Lessons From Two Summer Weeks in Detroit
By Alex Schluter

It was a Wednesday as I drove across the green belly of Michigan from my parents’ home in Evanston, Illinois towards Detroit. I was showing up three days late to Venture For America’s 2022 Training Camp after a positive COVID test the week prior. Watching the passing trees, listening to Kendrick Lamar’s new album, it felt as though I was taking a large step into something new and exciting, and I was. I felt nervous. Nervous about being surrounded by 130 recent college grads, as this would be the most socially demanding setting I had been in since arriving at college 6 years earlier.

At lunch, my anxieties were quickly assuaged when I was invited by a few friendly VFA Fellows to sit at their cafeteria table in Wayne State’s dining hall. I easily joined the conversation, getting their brief backstories and giving my own. One of these Fellows, Tim, commented on my heaping salad and we discovered that both of us happened to be vegan, which I took as a good omen. Tim was an especially positive energy throughout that week, constantly giving out high fives, words of encouragement, or dancing for no reason except to make a long day a little more exciting.

After the scheduled programming of the day, Fellows were given the opportunity to take the stage and provide a story that connected with one of VFA’s five credos (basically VFA’s organizational values). At the end of my first day, I watched two Fellows, Chandler and Kristen, get up on stage and speak personal stories into the room with strength, charisma, and poise. Stories that were motivational and centered on helping others. It felt like I was at a TED conference for really freaking cool twenty-somethings, and when those two speakers poured a bit of themselves into that room, I was filled with joy and inspiration.

By the end of that day and every day at Training Camp, my soul was brimming with hope and optimism, usually as a direct result of another Fellow’s inspiring story, or simply from a delightful conversation with the Fellow I was sitting next to as we listened to speakers and took part in activities aimed at arming us with the skills necessary to thrive at our new startups. We learned a lot about entrepreneurship, but more broadly, how to adult and how to get the most out of the rest of our unstructured lives. The two ideas I heard at camp that imprinted themselves most permanently on the inside of my head were more applicable to life advice than entrepreneurship-specific advice. These ideas were the accountabilibuddy and the personal board of directors.
Besides being incredibly amusing to say (accountabilibuddy, accountabilibuddy, accountabilibuddy) an accountabilibuddy is a buddy who will hold you accountable to the goals that you set for yourself, and who you will do the same for in return.

This idea was presented by two VFA Alumni, who had become accountabilibuddies shortly after their own Training Camp. The accountabilibuddy framework has two essential elements – the first, goal setting, and the second, regular meetings at predetermined intervals (your choice of every month, two months, quarter etc.) to check-in on progress. If you are anything like me, you work better on a deadline. The accountabilibuddy system provides an easy and fun way to set deadlines and a time restriction on accomplishing goals in the most pressing areas of your personal, professional, or social life that you are looking to grow in or explore.
I now have my own accountabilibuddy and next week we are meeting to discuss goals across the categories of health and wellness, career, and social/relationships. Two goals I have are to start a 10 minute daily meditation practice, and to find a weekly place to practice Spanish with a group or another individual. Without a deadline, these goals would likely drift off into the ether, aspirational but likely unachieved. Now, with the help of my accountabilibuddy, I hope to achieve these goals, but get back to me in a month and I’ll let you know how that is going.

The personal board of directors was an idea brought up by Lorenzo Gomez III, an entrepreneur from San Antonio. He told his own personal career journey, from building homes for his father, to working at a grocery store, to a job at the tech company Rackspace, that took him to London and back to San Antonio. The common thread through his most pivotal decisions – to move from the produce aisle at a grocery store to behind a desk at a computer store, to join a startup called Rackspace, to travel to London and gain a new perspective on the world – was that his initial instinct told him to turn down the opportunity. In all of these situations a head wiser than his own, whether it was a brother or a colleague, provided sage advice and urged him to take the opportunity.
His own experience demonstrates that the wisest among us do not arrive at their best decisions and ideas in a vacuum; instead, they rely on a trusted group of family, friends, and colleagues to advise them through life’s toughest decisions. Lorenzo even went so far as to officially appoint his own board of directors by having a conversation with them individually, and telling them that they have been appointed to a position with few perks, but hopefully, a bit of honor.

