Training Camp is behind us, and it was the best two weeks Ember has run yet. 26 Fellows spent July in Baltimore and it was everything we had hoped for: they bonded with the city, built lifelong friendships amongst themselves and also started to feel fully ingrained in the broader community thanks to the 65+ Alumni speakers who came and shared their wisdom.

In true start up fashion, Training Camp felt very much like we were building the plane as we were flying it. And after a couple days of rest, we jumped right back in to continue the Fellow job search and also start to lock in what comes next. More on this below.

With Gratitude,

Eileen Lee, Ember CEO

Table of Contents

1. What’s New With Ember

   1a. Training Camp: Two Weeks, 26 Fellows, One Baltimore

   1b. Building Toward 2027

   1c. Alumni Talent Agency — Growing Into a Real Engine

2. What's Next & How You Can Help

   2a. Help Us Define What The 2027 Fellowship Should Look Like

   2b. Support Ember — Become a Monthly Donor

3. Submit a Blurb for Next Time

   ---

1. What’s New With Ember

1a. Training Camp: Two Weeks, 26 Fellows, One Baltimore

26 Fellows landed in Baltimore for two weeks in July, and the camp built around them was the most ambitious program we’ve attempted so far. Roughly 65 speakers came through, most of them alumni, starting with Sean Lane and Elizabeth Duffield on day one. Andrew Yang spent an afternoon with the cohort talking about the year he had negative $100K in net worth, the friends who stuck around anyway, and why Ember’s earned-income model is the smart bet in a nonprofit landscape that is constantly shifting.

Outside of daily programming, Fellows had a lot of opportunities to explore Baltimore. They explored the cities many neighborhoods during a scavenger hunt their first weekend and cheered on the Orioles at the most riveting baseball game most of us had been to (ending with a drone show over Camden Yards). Halfway through Training Camp, Calum McClelland (Baltimore ‘16) led “Throne of Games”, a field game experience he’s been developing (think: real life Mario Party), which was followed by honest, vulnerable feedback sessions amongst Challenge Teams and viewing “Generation Startup” featuring Labib Rahman (Detroit ‘14) taking on the Hot Seat about what it was like to have a documentary film crew following you around in your first job.

Most importantly, the Fellows showed up. They were engaged for 14+ days, asking intelligent questions and breaking the stereotypes that we all might have had about Gen Z in the workplace.

Don’t believe us? See for yourself in this lo-fi hype video we made HERE!

1b. Building Toward 2027

We’re already deep in planning for next year, and a few decisions are locked in.

The 2027 cycle will run on a single application deadline: applications are now LIVE and close November 6th, with decisions out by December 15th and two or three selection days in early 2027 for final round Candidates to choose from. The cohort will remain small and intentional, capped around 30, a deliberate choice to protect quality over quantity as we grow.

The archetypes we recruit for are getting sharper too. Instead of casting a wide net across every function, we’re defining two or three fellow profiles, technical generalist, operations generalist, and go-to-market generalist, and vetting talent against what our company partners are telling us they need. If you’re a company partner reading this, we’ll likely be asking you directly what those profiles should look like in the next few months.

1c. Alumni Talent Agency — Growing Into a Real Engine

The Alumni Talent Agency, our year-round placement arm for experienced alumni, has grown to roughly $150K this year and is tracking toward over $200K in annual revenue. This line of business, which will eventually cover most of our annual budget, will enable us to provide a remarkable Fellow experience in perpetuity and continue creating value for Alumni long after the Fellowship ends,

Just as exciting is how many of our Fellows are going to work at Fellow Founded companies. Over half the Fellowship class is going to work in key roles at companies founded by our Alumni!

2. What’s Next & How You Can Help

2a. Help Us Define What the 2027 Fellowship Should Look Like

As we scope the 2027 archetypes, we want to hear from company partners directly: if we handed you three fellow profiles today, technical generalist, operations generalist, go-to-market generalist, which one would you actually hire? Reply to this email or reach out to companies@emberfellows.org. Answers from real hiring managers will shape who we recruit this fall.

• Put the action item here or delete this section if there isn’t one.

2b. Support Ember — Become a Monthly Donor

Training Camp doesn’t run on Alumni Talent Agency revenue alone. It runs on this community showing up financially the way it showed up in Baltimore. If you believe in what these 26 Fellows just went through, consider becoming a monthly donor.

👉 Make a tax-deductible donation HERE

3. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by September 24th

The next newsletter will be on Wednesday, September 30th, 2026. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) by Thursday, September 24th, 2026

Thanks for reading the Ember Community Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about Ember Community and Fellows.

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Hey fellow Fellows,

As we’re gearing up for Training Camp (starts in less than two weeks!), we wanted to send out one last invite to Reunion Weekend. A few exciting updates:

RSVP by July 12 for a chance to win 5 free tickets to see Shaq DJ

If you’ve ever wanted to give aux to a four-time NBA champion and three-time NBA Finals MVP, now is your chance! If your entire squad gets tickets to Reunion, that’s even more chances to win.

If you live in NYC or Philly, take the Community Party Bus to Baltimore

Roll into Alumni Reunion in Communal Fashion! This will only be an option if we get enough people to sign up, so if you’re keen then you should rally your local friends. Fill out this form if you’re interested.

Support Sean Wen ‘14 - his restaurant Curry Boys is hosting a pop-up with Beloved Baltimore Establishment Ekiben

Sean’s coming up to Baltimore and serving some delicious grub to cure your hangover (or fuel your post-sunrise-yoga-session recovery, for all our sober Fellows out there). We’d love to get a crowd to show Sean some love.

RSVP HERE - Hope to see you there!

Akhil Aniff (VFA ‘18, Columbus), Ben Weinberg (VFA ‘18, Birmingham), Eileen Lee (VFA OG Team)

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In this month’s newsletter, you’ll see indicators of all the momentum we’ve been building since our launch ~6 months ago in November. We’re re-investing in our four Core Cities (Baltimore, Birmingham, Atlanta, Detroit) and Fellows are already finding (and starting!) jobs. Training Camp and Alumni Reunion are locked in for July and we are SO excited to be bringing the community together to celebrate its continuity.

Behind all of this: the Ember Community is stepping up. We truly could not have made this much progress this quickly without you all. Alumni are volunteering to teach sessions at Training Camp. Hiring managers across the network are surfacing roles for Fellows and fellow Alums. The Ember Community is our top financial donor: you all are voting with your wallets to make this whole thing possible.

