Venture for America class comes ‘together like lightning’ for Friday job fair in KC
April 25, 2018 | Startland News Staff
National fellowship program Venture for America is hoping to boost regional startups with an infusion of new talent.
VFA, a two-year program for recent college graduates who want to learn how to build businesses, is planning one of its four regional job fairs Friday in Kansas City.
The group — which launched in Kansas City in 2016 — is bringing more than 20 members of its incoming class of 2018 fellows to interview with startups based in Kansas City and St. Louis from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday at WeWork Corrigan Station. The fellows hail from such esteemed universities as Stanford, Yale, Washington University, Duke and Cornell.
“We are excited to make this a breakout year for Kansas City and the program by bringing together ground floor startups and emerging growth companies with our 2018 class,” said Colleen Jenkins, VFA’s director of Kansas City. “Members of the KC startup community have come together like lightning and rallied a ton of support around VFA. … We’ll look forward to showcasing the city and burgeoning ecosystem, and seeing the many meaningful connections that will come through this event.”
To become a fellow, students undergo five weeks of intensive training and professional development in which they learn from experts, entrepreneurs and industry leaders so they are ready to add value to their startups from Day 1, Jenkins said. Fellows then spend two years working at their startups, serving as core team members while learning first-hand how to contribute to a growing company.
Since its launch in 2011, Venture for America has contributed to the creation of more than 2,000 jobs in its partner cities, which include St. Louis, Denver, San Antonio and others.
While Kansas City is VFA’s newest market, it shows great promise to be a key hub for the organization, Jenkins said. With support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, VFA Kansas City plans to increase the cohort sizes in 2018, build a regional board and further ingrain itself into the community, she added.
To participate in the job fair, click here.
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Mid-America Angels’ injects $2.8M into nine startups during 2015
The Mid-America Angels, a Kansas City area-based angel investor network, closed 2015 on a high note with more than $2.8 million invested in nine ventures. The 2015 investment total is a near-20 percent increase in capital from 2014’s roughly $2.3 million invested. Rick Vaughn, the MAA’s managing director, said last year also was the most…
An insider’s guide to the 2016 Pipeline IOTY
One of the region’s most highly-esteemed and exclusive events — Pipeline’s Innovator of the Year — is set for this Thursday in Kansas City. Attracting some of the most powerful businesspeople in the Midwest, IOTY is one part pitch competition, two parts black-tie gala and four parts party. It’s a cocktail of entrepreneurial energy, and…
Digital Sandbox KC funding three UMKC student-led startups
Kansas City business incubator Digital Sandbox KC selected three student-led companies for proof-of-concept funding support Tuesday. The enterprises were selected from the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s E-Scholar program and will join three other E-Scholar companies selected in June as part of Digital Sandbox’s partnership with UMKC. Each student startup will receive $10,000 in project development…
Document: FarmLink raises additional $24.6M for ag tech
Ag tech startups in Kansas City are plowing a promising 2016. Kansas City-based FarmLink recently secured nearly $24.6 million in investment capital for its farming technology, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The company offers a suite of tech services for farmers, including analytics platform TrueHarvest and machinery sharing platform MachineryLink Sharing. TrueHarvest…