2022 Venture For America Fellowship
About Venture For America
Venture For America is a two-year Fellowship program for recent grads interested in entrepreneurship who want to work at a startup or high-growth business and create impact in American cities. Fellows apply for jobs within our private job portal, learn important startup skills starting at our summer Training Camp, and work for two years as full-time, salaried employees in one of 13 cities. Throughout the Fellowship and after, VFA provides regional and national programming to help Fellows grow into startup leaders and turn their business ideas into reality.
Why Venture For America?
Entrepreneurship is on the decline. America’s entrepreneurship rate has fallen by almost half for college graduates, but it’s a key driver of job and wealth creation. Entrepreneurship also improves productivity, spurs innovation, and solves problems facing consumers. But when individuals do choose to pursue careers in this sector, they encounter hurdles.
- Less than 5% of investment in 2020 went to female-founded companies
- Less than 1% of early venture funding goes to Black women
- 80% of venture capital is focused in three geographic markets, leaving other parts of the nation competing for remaining funds
Venture For America seeks to change that. We envision a country where anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur can be. We invest in recruiting a fellowship class that is diverse and represents our nation and, ultimately, aim to serve as an onramp to entrepreneurship for historically underrepresented groups. Since 2012, we have placed nearly 1,400 Fellows and Alumni in high-impact roles at more than 500 startups and high-growth companies and ecosystem support organizations. In our 2021 class, 51% of Fellows identify as women or gender non-conforming and 57% identify as a person of color.
By joining Venture For America you will:
- Acquire firsthand experience working in a startup as a full-time, salaried employee
- Gain tangible professional development and leadership training through our summer Training Camp, regional and national programming
- Work, learn, and grow alongside a community of entrepreneurial-minded Fellows
- Access long-term resources and programming to help you become a startup leader or founder
Where We Work and Live:
- Baltimore
- Birmingham
- Charlotte
- Cleveland
- Detroit
- Kansas City
- Miami
- New Orleans
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- San Antonio
- St. Louis
- Tulsa
Compensation and Benefits:
Though VFA provides ongoing programming and resources for members of our Fellowship community, Fellows are full-time employees of our Company Partners. Fellows receive salaries starting at $38,000 with 75% of Fellows making an income between $40-50,000. Fellows also receive the same benefits as other employees at their company. We recognize that personal finances vary from person to person, so additional funding for relocation may be available through Venture For America.
Requisites to Apply:
- You are early in your career (completed your undergraduate degree in the last three years) or will complete your undergraduate degree by June 2022
- Be a US citizen, permanent resident, DACA recipient or hold other work authorization through June 2024
- Are available to attend our summer Training Camp full-time in July 2022
Application Deadlines:
Apply online!
- Deadline 1: September 3, 2021
- Deadline 2: October 15, 2021
- Deadline 3: January 10, 2022
- Deadline 4: March 1, 2022
Apply at:
https://ventureforamerica.org/apply
What We Look For:
- Mission Alignment: You’re interested in entrepreneurship, want to work in an early-stage startup or high-growth company, and are interested in living in one of Venture For America’s 13 cities.
- Potential to Contribute: You are a self-starter, drawn to innovation, intellectually curious, and have entrepreneurial experience.
- Character: You are driven to create opportunities for others, open to change, like to solve problems, and are determined and ambitious.