Read on for details, asks, and additional opportunities to co-create..

With Gratitude,

Eileen Lee, Ember CEO

Table of Contents

1. What’s New With Ember

   • 1a. Five Fellow Offers in Six Weeks

   • 1b. The QuantHub Story (Soft Launch)

   • 1c. Connect Update — Where We Stand

   • 1d. Welcome Ethan & Saleena — Our Summer Interns

   • 1e. Ember on Stage

   • 1f. Ember in the News

2. What’s Next & How You Can Help

   • 2a. Training Camp: Six Weeks Out — Final Call for Volunteer Instructors

   • 2b. Alumni Reunion in Baltimore — Tickets Are Live

   • 2c. Help Us Find More Company Partners

   • 2d. Support Ember — Become a Monthly Donor

3. Bulletin Board: Launches, Good News & Community Initiatives

   • 3a. Jake (’19) & Shea (’18) Released an Album!

   • 3b. Dylan (’18) & Kristen (’17) Launched RunReach

   • 3c. Nico Krachenfels (Bham ‘18) Built a Calculator to Estimate How Much Money You Actually Need

   • 3d. The Mindful Tech Club — Customer Discovery

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time

   ---

1. What’s New With Ember

1a. Five Fellow Offers in Six Weeks

Since our last newsletter, the 2026 cohort has put together a real run: five Fellows have received offers across our Core cities in the past six weeks, with several more in final-round interviews. Three have officially accepted and we expect more signed offers in the coming days.

A few things worth naming. The offers are spread across all four BBAD cities; Birmingham, Baltimore, Atlanta and Detroit. They span Chief of Staff roles, early stage operations using AI and some engineering roles. And they’re coming from companies that didn’t know us six months ago, a sign that the road shows and the relationships our alumni have helped open are starting to compound.

We’re running weekly office hours with the cohort on everything from persistence in email communication to how to evaluate competing offers. We’ll be spotlighting Fellows individually on LinkedIn over the next few weeks; keep an eye out and please share when you see them.

1b. The CoPa Case Story (Soft Launch)

Over the past six months, QuantHub, a Birmingham-based AI education company, hired four people from the Ember network. Not one, four. Across three different seniority levels: a 2026 Fellow placed as Chief of Staff (18 days from first intro to signed offer), two experienced Alumni hires, and an HR Director placement through the Ember+ referral program

We’re putting together a longer write-up of how it happened; what made the partnership work, what the time-to-hire actually looked like, and what it cost QuantHub relative to going through traditional recruiters. The full case study will live on our blog soon. If you’re a founder or hiring leader who wants the early read, reach out to akhil@emberfellows.org.

The short version: when the talent funnel is built right with Ember’s help, one Company Partner can hire across the full spectrum of their needs.

1c. Connect Update; Where We Stand

Connect, our internal job board, continues to grow. We’re at roughly a 1:1 ratio of roles to Fellows now, and we’re actively onboarding new companies every week. Recent additions include TrayVerify, Nyad, Invest Atlanta, Linq, Buildforce, and others.

We still need more roles, especially in Detroit. Some of our remaining 2026 Fellows are looking for technical, marketing, and sales roles, and we want every Fellow to have a strong set of options so they can find their Fellowship job before Training Camp.

If your company is hiring, or you know someone who is, reach out to companies@emberfellows.org.

1d. Welcome Ethan & Saleena — Our Summer Interns!

We’re thrilled to introduce two new faces to the Ember team.

Ethan Schwartzberg is studying Accounting and Business Analytics at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. Ethan is leading our content and marketing efforts this summer. He’s been building out the content calendar, telling Fellow and Company Partner stories, and making sure the work happening behind the scenes actually reaches the people who care about it.

Saleena Tiwari comes to us from Georgia Tech and is leading our internal operations and skills work, including building out the Ember team’s AI workflows, sharpening how we use Claude across the team, and identifying which of our internal automations are worth scaling. She’s already shipped meaningful work in her first two weeks.

Both joined us in mid-May and will be with us through the summer, including in person at Training Camp. If you cross paths with either of them, give them a warm Ember welcome.

1e. Ember on Stage

On the same day in late April, Ben and Akhil were both out telling the Ember story to two very different audiences.

Ben ran a Lunch and Learn at the Maryland Innovation Center in Columbia, MD, on cultivating entry-level talent, what early-stage companies actually need from their first hires and how Ember thinks about developing it. Two 2026 Fellows, Austin Tran and Avinash Srinivasan, showed the companies in attendance the caliber of Ember Fellows!

Akhil spoke the same day at the NYU Stern School of Business, invited by Andrew Foley (VFA ‘14) to his Strategy class. The talk covered the program, what it takes to be an effective startup employee, and how to navigate the challenge of finding good employment matches at early-stage firms. From Andrew’s LinkedIn post afterward: “As a former VFA fellow myself, it was especially meaningful to have him share the same kind of practical insight that shaped my own early career.”

If you’d like Ember to speak at your university, accelerator, or local ecosystem event, whether that’s a class, a panel, or a happy hour, reach out to hello@emberfellows.org.

1f. Ember in the News

We hit the press for the first time under the Ember banner. Two solid pieces in the last couple of weeks, with more in the works.

Technical.ly: Ember Fellowship picks up where Venture for America left off with a new talent pipeline program (April 29).

Hypepotamus: The Ember Fellowship Launches In Atlanta, Birmingham To Help Local Startup Ecosystem Hire Emerging Talent (May 7).

Both pieces have already driven inbound interest from companies and prospective Fellows. If you know a journalist or local outlet who should be writing about Ember, send them our way at hello@emberfellows.org.

2. What’s Next & How You Can Help

2a. Training Camp: Six Weeks Out. Final Call for Volunteer Instructors

Training Camp kicks off July 10th in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Two weeks. Thirty Fellows. Four pillars: professionalization, startup mindsets, technical and AI skills, and community and culture.

The speaker lineup is filling in fast. We have a few remaining slots and we’re especially looking for:

• Sessions on AI fluency, agent-building, and practical AI workflows (we want our Fellows showing up on day one as the most AI-fluent hires their companies have ever seen)

• Sessions on sales fundamentals, BD, and pipeline-building for non-sales people who’ll need it on the job

• Sessions on finance, fundraising, and how to read a cap table from the operator’s seat

• Alumni to share their fellowship and career journeys - we’re looking for a diverse set of experiences and backgrounds

If you can teach a session, lead a workshop, or share your expertise — email eileen@emberfellows.org

We’re also still looking for Training Camp sponsors. Financial sponsorship, in-kind contributions, or hosting a session. Reach out to eileen@emberfellows.org.

