Venture for America, Inc. (VFA) is a non-profit with a two-year fellowship program for recent college graduates and early career professionals who want to work at a startup and create jobs in American cities. Fellows learn important startup skills at their month-long Training Camp, apply for jobs within their company network, and work for two years as full-time, salaried employees in one of 13 U.S. cities, including San Antonio. By the end of their two-year Fellowship, Fellows have the opportunity to start their own entrepreneurial endeavors with support and resources from VFA.
In 2014, Venture For America expanded to San Antonio with the goal of creating a pipeline of vetted startup talent to fuel job growth in the city, while empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs to start their own companies locally. 54 Fellows have called San Antonio home, working at 29 San Antonio based startups and small businesses. There are 6 Fellow-founded companies based in San Antonio, with many more Fellows in the ideation phase or currently operating micro businesses. Two Fellow-Founded Companies include FloatMe and Sendspark.
VFA is seeking startups, small businesses and highly innovative organizations in the San Antonio community who are interested in interviewing and hiring their next team member. Venture for America’s rigorous selection process identifies talented, entrepreneurial minded young professional across the nation. Out of their typical application pool of 3100+, they will select the top 200 or so applicants to become Fellows in San Antonio and other VFA cities. The 2021 Fellow class is comprised of over 70% STEM backgrounds with over 30% having a Master’s degree and/or previous work experience.
To hire a 2021 Fellow or share a job opportunity with their 1200+ Fellow Alumni network, a company can contact Sarah Olivarez (sarah.olivarez@ventureforamerica.org, 832-276-5273). VFA’s 2021 Match process is detailed at https://ventureforamerica.org/hire-a-fellow/.
