maryland Science Center, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, the National Aquarium, and the Top of the World observation deck in two days with my girlfriend.

Someone is spending 48 hours in your city; what are the top 3 things to do during that time?

In 48 hours, you should get a Harbor Pass (which is kind of cheating as it’s 5 things in 1), check out the Baltimore Art Museum (it’s free), and go to Miss Shirley’s for a delicious brunch.

Most surprising aspect of living in a VFA city:

The most surprising aspect of living in a VFA city is the amazing network of entrepreneurs that you have access to. Since I live in Baltimore, I joined EdTech Maryland, a meetup group for all things EdTech.

Most significant life lesson you’ve learned since becoming a VFA Fellow:

The most significant life lesson I’ve learned since becoming a Fellow is that you should never be afraid to talk to another Fellow about your problems. They will be extremely supportive and they might be going through something similar.

One book or blog you think every current and future VFA Fellow should read and why:

I think every current and future Fellow should read Ryan Allis’ Life Advice slides or my notes here. Taken with a grain of salt, this set of slides contains some good ideas for setting and accomplishing goals, creating finances, and even a path to building a successful startup (It’s not technically a book or blog, but there is enough content that I think it counts).

One invaluable part of your daily routine that you’d recommend to other Fellows:

The most invaluable part of my daily routine is my use of Trello, which allows me to stay on track with my goals and projects.

Best aspect of being a VFA Fellow:

The absolute best aspect of being a VFA Fellow is the massive network of friends and family that I now have. If you’re having any troubles, there is always someone that you can turn to. And if you have any business ideas, there is always someone to co-found them with.

If you hadn’t joined VFA, you would probably be…

If I hadn’t joined VFA, I’d probably have taken a shorter fellowship with Code For America or doing a number of coding internships.

Where can people learn more about you and what you’re working on? 

http://merlinpatt.com
 

Listen to the most recent episode of Smart People Should Build Things: The Venture for America Podcast, a play.it original in collaboration with CBS!

“You get to have seven careers,” Eric Cantor says to our host, Jeremy Shinewald, during this week’s episode. And if anyone should know, it’s Eric. After founding and exiting two internet infrastructure companies way ahead of the curve, Eric got a master’s from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and, eager to walk the walk, moved to east Africa. He spent six years in Kenya and Uganda, working with the Acumen Fund and the Grameen Foundation to develop mobile technology solutions for marginalized communities—and then he changed course again.
Continuing on the path of conscious entrepreneurship, Eric now serves as the VP of Product Development at Neighborhood Trust, the leading provider of financial advising to underserved workers based in New York City. There, he’s developing a product called PayGoal, a tool that helps people solve their cashflow problems. PayGoal is still in beta, but recently won a national innovation challenge awarded by the Financial Solutions Lab—as Eric points out, “Everything is beta until it’s real.” Eric values this kind of pragmatism. “Getting people higher pay would be great,” he says, regarding the millions of Americans who experience cashflow problems on a monthly basis—but solving that problem is hardly a one-man, or one-company, undertaking. Instead of despairing at the enormity of the issue, Eric’s beginning to chip away at this problem in his own groundbreaking, scalable way.
And—as if you needed any other reasons to click play—as an early board member, Eric has been instrumental in helping to build VFA from the very beginning.
Download this week’s episode to hear Eric talk about why the corporate sector wasn’t for him, what it was like to found an internet company long before internet was a household word, and how business can add resources and fix problems—rather than “pillage.”

This week, Jeremy interviews Eric Cantor: serial entrepreneur, current VP of Product Development at Neighborhood Trust, and VFA Board Member from the very beginning. Eric talks about his vast range of experience, from building two internet infrastructure companies, establishing Africa’s first mobile application laboratory in Uganda, teaching a course on technology solutions for international development at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, and more.

Click here to listen

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2015 Fellow Paula Gonzalez went to Detroit where she put her civil engineering skills to work at Loveland Tech, a startup “dedicated to putting America online parcel by parcel.” Paula talks about how she arrived at her own definition of success and how this standard has informed the most significant decisions she’s made (including choosing VFA!). 
Visit ventureforamerica.org/apply for more information on becoming a VFA Fellow.