2b. Alumni Reunion in Baltimore: Tickets Are Live

We’re bringing the Ember community together in Baltimore this summer, and tickets are now live. This is the first Reunion under the Ember banner. It’s a chance to reconnect with your cohort and meet Fellows from the 2026 class.

Grab your ticket here. Early-bird pricing won’t last. We’ll be sending direct outreach in the coming days, but don’t wait.

If you know someone who’d want to be there, forward this. The bigger the crowd, the better the weekend.

2c. Help Us Find More Company Partners

This remains our biggest ongoing task: warm intros to companies hiring in Birmingham, Baltimore, Atlanta, and especially in Detroit. Startups and growth-stage companies that would be great homes for Fellows and alumni.

A warm intro from an alum converts at a dramatically higher rate than a cold email from us. Your local knowledge is our biggest competitive advantage.

Send connections or ideas to companies@emberfellows.org.

2d. Support Ember: Become a Monthly Donor

Ember is proving out a self-sustaining model. Alumni Talent Agency revenue is real and growing. But we still need philanthropic support to scale, especially to fund Training Camp, city-based operations, and Fellow programming. Every dollar donated goes directly toward building the infrastructure that makes this community work.

Thanks to the 200+ alumni donors who have already contributed to making Ember a reality.

If you believe in what we’re building, consider becoming a monthly donor. Even $25/month adds up fast across our community of 1,600+ alumni.

👉 Make a tax-deductible donation HERE

3. Bulletin Board: Launches, Good News & Community Initiatives

Things alumni are building, launching, and asking for help with.

3a. Jake (’19) & Shea (’18) Released an Album!

Jake Margolis and Shea Fallick met in Baltimore and instantly realized they had musical chemistry. Although they moved to different cities soon after the fellowship, they’ve been meeting up in Airbnbs and each other’s places with their friend Tyler since 2022, making experimental indie rock songs in a hackathon-like setting, with every song written, composed, and recorded in 2 to 4 days.

They released their first album in May and want you to listen.

🎧 Check out The Squeeze by Charmerton on Spotify or any other streaming service:

3b. Dylan (’18) & Kristen (’17) Launched RunReach

Dylan Yuska (Philly 2018) and Kristen Thut (Philly 2017) teamed up to launch and scale RunReach, a platform that helps brands reach active consumers through race event sponsorships. From getting samples into hands to building awareness, RunReach makes IRL marketing easy, effective, and scalable.

Dylan and Kristen met through VFA Philly and worked closely together at fellow-founded company LeagueSide for five years. They’re taking their learnings from their LeagueSide days and turning 5Ks, 10Ks, and marathons into a new marketing channel.

Six months in, they’re already working with leading brands including Chomps, Yum! Brands, and Mezcla.

Know a brand that might be a good fit? Refer to them and earn a $250 Amazon gift card. Email dylan@getrunreach.com for more info.

🏃 Learn more:getrunreach.com

3c. Nico (’18) Built a Calculator to Estimate How Much Money You Actually Need

Nico Krachenfels (Birmingham ‘18) has been building a web app that helps you define what “enough” money looks like for yourself.

How it works: You describe your ideal lifestyle, and the app estimates how much that life would cost — plus the salary you’d need to pay for it through retirement (accounting for taxes, inflation, safety net, etc.). You can play with different life scenarios (earlier retirement, a year without working) and see how your numbers change.

Nico’s ask: Give it a spin. It’s 100% free and send him feedback afterward. Big thank you to anyone who tried the earlier version. Right now it only works for the US.

💰 Try it: enoughmoney.life 📧 Feedback: nicoskrachenfels@gmail.com

3d. The Mindful Tech Club — Customer Discovery

Simrat Oberoi (‘23) and Sarah Tatarski (‘22) are doing more customer discovery for The Mindful Tech Club and would love your feedback.

If you have a few minutes, they’d love to learn about your preferences and any strategies you currently use to manage your social media or tech consumption. The survey should only take a few minutes.

If you’re available for a deeper conversation, they’d be grateful for a ~30-minute interview.

📋 Take the survey: https://forms.gle/4F3757rS5bKqk53t7

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by June 10th

The next newsletter will go out on Thursday, June 11, 2026. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) by Wednesday, June 10th.

Thanks for reading the Ember Community Newsletter. Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about the Ember Community and Fellows

Subscribe now

Our first ever Ember Community Reunion is happening this summer and we would love to see you there! You can see more info and buy tickets here.

Here are the details:

• Sat July 26, 2026 @ 7PM - 11PM

• Power Plant Live!, Baltimore

Most people will spend the entire weekend in Baltimore, but the main event will be on Saturday. This will be the last weekend of Training Camp, so it will be a great opportunity to meet the 2026 Fellows while reconnecting with other alums.

This is a reunion, not a conference. We’re not stuffing the weekend with speakers and panels; just good people, great energy, and the kind of conversations that only happen when the whole community is in the same place.

Grab your ticket now! Early bird pricing ends June 1.

• Monthly donors ($10+/mo): $20

• General: $40

Buy Tickets and RSVP on Luma →

Your ticket covers the event (venue + staff time) and helps us at Ember keep putting on gatherings like this. Prices increase June 1 and July 1. Become a monthly donor to unlock the lower rate.

That’s all for now! Save the date, grab your ticket, and tell your fellow Fellows to do so as well.

See you in Baltimore! 🔥

Submit a Blurb for Next Time by May 13th

The next newsletter will be on Thursday, May 14, 2026. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) by Wednesday, May 13th,

Thanks for reading the Ember Community Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about Ember Community and Fellows.

Subscribe now

Two months ago we told you we weren’t playing around. Now we have the receipts: two 2026 Fellows have officially accepted offers and are starting at their companies, several more are in final-round interviews, and our Connect job board is live and growing with new roles every week. The flywheel is turning.

On the ground, we completed road shows in Baltimore and Birmingham — meeting Company Partners, reconnecting with alumni, and laying the groundwork for Fellows to land in these cities this summer. And behind the scenes, we’re designing Training Camp, our two-week intensive in Baltimore that kicks off July 10th. More on all of this below — including how you can help shape it.

Meanwhile, the Alumni Talent Agency continues to generate revenue and place alumni into meaningful roles, and we’re excited to tell you about how you can hire a 2026 Fellow, even if you’re not in one of our Core cities.

