VFA Rise
About VFA Rise
VFA Rise exists to empower, provide opportunities, and create a formal community space for Fellows and Alumni who identify with groups that are historically underrepresented or marginalized in the United States. Rise groups seek to provide members with identity-based support to help them succeed as leaders and Founders within entrepreneurial communities.
Rise Groups accomplish this through:
Community building
Shared cultural identity and support
Professional development programming
Networking and mentorship opportunities
Leadership opportunities
Collaboration with other Rise groups
VFA Rise is a partnership among Fellows, Alumni, the VFA Team, and our larger network. The program is spearheaded by the individual groups that fall under the VFA Rise umbrella with support from the VFA Programs team.
Interested in joining one or more of our Rise groups? Submit this quick form to get connected and begin receiving information about the group(s) you select!
build21
build21 is an empowerment network for Fellows/Alumni of African-American, Afro-Caribbean & African descent to directly connect personally and professionally with each other and experienced entrepreneurs of color in the high-growth entrepreneurial ecosystem, globally.
Leads: Kye Harris, Tim Hinton
Team Advisor: Andrew Albert
To Contact Leads: build21leads@ventureforamerica.org
Antha Prerna
VFA Antha Prerna is intended for Fellows and Alums who identify as South Asian or South Asian American to discuss race and identity in both professional and personal contexts. Antha Prerna (Unthuh Prayer-na) is a sanskrit phrase meaning "self motivated" and "entrepreneurial" which is where the word entrepreneur originated.
Leads: Zeenat Nadvi, Bijoy Shah, Rohan Sura, Amit Patel
Team Advisor: Julia Kortberg
To Contact Leads: vfaapleads@ventureforamerica.org
VFA WMN
VFA WMN is a community of women and allies who come together to provide resources, support, and space for conversation to empower women in VFA to meet their personal and professional goals.
Leads: Veronica Bido, Emma Dawson
Team Advisors: Bonnie Martinez & Megan Butler
To Contact Leads:
VFAmília
VFAmília is a resource group intended to connect fellows who identify as Latino/Latina/Latinx in order to create space for dialogue on the intersection between identity and professional development.
Leads: Fernando Bohorquez, Julian Razo, Aracely Cano-Gramajo
Team Advisor: Victoria Reyes
To Contact Leads:
VFAsians
VFAsians is a forum for Fellows and Alumni who identify as Asian or Asian-American to discuss race and identity in both professional and personal contexts, and access resources and connections.
Leads: Erin Lee, Nathan Nimbargi, Bijoy Shah
Team Advisor: Betsye Moon Park
To Contact Leads: vfasiansleads@ventureforamerica.org
MEDAN
Maydan is toolbox and community for fellows who identify as Middle Eastern or North African committed to the professional and personal development of each other in entrepreneurial environments, empowering each other through a connected network, and creating a dialogue around identity.
Pronunciation: May (like the month)- dan (like Daniel)
Leads: Jad Hamdan
VFA Team Advisor: Hilary Ferencak
To Contact Leads: vfamedanleads@ventureforamerica.org
VentureOut
As Venture for America’s community group for LGBTQ individuals and allies, VentureOut’s mission is to promote sexual orientation and gender identity diversity within VFA and the startup ecosystems in which VFA operates.
Co-Leads: Hadas Marcus, Nick Weiner, Morgan Vagts
Team Advisor: Mary Mercer, Mandi Ford Argo
To Contact Leads: ventureoutleads@ventureforamerica.org
To Contact Leads: ventureoutleads@ventureforamerica.org
Venture First
Venture First provides those who identify as first-generation college graduates and/or low-income individuals within the VFA community with professional and personal development opportunities through equitable access to mentorship, networks, and knowledge. We aim to empower one another through conversations, shared experiences, and resources.
Co-Leads: Oscar Guillén Arauz, Zachary Andreason
VFA Team Advisor: Sarah Olivarez
To Contact Leads: venturefirstleads@ventureforamerica.org
To Contact Leads: venturefirstleads@ventureforamerica.org
OyVeyFA
OyVeyFA seeks to provide a safe, welcoming, and fun community for Jews of any kind within Venture For America to connect. We intend to build a professional network to help community members overcome anti-Semitic obstacles, facilitate cultural conversations and experiences among both VFA’s Jewish community and allies, and support the individual and collective needs of VFA’s Jewish community.
Leads: David Mathisson
Team Advisor: Rebecca Smith
To Contact Leads: oyveyfaleads@ventureforamerica.org
To Contact Leads: ventureoutleads@ventureforamerica.org
Interested in joining one or more of our Rise groups? Submit this quick form to get connected and begin receiving information about the group(s) you select!
If you are interested in creating a new Rise Group, submit this form and a member of the VFA team will reach out to talk with you.