Name: Paula Gonzalez
School: MIT ’14
Major: Civil and Environmental Engineering
VFA City: Detroit
VFA Company: Loveland Technologies

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Growing up, I fit the classic overachiever archetype. I followed the rules, always did my homework on time, and was involved in as many sports and clubs as possible. From an early age, earning a degree from a “good” university was the ultimate goal. I believed that getting into a prestigious school was the only way to achieve success – success being a stable job with a fair salary that ensures a comfortable lifestyle. 
Because of this mindset, I logically equated grades to achievement, with 100% being the only acceptable outcome. This framework drove me to stay focused and work hard through primary and high school and eventually I was accepted into my dream school: MIT.
During my first semester, I met so many accomplished, tenacious and dedicated people– many of whom I still consider to be friends and role models. What impressed me most back then were the credentials they could show for all their hard work. As soon as I learned how careers in consulting or finance were deemed the most prestigious – by our peers and what felt like “the world” – I sought out anyone who interned at banks in New York City or signed offers with big consulting firms. Reaching this goal became my benchmark for true accomplishment; the only way for me to continue on my path towards a successful life and career.

 
It took me a few semesters to realize this wasn’t the path I was meant to follow. After struggling with my coursework and adjusting to the rigorous and fast-paced environment, I reached a sort of “aha” moment. It became strikingly obvious to me that I couldn’t be happy in a place where I was striving to reach a standard of success that wasn’t my own. I had tried so hard to talk myself into following the crowd, but when I made the decision to pursue paths that spoke more to my passions and interests, I became a happier, less stressed, and a more inspired person almost overnight.
This mentality was certainly met with skepticism amongst my peers. Those who didn’t know me well simply assumed I wasn’t smart or ambitious enough to get those banking jobs or pursue a career in consulting. And it would be easy to fault them for thinking that… but as soon as I arrived at my own definition of a successful career, I felt the burden of pleasing other people lift off of me.
When I decided to join Venture for America, I was met with a similar dose of skepticism. “You’re moving to Detroit? You’re getting paid how much?” But those who know me best understood it was a choice that reflected my values. Working for a startup in a developing American city will allow me to learn about how the private sector can impact and drive urban revitalization efforts, a topic that became a major interest of mine in college. To those closest to me, this choice makes sense. But, most importantly, it makes sense to me. In this new stage of my life, I am choosing to hold my own values, over everything else, as the truest measure of success. 
 

Listen to the most recent episode of Smart People Should Build Things: The Venture for America Podcast, a play.it original in collaboration with CBS!

This week, our host Jeremy Shinewald has a lot of ground to cover with serial entrepreneur David Kidder. David is an entrepreneur’s entrepreneur—he’s founded a handful of companies, acts as an angel investor through two investment funds, and has even written a book—The Startup Playbook—about the actions and attitudes that tie the best entrepreneurs together.
Currently—after selling a few companies and authoring his first book—David spends his days as the co-founder and CEO of Bionic, an enterprise social innovation platform. So, how did David get to where he is today? As he tells it, luck and good timing got him 80% of the way. But this isn’t the whole story. There were plenty of bumps and missteps along the way, leading David to take the following lesson to heart: it’s better to be a rational optimist—someone who operates firmly in reality—than what he calls a “pathological optimist”—someone who doesn’t know what’s impossible until it’s too late. “Wishful thinking is an enemy,” he tells Jeremy—and to succeed as an entrepreneur, “the core assumptions you’re building a business on must be actually true.”
Download this week’s episode to hear David talk treating your professional life like a VC fund, the necessity of discovering your proprietary gift, and why it matters to understand that you’re more than just your company.

In this week’s episode, Jeremy sits own with serial entrepreneur David Kidder, the co-founder of Nex-X, Renaissance Integrated Solutions, Clickable, Bionic, and more. David talks about his experience making a career out of building things, what he learned writing The Startup Playbook, in which he interviews some of the most successful entrepreneurs working today, and what it took to learn how to work for himself.

Click here to listen

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We’re so proud of our Fellows’ commitment to their companies—and we’re just as proud of their after-hours efforts to boost the communities where they live and work. In his post below, 2014 Fellow Dylan Gordon discusses his involvement in Bench Mark Program, a nonprofit that uses weightlifting, academic counseling, and career coaching to empower at-risk youth in Philadelphia. Dylan currently works full-time at Clutch, a marketing technology firm, and serves at the Chief Strategy Officer of Bench Mark during his off hours. Learn more about Bench Mark and support their Indiegogo campaign here. 

Name: Dylan Gordon
School: Franklin & Marshall ’14
Fellow Class: 2014
VFA City: Philadelphia
VFA Company: Clutch

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Back in November 2014, I began to feel increasingly disconnected from the community to which I purported to belong. While I was working in a beautiful office in the suburbs, the city of Philadelphia was experiencing soaring homelessness rates and severe educational issues. In my own mind, I claimed to care deeply about the needs of the city and community that I called my home, but I lived my life separately from them.
I was greatly bothered by this realization, and I couldn’t suppress it anymore. I called my friend Will Kiefer, with whom I graduated in 2014. Shortly after graduation, Will founded Bench Mark Program, a nonprofit empowering at-risk youth to realize their full potential through weightlifting, academic counseling, and career coaching. I wanted to learn more about his work, and how I could potentially help out.