Read on for details, asks, and gratitude.

Eileen Lee, Ember CEO

Table of Contents

1. What’s New With Ember

   • 1a. Two Fellows Placed — More on the Way

   • 1b. Road Shows: Baltimore and Birmingham Recap

   • 1c. Connect Is Live — Looking for Even More Roles

   • 1d. Ember Edge: Hire a 2026 Fellow outside of our Core cities

   • 1e. Alumni Talent Agency Update

   • 1f. Ember Community meetup in Austin

2. What’s Next & How You Can Help

   • 2a. Training Camp: July 10–26 in Baltimore — Help Shape the Curriculum

   • 2b. Help Us Find More Company Partners

   • 2c. Support Ember — Become a Monthly Donor

3. Submit a Blurb for Next Time

   ---

1. What’s New With Ember

1a. Two Fellows Placed — More on the Way

Our first 2026 Fellow placement — the one who went from Selection Day to employed in five weeks — is now on the job and thriving. And he’s not alone: a second Fellow has accepted an offer and will be starting on June 1st. Several others are in final-round interviews and advancing through pipelines with Company Partners across our Core cities (Baltimore, Birmingham, Atlanta, Detroit).

We’re running weekly office hours with the cohort covering everything from total compensation and negotiation tactics to how to evaluate an early offer. The energy from this group is real — they’re hungry, engaged, and supporting each other through the process.

1b. Road Shows: Baltimore and Birmingham Recap

We hit the road in late March and early April to spend time in two of our Core cities.

In Baltimore (March 30–31), we hosted a happy hour at R. House, gave a lunch presentation at Spark Coworking, and met with local company partners and ecosystem leaders. In Birmingham (April 7), we connected with partners at Harmony Venture Labs and met with companies across the startup ecosystem, including Innovation Depot, Innovate Alabama, and Landing.

These trips are how we build the relationships and local knowledge that make our placements stick. If you were at either event, thank you for showing up. Expect us back in both cities soon.

1c. Connect Is Live — And We Need More Roles

Connect, our internal job board for Fellows, is up and running. In Connect, Fellows can browse active listings, read about Company Partners, and express interest in roles. We’re actively onboarding companies and adding new positions every week — recent additions include roles from companies like Saltbox, Florence Healthcare, Harmony Venture Labs, and others.

We have about a 1:1 Job:Fellow ratio now, but we’d like more. Some of our listings are technical roles that require targeted matchmaking, and we want to make sure every Fellow has a strong set of options. If your company is hiring — or you know someone who is — reach out to companies@emberfellows.org.

1d. Ember Edge: Hire a 2026 Fellow outside of our Core cities

We’re piloting something new for Connect: Ember Edge. The idea is simple — when an Ember Community Member is a hiring manager or director-level+ leader at a company, no matter where the company is based, they can hire an Incoming Fellow through Connect.

We’re treating Edge on a case-by-case, experimental basis for now and will share more as we learn what works. If you’re an alum in a hiring position and interested in being an early Ember Edge partner, email akhil@emberfellows.org.

1e. Alumni Talent Agency Update

The Alumni Talent Agency continues to hum. We’re actively working with alumni across every stage of the job search — from early exploration to offer negotiation — and placing candidates into mid-level and senior roles with Company Partners. Our Q1 revenue of $60K set a strong foundation, and we’re building on that momentum heading into Q2.

If you’re hiring, email akhil@emberfellows.org. If you’re job-seeking, fill out our intake form here.

1f. Ember Community Meetup in Austin

We really enjoyed getting to catch up with all of our alums in Austin last week! The Ember Team tries to convene folks whenever we’re in your city, so look out for more opportunities to get together in the coming year.

2. What’s Next & How You Can Help

2a. Training Camp: July 10–26 in Baltimore — Help Shape the Curriculum

Training Camp is on for this summer! July 10th - 26th in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Two weeks of intensive programming before our Fellows start at their companies. We’re building the curriculum around four pillars: professionalization, startup mindsets, technical and AI skills, and community and culture.

We sent out a call for ideas earlier this month and the response has been incredible — alumni have been sharing their favorite training camp memories, pitching new session ideas, and volunteering to teach. If you haven’t weighed in yet, there’s still time. We’re looking for two things:

1. Session ideas — What do you wish you’d learned before starting at your fellowship company? What would have made you more effective in week one?

2. Volunteer instructors — Want to teach a session, lead a workshop, or share your expertise with the next generation? We’d love to have you.

Fill out the interest form HERE or email hello@emberfellows.org.

We’re also looking for Training Camp sponsors. If you or your company would be interested in supporting Training Camp — whether through financial sponsorship, in-kind contributions, or hosting a session — please reach out to eileen@emberfellows.org.

2b. Help Us Find More Company Partners

This remains our biggest ask: warm introductions to companies hiring in Birmingham, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Detroit. We’re looking for startups and growth-stage companies that would be great homes for our Fellows and alumni. If you know founders, hiring managers, or HR leaders in any of our cities, connect them with us at companies@emberfellows.org.

Your local knowledge is our biggest competitive advantage. A warm intro from an alum converts at a dramatically higher rate than a cold email from us.

2c. Support Ember — Become a Monthly Donor

Ember is proving out a self-sustaining model — our talent agency revenue is real and growing. But we still need philanthropic support to scale, especially to fund Training Camp, city-based operations, and Fellow programming. Every dollar donated goes directly toward building the infrastructure that makes this community work.

Thanks to the 200+ alumni donors who have already contributed to making Ember a reality!

If you believe in what we’re building, consider becoming a monthly donor. Even $25/month adds up fast across our community of 1,600+ alumni.

👉 Make a tax-deductible donation HERE

3. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by May 13th

The next newsletter will be on Thursday, Mat 14, 2026. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) by Wednesday, May 13th,

Thanks for reading the Ember Community Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about Ember Community and Fellows.

Subscribe now

Hey Ember Community!

Quick update from the Ember team: we’ve officially locked in a venue for Training Camp in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor neighborhood, July 10th through the 26th. Our 33 Fellows will spend two weeks together before starting at their companies, and we want your help shaping what those two weeks look like.

Training Camp is the launchpad — the stuff that sticks with you for years. Many of you still reference things you learned during your own training camps, and we want this one to be just as memorable.

