VFA is a two-year fellowship program for recent grads who want to work at a startup and create jobs in American cities. Fellows learn important startup skills at our monthlong Training Camp, apply for jobs within our company network, and work for two years as full-time, salaried employees in one of 14 cities. When Fellows are ready to start a company—be it two years after college or ten—VFA has the resources (like prize competitions, an accelerator, and seed fund) to help make that dream a reality.
Eligibility Guidelines:
To be eligible to apply for the Venture For America Fellowship, you must:
Be a US Citizen, Permanent Resident, DACA Recipient or hold other work authorization that is valid through August 2023. Most of our Company Partners don’t have the resources to go through the process of sponsoring a visa, so we require independent work authorization through August of 2023 for all applicants.
Have earned your undergraduate degree by June 2021. By the time Training Camp starts in late June, you should be ready to go, with diploma in hand. The Fellowship continues immediately after training with a full-time, two-year commitment to work at a VFA Company Partner, most of whom require at least a Bachelor’s degree.
Have graduated with your first undergraduate degree in 2018 or later. Our Fellowship is designed for recent grads (meaning graduating seniors, those a year or two into their careers, or grad students with a year or two of advanced schooling). Our training, mentorship, and job opportunities are targeted to those fresh out of college, so if you have three or more years of professional experience or advanced schooling, this isn’t the right fit.
Note: we don’t have a GPA cutoff, but we do have high expectations across the board for our Fellows. If your classroom performance isn’t an accurate reflection of what you bring to the table or your ability to perform in a high-pressure environment, make sure to let us know why in your application.
All that said – if you feel very strongly that VFA is the right next step for you, but don’t meet one of the above criteria, you can still apply and make a case for why you’d be a great fit.