Venture for America teaches young college grads entrepreneurship that adds value to communities
Ryan Cleary has co-founded a business that helps a company s employees manage their paychecks.
Jeffrey Stern is a founding partner of a blockchain-based startup. In addition, he s running a podcast that focuses on Cleveland.
All three are alumni of Venture for America (VFA), a nonprofit that runs a two-year fellowship for recent college graduates who aspire to entrepreneurship. VFA was the creation of Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur who sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 and now seeks to be mayor of New York City.
Beyond just introducing recent college graduates to the world of entrepreneurship, VFA has a goal of building the communities it operates in. It has grown to 14 cities since its creation in 2011. It came to Cleveland in 2013.