We’re building the curriculum around four areas:

1. Professionalization — showing up one step more professional than the company culture, writing easily forwardable emails, navigating your first weeks, making a strong first impression

2. Startup Mindset — growth mindset, internal locus of control, failing forward, patience and persistence, negotiation basics

3. Technical / AI — AI-first workflows, practical tools, do’s and don’ts for working at a startup in 2026, building with AI agents

4. Community & Culture — credos, team-building, the stuff that turns a cohort into a family

This is where you come in. We’d love to hear from you on two things:

1. What topics or skills do you wish you’d learned before starting your fellowship? What would have made the biggest difference in your first 90 days?

2. Would you be interested in leading a session, speaking, or teaching during Training Camp? Whether it’s a workshop, a talk, a panel, or something totally different — we’re open.

Drop your ideas and interest in this form HERE!

To give you a sense of the vibe we’re going for — here are some ideas already on the table:

• The Paperclip Challenge — you start with a paperclip and trade up with strangers as many times as you can in an hour. Teaches you to pitch, face rejection, and think on your feet.

• The Art Meditation Challenge — inspired by a Harvard professor who requires students to stare at one piece of art for three hours with no technology. Teaches patience, observation, and sitting with discomfort. (We have some world-class art museums in Baltimore to make this happen.)

• Pecha Kucha Presentations — 20 slides, 20 seconds each. Rite of passage for everyone in this community

• Daily Credo Talks — a VFA tradition. Fellows share a personal value or belief with the group each morning.

• Talent Show — self-explanatory. We already know one Fellow went to circus school, so the bar is high.

• Locus of Control Workshop — one of the most referenced sessions from past training camps. Understanding what you can and can’t control, and acting accordingly.

• Entrepreneurship 101 — LLC vs. C-corp, basic startup mechanics, how the companies you’re joining actually work under the hood.

• “Digital Detox” Exercises — unplugging, slowing down, and building the discipline to be present. Think anti-hustle culture for people who are about to hustle very hard.

We’re going for a mix of practical and transformative — things that will make them better at their jobs and better at life. If you’ve got an idea that doesn’t fit neatly into a category, send it anyway.

More details on exact schedules, speakers, and logistics coming soon. For now, save the dates and send us your ideas.

Thanks for helping us make this great.

Eileen, Ben & Akhil

P.S - check out some picture from our recent trips to Baltimore and Birmingham!

5. Submit a Blurb next time by April 16

The next newsletter will be on Thursday, April 17, 2026. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) by Wednesday, April 16th.

Thanks for reading the Ember Community Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about the Ember Community and Fellows.

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Spring is here and so is a LOT of momentum. Since our last update, we’ve completed two Selection Days (Detroit on Feb 27 and NYC on March 13), selected our inaugural cohort of 33 Ember Fellows, and — true to our theme of speed to value — have already placed one Fellow in a job! Another Fellow just received an offer, and several others are in final-round interviews. We’re not playing around.

On the alumni side, the Alumni Talent Agency is generating real revenue. In Q1 alone, we’ve brought in $60K in revenue from multiple alumni placements — profitable, mission-aligned dollars that reduces our reliance on fundraising. We’ve also helped several others navigate their job searches and land senior-level roles.

Meanwhile, we’ve signed agreements with 20+ Company Partners (CoPas) to hire from our community and we’re on track to close another 20 by the end of April, focusing on finding jobs for our 2026 Fellow Class.

Read on for more details, gratitude, and how you can help.

Eileen Lee
Ember CEO
emberfellows.org

Table of Contents

1. What’s New With Ember

   • 1a. 33 Fellows Selected — and Already Getting Placed

   • 1b. Selection Days in Detroit & NYC Were Incredible

   • 1c. Alumni Talent Agency: $60K in Q1 Revenue

   • 1d. 20+ Company Partners Signed, 20 More on the Way

2. What’s Next & How You Can Help

   • 2a. Road Shows Coming to Baltimore and Birmingham

   • 2b. Help Us Connect with Company Partners in the B.B.A.D Cities

   • 2c. Support Ember — Become a Monthly Donor

3. Gratitude Shout-Outs

   • 3a. Thank You to Our Selection Day Judges & Volunteers

4. Community Bulletin Board

   • 4a. Merchpath (Ivan Hadzhiev, ‘22) is live!

   • 4b. Adeel Afshar (’19) — 1:1 Tutoring Openings at Afshar Academy

   • 4c. Alora Cash (’20) — Searching for a Business to Buy and Run

5. “The Tower” Blooper Reel

6. Submit a Blurb next time by April 16

   ---

1. What’s New With Ember

1a. 33 Fellows Selected — and Already Getting Placed

After 500+ applications, 3 Selection Days across Atlanta, Detroit, and New York, and countless hours of review, we’ve selected 33 Fellows for the inaugural 2026 Ember cohort. These are exceptional recent grads who went through our rigorous, multi-round selection process — and they’re already proving it. View their profiles here.

Fellow Spotlight — Speed to Value in Action: One of our 2026 Fellows interviewed at Selection Day in Atlanta on January 23rd. He received his Fellowship offer on January 30th — one week later. He accepted on February 6th and immediately started interviewing with Company Partners. By March 1st, he told us he’d accepted a job offer, would be starting work on March 16th and will be moving to Birmingham on April 1st. From Selection Day to employed in five weeks. And he’s already giving back — he volunteered at our NYC Selection Day on March 13th. That’s the Ember flywheel in action.

1b. Selection Days in Detroit & NYC Were Incredible

Since our last newsletter, we hosted two more Selection Days — Detroit on February 27 and NYC on March 13. If you’ve seen the pictures of the infamous “Tower” exercise, you know the energy was high. These events brought together applicants, alumni judges, and community partners for an intense, collaborative day of interviews and group exercises. It’s a format we’re proud to carry forward from VFA’s best days, and we’re making it our own.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered! Full list below in the Gratitude section!

1c. Alumni Talent Agency: $60K in Q1 Revenue

Our Alumni Talent Agency connects Company Partners hiring for mid-level and senior-level roles with alumni looking for their next career move. It’s working. In Q1 2026 alone, we’ve generated $60K in realized revenue placing alumni into roles — including several in senior-level positions. These are real dollars that directly fund Ember’s operations and reduce our reliance on donations.

We’ve also been coaching alumni through their searches — from interview prep to offer negotiation. We’ve connected with over 100 alumni, at every stage of the job search process, to connect them with our network, help them gain clarity on what they’re looking for, and coach them through receiving an offer. That’s the kind of hands-on, high-touch support that makes Ember different.

If you’re hiring, email akhil@emberfellows.org. If you’re job-seeking, fill out our intake form here.