 
The conversation that ensued was one that I’ll never forget. I’ll spare you the details, but I hung up the phone completely galvanized by a cause that was formerly foreign to me. Two months later, I visited Bench Mark Program to see the amazing work in person. This is an account of my first time at the facility:
As I stood scanning the Bench Mark gym for the first time, my eyes fixated on this enormous, beaten tire. I had never seen anything like it, not in-person at least. I pondered its weight, origins, and history for a few seconds. More importantly, I wondered how they even pushed that tire into the gym.
Breaking my stare, I turned to Will and jokingly asked, “Do you think I can flip that bad boy?”
To provide some context, I’m 5’6” and weigh 140 pounds. I knew the answer to my question.  
But Will shot me his classic smirk, one that spoke, “You better not doubt yourself, bud” or “I know something you don’t.” I knew instantly that I had opened a can of worms for myself.
Looking to his left, Will glanced at one his students who just entered the gym. “Quan,” he called out. “Would you please teach Dylan the proper technique to flipping that tire?”
Without hesitation, Quan approached me.  He must have been 5’7” and only 130 pounds.  There was no way either of us was going to flip this mammoth. I was a bit nervous.
The kid, who I figured could be no older than 17 years of age, reached out his hand. He gave a brief introduction, stating his relationship to Will and his purpose at the gym. We walked over to the tire, and I listened to his instructions intently. He said, “Dylan, I want you to squat down, get a good grip, and use your legs to lift the tire to knee level. Then, push your right knee against the tire and drive forward like a linebacker tackling a running back.”
When I lowered my body to emulate his technique, he corrected my flaws and insisted that I repeat the movement. The second time around, my technique was much better. Encouraged by Quan, I made my first attempt at flipping the tire. I failed miserably. I also failed during the next two attempts. I turned to Quan and said, “Hey, this might take some time, so I’d rather have you work out with Will for now.” Quan didn’t leave.
You see, Quan was a natural teacher. My goal was our goal; he wanted me to flip that tire as much as I did. And certainly, Quan wasn’t going to walk away until he had successfully done his job as an instructor.
I was taken aback by this realization. During our introduction, I learned that Quan was here because he needed guidance and mentorship. Now, without thinking twice, he was paying it forward to someone he had just met a couple minutes earlier. I went into a quick self-reflection mode, pondering how many people I knew that would do something like this. I couldn’t think of many.
Suddenly, I felt a new influx of energy and motivation. Getting into a squatter’s stance, I made my next attempt. Fighting off my sore forearms, the 800 pound tire flipped over and hit the cement with a loud thump. I looked at Quan, who didn’t even crack a smile.  He knew all along that I was going to do it. He knew before I did.
I spent the next 30 minutes helping Quan with his resume. Originally, I thought that we’d just talk about his work experience and skill set, but our conversation took to much greater depths. We discussed our ambitions, familial statuses, and philosophical matters.  We spoke about altruism, desire, and passion. And we debated purpose, education, and the power of surrounding yourself with the right people.  
I’ll never fully understand where Quan grew up and what he has seen. We have led two different lives; I concede that. But I do understand the passion with which he speaks and the competitive spirit that drives him. And I sympathize with his yearning to help others and provide for his family. I liked him from the moment I met him.
Fast forward seven months. Quan has a full-time job, allowing him to support his girlfriend and two children. As for me, I couldn’t be any happier as Chief Strategy Officer for Bench Mark Program. Each day, I am humbled and honored to see our students mature into full-time employees and college students. Further, I couldn’t be happier to witness more and more at-risk youth finding value and positive support within our tight-knit brotherhood.
Growing up in the suburbs of New Jersey, we didn’t have poverty, homelessness, or education related issues. Sure, you read about sad problems in the news, but there were always so distant that they never felt real. Here in Philadelphia, I observe these societal shortcomings all around me, I refuse to sit on the sidelines and simply accept the conditions for what they are.
I joined VFA partly because I felt so strongly aligned with the idea of bridging communities for the common good. Now, I am fortunate enough to execute this mission every day, and I look forward to positively impacting more at-risk youth in my daily work!
For more information on Bench Mark Program, check out our website, Facebook page, and Indiegogo campaign. Please contact dylangordon@benchmarkprogram.org if you’d like to learn more or get involved!