It was not until I met all of the wonderful 2022 Fellows in my cohort that I truly understood what Venture for America was, and if there is any single encompassing lesson from that week, it is to surround yourself with people you admire, who you want to be changed by. Whether these are your friends, your coworkers or other people in your community, seek out the people who you want to emulate and take intentional steps to access their wisdom and push one another into becoming the people you would like to become.
Making new connections isn’t easy. Socializing is inevitably harder for some of us than for others, but making a single plan with someone you enjoy spending time with and admire is a great place to start. And if you haven’t found that person yet, find a local community, a workout group, a volunteer organization, or a book club where you can meet those people— maybe you will find the accountabilibuddy you never knew you needed, or a fresh new perspective for your personal board of directors. I was lucky enough to meet 130 people who inspired me over the course of two weeks this summer in Detroit.

As the magic of these two weeks fades, and the work of building a new life for myself begins, I am left to find ways to inject magical moments into my daily life in San Antonio. I found magic this weekend, when I stumbled upon a turtle that had strayed from its home by the River Walk, in an aerial yoga class that pushed me outside my comfort zone, and in a coffee table my new roommate Michelle and I struggled to transport from a local thrift shop. There is plenty of magic out there and I am hopeful.

My name is Alexes Salazar, I am from San Antonio, Texas, and have recently graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio. I want to preface this experience of Training Camp by giving a little insight about the feelings I had leading up to it. As I graduated I knew that the VFA family was something I wanted to be a part of and that Training Camp would be an experience that not many people get to have. Even so, the feelings that were stirring inside me were filled with fear, nervousness, and an understanding that this would create a core memory for me to remember for the rest of my life.

Through these two weeks of Training Camp there were many speakers that stood out to me, but the one that impacted me the most was Lorenzo Gomez. He grew up in San Antonio (just like I did) and his story centered around having a “personal board of directors.” Hearing where he started and where he built himself to be was almost like looking at a future that I hoped I could achieve. He had an entire slide dedicated to the same grocery store I grew up going to (the nostalgia).

The rigorous nature of Training Camp taught me a lot, there were many small anecdotes that built my understanding of what entrepreneurship is, what a change-maker is, and stories of people who built impactful, socially motivated businesses that are changing the world. Not only that, the other Fellows very much left a huge impact on me and together we curated an experience that made these two weeks unforgettable. Being in a room with people of all different backgrounds and seeing the success and potential everyone has to be the building blocks for a better future was extremely inspirational.

Overall, Training Camp was a great experience and leaves me with a lot of happiness and comfort to know that this small scary step was very worth it. Two weeks away from home is not a big deal for many people but it is an experience that I have never had the opportunity to have until now. I write this small diary after Training Camp with a new community, a new perspective, and a lot of excitement for what else is to come.

Hello VFA Community! My name is Bijoy Shah, I am a 2022 Venture For America Fellow, and I recently graduated from Boston College where I studied Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Managing for Social Impact and the Public Good. When thinking about the Fellowship, I loved and was nervous about the 13 cities. Coming from the suburbs of Chicago and going to school in Boston, I knew how to navigate big cities and loved being a part of that community. On my drive to Wayne State for Training Camp, all I could think about was how nervous I was to go through another “college orientation” or “welcome week” environment. What I forgot was that everyone was in the same boat as me, which made for the start of some great friendships.

Everyday during Training Camp, we would listen to a wide array of guest speakers to learn about our personal brand, networking, and everything in between. These workshops each taught me something new about myself but the most important part of Training Camp for me were the spontaneous events the Fellows planned together at night. We did everything from watching a “free” Elton John concert on a rooftop outside Comerica Park to taking a group biking tour around Detroit. Exploring a brand new city with brand new people was way more fun than I had anticipated. This is what made my training camp experience so special and is the reason why a few of my peers and I have committed to visiting all 13 cities before the end of our Fellowships. I can safely say that I have VFA friends to visit in all the cities (and a couch as well)!

On top of the other Fellows, we also met important leadership in the VFA Community and they were able to answer questions about the organization and its future. This session was a great way to see that everyone in the VFA community cares about the Fellows’ success and will help us in any way possible. This was also a great launching pad into what comes after Training Camp. The ‘22 Fellows are already excited about giving back to VFA and helping with selecting the next class of Fellows – I know I am! I’m very excited about creating a bigger name for VFA at Boston College and encouraging more students to take this, more non-traditional career path. Personally, I am already thankful that I did and I am very excited to start working for a Company Partner in just a few short weeks.

Training Camp was a great way to kick off my VFA experience and I am looking forward to engaging with the community for these next two years and beyond!

Hello, my name is Grace Tate! I am from Michigan, a recent University of Michigan graduate, and a 2022 VFA Fellow!