1d. 20+ Company Partners Signed, 20 More on the Way

We’ve signed agreements with more than 20 companies to hire Ember Fellows and alumni, with another 20 projected by end of April. Our Company Partners include companies like QuantHub, Verisoul, Hush, Edible Arrangements, Ash & Erie and more — spanning startups and growth-stage companies across our four launch cities.

2. What’s Next & How You Can Help

2a. Road Shows: Baltimore (March 30–31) and Birmingham (April 7)

We’re hitting the road to meet Company Partners, alumni, and city stakeholders in person in two of our launch cities.

Baltimore — March 30–31

• Happy Hour — Monday, March 30, 5–7pm at Guilford Hall Brewery. Come hang out, reconnect, and hear about what we’re building. All alumni and friends of Ember welcome! RSVP and more details here.

• Stakeholder meetings — We’ll be meeting with local companies and partners, including lunch presentations at Spark Coworking and the Maryland Innovation Center and meetings with company partners. If you’re a Baltimore-based company or know someone who should meet us while we’re in town, reach out to ben@emberfellows.org.

Birmingham — April 7

• Happy Hour @ Harmony Venture Labs — Join us to hear more detailed updates about Ember and connect with other folks in the Birmingham ecosystem. Feel free to invite potential company partners or people you think we should connect with! RSVP and more details here.

• Stakeholder meetings — If you’re in Birmingham and want to connect or help us set up meetings, email hello@emberfellows.org or drop a note in #ember-volunteers in the Fellows Slack.

2b. Help Us Connect with Company Partners in B.B.A.D Cities

Our biggest ask right now: warm introductions to companies hiring in Birmingham, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Detroit. We’re looking for startups and growth-stage companies that would be great fits for our Fellows (entry-level) and alumni (mid-to-senior level). If you know founders, hiring managers, or HR leaders in any of these cities, please connect them with us at companies@emberfellows.org.

Ben has already been reaching out to alumni in each city to crowdsource Company Partner leads — if you got one of those emails, please respond! Your local knowledge is our biggest competitive advantage.

2c. Support Ember — Become a Monthly Donor

Ember is building something sustainable — our talent agency revenue proves it. But we still need philanthropic support to scale, especially to fund Fellow programming, Training Camp, and city-based operations. If you believe in what we’re doing, consider becoming a monthly donor. Even $25/month adds up fast across our community.

👉 Make a tax-deductible donation here

3. Gratitude Shout-Outs

3a. Thank You to Our Selection Day Judges & Volunteers

We couldn’t run Selection Days without the alumni and community members who show up to judge, interview, and support candidates. A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered at our Detroit and NYC Selection Days:

Detroit (Feb 27)

• Facilitators: Alex Persky-Stern (’13), Yelitsa Jean-Charles (’16), Steven Mazur (’13), Sean Jackson (’13)

• Judges: Niles Heron, Max Eisenberg (’12), Naabia Romain (’21), Nicole Muthoni (’24), Lindsey Kilbride, Trista Van Tine, Diana Callaghan, Rich Chang

• Special thanks to Caleb Conley ('20) and Gino Gaggino ('17) for volunteering on the ground in Detroit to help make Selection Day happen.

NYC (March 13)

• Special thanks to Gil Orozco ('20) and Muhan Zhang ('15) for helping us find free hosting space for NYC Selection Day

• Facilitators: Connie Bowen (’16), Sean Lane (’12), Billy Schrero (’12), Isaac MacDonald (’15), Akash Shah (’16), Brooks Sime (’16), Elizabeth Duffield (’16)

• Judges: Evan Brandoff (’13), Shadman Uddin (’18), Caroline Lutkewitte (’18), Liz Treacy (’17), Andreas Betancourt (’17), Caitlin Morelli (’16), Andre Gomes (’18), Muhan Zhang (’15), Zua Sanchez, Bryant Yik (’12), Alex Baca (’14), Lauren Gill, Ryan West (’16), Richard Montauk

• Day-Of Volunteers: Alexander Hong (’24), Erin Lee (’22), Kien Tran (’24), Sarah Tatarski (’22), Priyanka Jain (’20), Ahmed Hassanein (’26), Avinash Srinivasan (’26)

And a continued thank you to everyone who helped at our earlier Selection Day in Atlanta and as virtual application reviewers!

4. Community Bulletin Board

4a. Merchpath (Ivan Hadzhiev, ‘22) is live! Looking for feedback on what to build next.

Ivan is building the curated merch platform for startups — branded swag that people actually want to keep, not stuff that collects dust in a closet. He just launched and is looking for two things from the community: product feedback (what brands or categories would make you recommend Merchpath to the person in charge of ordering swag at your company?) and LinkedIn love. Poke around at www.merchpath.co and email ivan@merchpath.co with thoughts. Help out by liking his launch post on LinkedIn.

4b. Adeel Afshar (’19) Started a Tutoring Company — 1:1 Openings at Afshar Academy

Adeel launched Afshar Academy, offering 1:1 tutoring for middle and high school students in math, science, writing, study skills, and test prep. Each student gets a clear weekly plan and parents get progress updates. If you know a student who could use a steady coach in their corner, reach out to Adeel at 847-331-0372 or email afshar.adeel@gmail.com.

4c. Alora Cash (’20) Is Searching for a Business to Buy and Run

Alora has approximately $10M in investor capital (backed by Search Fund Accelerator, 27 prior transactions) to find, acquire, and operate a small to midsize business through Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition. She’s looking for businesses with $1–5M in EBITDA (roughly $5–25M in annual revenue), ideally B2B services where the current owner is looking to retire or move on. The more niche the business, the better. If you know any folks or companies that might be a good fit, reach out at alora@fayestonellc.com or visit fayestonellc.com.

5. “The Tower” Blooper Reel

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you give a group of ambitious, competitive recent grads a pile of random office supplies and tell them to build the tallest freestanding structure they can in 10 minutes — now you know. Some towers soared. Others... did not.

It’s been alleged that “the answer is always triangles.” We’ll let you be the judge. Swipe through some of the best (and worst) attempts from our Detroit and NYC Selection Days below.

5. Submit a Blurb next time by April 16

The next newsletter will be on Thursday, April 17, 2026. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) by Wednesday, April 16th.

Thanks for reading the Ember Community Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about the Ember Community and Fellows.

