In the world of entrepreneurship, 10 years is a long time.
With every passing decade fresh new faces emerge with cutting-edge solutions to society’s most pressing problems, while established players who fail to innovate are swept along to the sidelines of history.
Venture For America (VFA), a nonprofit organization that provides a two-year fellowship program for recent college graduates looking to gain startup experience, has worked with enough entrepreneurs to see this “innovate or die” phenomenon play out time and time again.
Thus, in 2021, upon nearing their 10th birthday, VFA decided it was time to re-visit how they were doing things and come up with a plan to ensure they’d be celebrating their birthday for many more years to come.
After much internal reflection and external feedback, VFA realized that, at their core, they were Ecosystem Builders.
We recently sat down with Brandon Mitchell, VP of Company Partnerships at VFA, to learn more about this revelation.
We’re talking about helping companies scale, helping cities grow and develop…about fostering talent and being an onramp to entrepreneurship for communities normally underrepresented in entrepreneurship. Together these different parts comprise an ecosystem.
Looking towards the future
With a new strategic plan and platform in hand, Venture for America has its sights set on success.
The level of excitement that alumni and company partners have demonstrated (about the platform) has been awesome…we’re in the best place we’ve ever been in in terms of mission clarity…now it’s just time to execute.
Well said, Brandon.
Here at EcoMap, we’re looking forward to continue supporting Venture For America as they grow and expand their impact nation-wide. As a student-founded company, we understand the importance of introducing and promoting entrepreneurship to the leaders of tomorrow, and we’re excited to see how our combined efforts will help to shape the future of our country.
PS: Brandon, we’ll be on the lookout for an invite to the next birthday celebration.
Contact Us
If you or anyone you know needs help managing their fellowship, workforce development, and/or mentorship ecosystem, please don’t hesitate to contact us or schedule a platform demo.
We’ve been trusted by over 45 public and private organizations, including Meta, the State of Maryland, and of course, Venture For America.