During Training Camp, I had the experience of a lifetime! What was so special about Training Camp is the support we all had for each other. Outside of our free time we had to create memories such as trivia and karaoke nights, touring Detroit, and hosting picnics for one another. In the span of two weeks, it allowed us to form deep, lifelong bonds with individuals with similar passions and goals.

A memorable moment for me was the accountabilibuddies activity we did. In this activity, we each reflected on goals we wanted to accomplish in our own personal and professional life. After assessing these goals we then found partners within our cohort that could help motivate and encourage us to be the best versions of ourselves.

From this hour and a half long activity, I was able to find many “buddies.” Some buddy groups included finding Fellows that could help me start my own business, potential business partnerships, and those passionate about saving the environment. We have now vowed to continuously check in with each other after Training Camp and set bi-montlhy meeting dates.

What really stood out to me from this activity is it showed how much similarity, encouragement, and respect the Fellows have for one another. While we had only known each other for a few days, there was still genuine care and relatability.

Also, in Training Camp, we had the privilege of hearing from author and entrepreneur, Lorenzo Gomez, who spoke to us about the importance of building a network and how this network can push us to succeed when we unknowingly doubt ourselves. Using this knowledge with the accountabilibuddies activity, it really emphasized the importance of Training Camp and our connection among the Fellows.

All in all, Training Camp was a lifetime experience to create authentic relationships, and helped me align more with my goals. The perseverance, creativity, and care I noticed in each Fellow without a doubt excites me to see the future of startup leaders, those making an impact in their community, and CEOs.

Venture For America’s mission is to create economic opportunity in American cities by mobilizing the next generation of entrepreneurs and equipping them with the skills and resources they need to create jobs. Becoming a full-time founder poses a financial burden and risk that many early-stage founders are unable to take. Our Accelerator is an opportunity for Fellow Founders to more comfortably take big leaps towards launching and growing their businesses.

Fellow Founders can join the Accelerator after they’ve completed our two-year Fellowship and participated in programming: ideation sessions to identify problems and brainstorm solutions; validation challenges to validate their product or idea; and pitch opportunities to further validate their business in the market.

What is the Accelerator?

The Accelerator is a three month program for Fellow-Founded Companies that are pre-Series A and have a minimum viable product. It’s also zero-equity and provides a $2500 monthly business stipend, access to a network of peers, mentors, subject-matter-experts, and investors, and a chance to win up to $10,000 in prize money at a Demo Day.

The 13-week curriculum is broken down into four blocks: product, growth, operations, and fundraising – all ranging from two to four weeks in length. Each block is designed to optimize the Founders’ ability to learn a new skill, tool, or process with a blend of virtual workshops, templates, exercises, mentoring sessions, peer-to-peer counseling, and a capstone event. Each of the 13 weeks allows for flexibility, but holds a rough structure that requires between 10-12 hours of programmed time from the Founders and 1-10 hours of at-home application exercises.

After the program, Fellow Founders will be able to: build and maintain a personal ecosystem that can be leveraged at any moment; grow in healthy confidence and mindset to sustain them on their founder journey; and have a habit of iteration and testing in service of creating founders that can contribute anywhere, not just build what they entered with. We endeavor to instill an iterative mindset within each entrepreneur that leaves the Accelerator; with the ability to apply it to sales, product, fundraising, hiring, and more for the entirety of their career.

This Year’s Cohort

After receiving an unprecedented number of applications, and an intensive selection process, we’re excited to announce our 2022 cohort of six companies:

Cardii.io | Destin Bell ‘20, San Antonio – A gamified fitness app helping make cardio fun, engaging, and addictive by making it a giant team game of turf war.

Kahenmei | Kylie Long ‘19, Charlotte and Baltimore – The first better-for-you Asian American baking mix brand.

Developmate | Christian Garcia ‘17, Denver – Creating an all-in-one solution for streamlining the real estate development process, starting with site selection.

Encircle | Ben Weinberg ‘18, Birmingham – A grief wellness app that helps grievers get sustained support from their closest friends and family.

Humblebrag | Chukwudi N. Kanu ‘20, San Antonio – A collaborative workspace where innovators can get help with their key business needs from their network of advocates.

Slay Naturals | Breonna Massey ‘20, Baltimore – A skincare line focused on simplifying skincare routines with moisture-focused products.

Stay Connected

Stay tuned to Venture For America’s social channels for more information and updates on this year’s Accelerator cohort..