Subscribe now

It’s been an amazing start to the new year. We made it official — Ben Weinberg (‘18, Birmingham) is a co-founder of Ember! Together with Akhil Aniff (‘18, Columbus), we as the founding team of Ember have been hard at work launching the 2026 Fellowship. We couldn’t do it without the support (financial, intellectual, emotional, the list goes on) of this community. Read on below about all of this, including our very long list of gratitude. Thank you for being a part of this next chapter with us!

Eileen Lee
Ember CEO
emberfellows.org

Table of Contents

1. What’s New With Ember

   1. Ben Weinberg (‘18, Birmingham) joins Eileen as Co-Founder!

   2. Hiring? Try Ember’s “Alumni Talent Agency”

   3. Atlanta Selection Day was awesome!

   4. Looking for a new job? Check out our new and improved community job board

2. What's Next & How You Can Help

   1. We need 20 volunteers this week to help us review Video Applications for Round 2!

   2. 2b. Happy Hours & Selection Days: Feb 27 in Detroit and March 13 in NYC — Seeking Volunteers & an Office Space

   3. Actively Sourcing Entry-Level Roles for the 2026 Ember Fellowship

   4. Launching a public Ember newsletter soon…

3. Gratitude Shout-Outs

   1. Fellows are funding Ember — THANK YOU!

   2. Fellows are fueling Ember — THANK YOU!

4. Community Bulletin Board

   1. Sonder Health (co-founded by Akash Shah, ‘16 and Elizabeth Duffield, ‘16) is live! Seeking Founding Engineers and help us by liking our posts!

   2. Rayne Elder (‘22) is Looking for Instructors with Retail Experience for Nonprofit Workshop

   3. Julia Wang (‘17) works for an org w/ FREE programs on bank referrals, due diligence for Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition

   4. Sarah Tatarski (‘22) is offering workshops through The Mindful Tech Club

   5. Nadia Laher (‘15) Accepting New Therapy Clients

   6. Julia Kortberg (‘16) Offering Coaching Services

   7. Tom Krumins (‘17) Launching Political Tech Startup CampaignAI

5. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by March 19

   ---

1. What’s New With Ember

1a. Ben Weinberg (‘18, Birmingham) joins Eileen as Co-Founder!

We are thrilled to share that Ben Weinberg has joined Eileen Lee and the Ember team officially as co-founder. We’re still sorting out the details, but we are so excited for what this means for our future. Ben was key in the early Venture for America Community Collective (VFACC) work, creating the mentorship program structure for matching 2023 and 2024 Fellows as well as keeping up the community job board. He continued to volunteer, and in February 2025, he was the one to suggest and create a volunteer alumni advisory board to help keep Eileen’s growing vision aligned to fellow interests. With VFACC’s support, he later joined Ember as a part-time employee in June 2025. He has been a committed part of the work since then, and he’ll continue to be an integral part of Ember’s work going forward.

Learn more about what we’re doing with Ember here: emberfellows.org

1b. Hiring? Try Ember’s “Alumni Talent Agency”

Over the past several months, we’ve been running a “job pilot program” and it’s been going great. We are serving as a talent agency for VFA alumni (now Ember community members) looking for their next role and smoothing out the pain points for companies looking for their next great hire.

• If you are hiring and want to use Ember’s Alumni Talent Agency, please email Akhil Aniff (akhil@emberfellows.org) or DM him in the Fellow Slack

  • We also have an Airtable of alumni profiles who are job hunting right now. If you’re hiring, check it out, or perhaps take two minutes to skim and see if there’s anyone you can make a connection for.

• If you are job seeking and want to be added to our roster, please fill out this form.

1c. Atlanta Selection Day was awesome!

We had a blast hosting applicants, past Fellows, and community partners for our first Selection Day! One Atlanta local said, “This was awesome. It makes me want to do this for my programs.” Big thank you to King & Spalding for hosting us! Thank you to everyone who volunteered!

• Check out 2a and 2b below if you want to help us with the next round of applications, and see 3b for more gratitude!

1d. Looking for a new job? Check out our new and improved community job board

Ben has been working hard to create our new Ember Community Job Board! Every company represented in this list has had an Ember Community Member (inclusive of VFA Alumni) work for them at some point. That means you will likely be able to find a warm intro to somebody at the company. Check it out and let us know (make a note in #ember-volunteers in the Fellows Slack) if you have any feedback!

2. What’s Next & How You Can Help

2a. We need 20 volunteers this week to help us review Video Applications for Round 2!

We got ~ 400 written applications for Round 2. Next up, the video interview! Similar to the old days, these are pre-recorded videos from candidates. We are looking for alumni to help review between Tuesday Feb 3 (today!) and Sunday February 8. We will send you everything you need. This is a great way to CREATE VALUE and OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS. ;)

If you are interested in helping review video applications this week please DM Ben Weinberg in the Fellows Slack or send him an email him at (ben@emberfellows.org).

2b. Happy Hours & Selection Days: Feb 27 in Detroit and March 13 in NYC — Seeking Volunteers & an Office Space

We’re hitting the road — join us in Detroit or New York for Selection Days! We’re planning to do a happy hour the night before or after at each location; we’re still sorting out the details. If you’re interested in volunteering as a judge or have ideas about space availability please let us know!

RSVP to the Google calendar events to save-the-date: Detroit Feb 26-27, NYC March 12-13.

If you are interested in helping judging at Selection Day in Detroit on February 27 or NYC on March 13, we’d love your help! Please drop a note in #ember-volunteers in the Fellows Slack or email Ben (ben@emberfellows.org).

We’re seeking spaces in Detroit on Feb 27 and in NYC on March 13! Law offices are often ideal because they usually have multiple meeting room sizes for groups of 6-10 people. Please email Eileen at eileen@emberfellows.org if you have any ideas!

Want to tell your colleagues about Ember? Send them this one-pager!

2c. Actively Sourcing Entry-Level Roles for the 2026 Ember Fellowship

It’s really happening! We’re looking for great entry-level jobs for the next cohort of Fellows, ideally in Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, or Detroit. If you’re a Fellow founder not based in one of those cities but interested in hiring, please let us know and we’ll see if we can work something out. We want to prioritize an in-person Fellow experience (for a variety of reasons) so we’re try to stay place-based for now.

Want to hire a 2026 Ember Fellow or have an org that we should reach out to? Email us at companies@emberfellows.org

Learn more about what we’re doing at emberfellows.org

2d. Launching a public Ember newsletter soon…

We are working on creating a public-facing Ember newsletter soon. Fellows will be added as subscribers, though you can definitely unsubscribe if you’re not interested. That MailerLite newsletter will serve to keep potential applicants, funders, company partners, etc in the loop; this Substack will continue to serve primarily as a Fellow-focused project.

