Where We Work
Baltimore
Our Fellows love taking part in the annual Remington Chop, a culinary workshop that features the best chefs and brewmasters from all over the city. Still, Baltimore is more than just a food lover’s paradise - it has consistently ranked as a top emerging city for activism and social enterprise, healthcare, and information tech.
Birmingham
Festivals, beautiful boutiques, and good old-fashioned college football have established Birmingham as an exciting city for young professionals. As one of the most affordable places to start a business, Birmingham continues to nurture its startup ecosystem, especially in bioscience and technology.
Columbus
Craft beer, contemporary art, and retro barbershops. Columbus is a quirky city with a lot to offer the startup community. With Drive Capital bringing $250 million in VC to town and TechColumbus helping build new businesses, our Fellows here work with some of the fastest growing tech companies in the country.
Where We Work
Kansas City
Kansas City, the heart of the Silicon Prairie, is the newest city to join the “VFAmily”. In addition to unparalleled BBQ, Jazz and fountains (200 to be exact), Kansas City is now on the map as a fast growing hub for startups.
Baltimore
Our Fellows love taking part in the annual Remington Chop, a culinary workshop that features the best chefs and brewmasters from all over the city. Still, Baltimore is more than just a food lover’s paradise - it has consistently ranked as a top emerging city for activism and social enterprise, healthcare, and information tech.
Birmingham
Festivals, beautiful boutiques, and good old-fashioned college football have established Birmingham as an exciting city for young professionals. As one of the most affordable places to start a business, Birmingham continues to nurture its startup ecosystem, especially in bioscience and technology.
Charlotte
Charlotte may be America’s biggest banking center after New York City, but there’s more to it than that. The city welcomes entrepreneurs with a growing number of co-working spaces and great incubator programs like QC Fintech, City Startup Labs, RevTech Labs and Ventureprise.
Cincinnati
Home to two Fellow-founded companies, Pawedin and BikesORO, Cincinnati is a beloved city for many of our Fellows. The Brandery, a top-ten startup accelerator, leads the tech scene and draws entrepreneurs from across the country to this midwest gem of a city.
Cleveland
Lebron James isn’t the only one who has a soft spot for Cleveland. This city is on the comeback and many startups, including the Fellow-founded Naturall, are helping to transform Downtown Cleveland into a haven for entrepreneurs across industries.
Columbus
Craft beer, contemporary art, and retro barbershops. Columbus is a quirky city with a lot to offer the startup community. With Drive Capital bringing $250 million in VC to town and TechColumbus helping build new businesses, our Fellows here work with some of the fastest growing tech companies in the country.
Detroit
Everyone knows that Detroit hustles harder. Our very first VFA city is home to a booming manufacturing and real estate market, as well as the Rebirth House, which has housed Fellows since the first class in 2012.
Miami
¡Bienvenidos a Miami! More than just palm trees and sandy beaches, Miami is home to an incredibly diverse community of entrepreneurs, creatives, and civic leaders. Not to mention, it’s the city that connected two of our Fellow founders who went on to create Arthur.
New Orleans
The birthplace of Jazz, Mardi Gras, and a vibrant Creole culture, was also the most recent host of Venture for America’s City as a Startup. NOLA, now playfully called Silicon Bayou, has a thriving and supportive community of tech startups.
Philadelphia
Four of our Fellow-founded companies have called Philadelphia home. Even with access to great museums, restaurants, nightlife and professional networks, Philadelphia remains affordable and perfectly positioned in the Mid-Atlantic.
Pittsburgh
Our Fellows have found it easy to follow their passions and feed their curiosity here. Pittsburgh’s Thrival Music Festival continues to join music and innovation in one of the most inspiring events of the year.
San Antonio
Home to the Alamo and the River Walk, the second-largest city in Texas is a unique blend of history and youth. A recent renaissance for music, art, and creative eateries has nurtured emerging talent, including the Fellow-founded company, Pinch Crawfish Kitchen.
St. Louis
Rich in history and perhaps the most delicious barbecue in the Midwest, St. Louis has an abundance of resources for the startup community - from state grants to accelerators and competitions - that have continued to grow in the past few years.
Our Cities
Baltimore – Birmingham – Charlotte – Cincinnati – Cleveland – Columbus – Detroit – Kansas City – Miami – New Orleans – Philadelphia – Pittsburgh – San Antonio – St. Louis
Venture for America was founded because so many high-potential recent college grads were heading to only a handful of cities, like New York or San Francisco, but not many were seeking opportunities in places like Cleveland, New Orleans, or Pittsburgh. We’re trying to change that.
We connect our Fellows with startup opportunities in 14 cities across the country. They live and work there, paired with more experienced entrepreneurs. They can learn alongside them and help grow companies to create jobs and revitalize those communities.
After their Fellowships are over, many VFA alums choose to stay in these communities and call them home.
Hire a fellowAlex is the single strongest young person I have ever worked with. Our company literally could not run without him.
– Nathan Labenz, Co-founder of SocialProof