3. Gratitude Shout-Outs

3a. Fellows are funding Ember — THANK YOU!

The largest source of our funding to date is the Fellow and extended VFA/Ember family, including past team members and supporters. Thank you to all of the people below who have made this support possible:

• Fireworks - $10,000+

  • Andrew Yang, Calum McClelland

• Bonfire - $5,000 - $10,000

  • Dan Bloom, Evan Brandoff, Zubin Teherani

• Campfire - $1,000 - $4,999

  • Amanda Tien, Andy Cloyd, Brandon Gell, Bryant Yik, Hayden Cohen, Jackie Miller, Jamie Sears, Jason Tarre, John Wetzel, Kathy Cheng, Labib Rahman, Leanne Sullivan, Leigh Sevin, Mark Bernstein, Mike Wilner, Sean Lane, Strauss Belzberg, Taylor Lipsich

• Flames - $500 - $999

  • Alexander Persky-Stern, Anish Dalal, Arjan Saraon, Charles Kroll, Elizabeth Duffield, James Kahmann, Josh Levine, Kossivi Esse, Max Nussenbaum, Reginald Wimbley, Sarah Smith, Sean Pennino

• Embers - Monthly Recurring Donors (various amounts)

  • Akhil Aniff, Alora Cash, Amy Weaver, Andreas Betancourt, Asher Lipsitz, Ben Seidman, Clara Gustafson, Emilie Schario, Jordan Robarge, Khalid Alzubi, Lucas King, Mark Beach, Mike Cunningham, Muhan Zhang, Ryan Green, Tim Dingman

• Sparks - $1 - $499

  • Abhinav V Gadudasu, Alexandra C Bacchus, Amanda M Silver, Amy Young, Ben Gold, Brian Rudolph, Brooke Sterneck, Christian Britto, Daniel Allen, Edwin Wharton, Eric Olson, Erin Lee, Gaibrielle Bryant, Hannah Anokye, Hung Tang, Jack Fritzinger, Jacob Horowitz, Jacqueline Taylor, John Yarchoan, Julia Wang, June Zhang, Kelli Webber, Kevin Carter, Khanh Le, Kyle Bartholomew, Laura Berk, Lauren Nilles, Matthew Burdumy, Max Goodman, Megan Birkhead, Michael Mayer, Micky Wolf, Natalie Vick, Nico Krachenfels, Parth Agrawal, Patrick McAnaney, Robert Solomon, Samuel Levin, Samuel Orr, Shadman Uddin, Stephanie Guzman, Tanvi Jadhav, Tiana Lui, Vinay Nagaraj, William A Hilleary, Ying Lin

Want to join these awesome people? You can make a tax deductible donation here!

3b. Fellows are fueling Ember — THANK YOU!

Ember’s progress so far wouldn’t be possible without the help of so many amazing Fellows. Thank you so much to everyone who has been volunteering with Ember:

• The Application Reviewers and Selection Day Interviewers (so far!): Abby (Wisen) Knego, Abhi Gadudasu, Adriana Perez, Akash Shah, Alan Morales Loyola, Alex Baca, Amanda Tien, Anhton Tran, Ann Marie Diener, Breonna Massey, Brooke Sterneck, Bryant Yik, Calum McClelland, Caroline Lutkewitte, Charlie Mohn, Christie Brannon, Chukwudi Kanu, Cindy R Vela, Connor Moore, Derrick Austin, Elianna Goldstein, Elizabeth Duffield, Emily Sjoberg, Emma Dawson, Eric Olson, Erin Lee, Hung Tang, Jack Antico, Jad Hamdan, Jamie Shear, Jamilah Dawkins, John Harris Alexander, Julia Wang, Katy Schuller, Kevin Carter, Kristen Bailey, Liam Kelly, Lydia Zaleski, Matthew Wakefield, Maxen Haveles, Micah Headley, Nancy (Wenger) Keller, Nate Johnson, Reagan Cline, Ryan Hobbs, Sarah Al-Khayyal, Sarah Jones, Sean Pak, Shea Fallick, Simrat Oberoi, Spencer Keith, Tom Krumins, Veronica Head, Wilson Horn

• The Behind-the-Scenes Crew (program design, marketing, strategy, alumni engagement, advice, fundraising, launch party planning, and more … so far!): Alex Baca (supporting with fellow recruitment!), Amanda Tien** (newsletters, one-pagers, strategy, hype, and so much more!), Anand Macherla** (community-building, strategic insights, pushing us forward!), Barry Conrad** (always wise), Brooks Sime** (party crew!), Calum McClelland (exploring an alumni engagement project), Catherine Cline (Reagan’s sister who made our logo!), Connie Bowen* (VC-level insights!), Dan Bloom** (a believer from the get-go and leading the way on partnerships!), Gabi Rudnick** (ty for being the lead on our launch party!), Maggie Belshé (special shout-out for making our beautiful website!), Sean Lane** (so much intentional guidance!), Simrat Oberi (party crew!), Veronica Head (thank you for leading our brand research project!), and Dawn Musil, Mike Wilner, Shadmin Uddin, Vinny Bidwell (all of whom are helping getting the ball rolling on Training Camp!)
  ** = denotes founding year (Feb 2025 - Feb 2026)Alumni Advisory Board/Council member which has met monthly/quarterly for the past year and providing strategic guidance as well as operational support

• The founding team: Eileen Lee, Ben Weinberg, Akhil Aniff

If you’re interested in supporting Ember with your time and energy, please go to the new Fellow Slack and drop a note in #ember-volunteers or email us at hello@emberfellows.org. Let us know what you’re interested in working on and what kind of time/energy you’re able to give!

4. Community Bulletin Board

4a. Sonder Health (co-founded by Akash Shah, ‘16 and Elizabeth Duffield, ‘16) is live! Seeking Founding Engineers and help us by liking our posts!

We’re building an AI-native platform that streamlines patient discharge from hospitals to post-acute care settings, helping hospitals improve clinical outcomes and operating margins. You can learn more about why we started Sonder and what we are building here.

Roles (both roles are NYC-based with a requirement for 3 days in-office):

• Founding Head of Engineering

• Founding Engineer (ideally Sr. SWE or Staff level)

Also, help us by liking our posts!

• Elizabeth’s post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/eduffield_introducing-sonder-health-have-you-ever-activity-7396961633715257344-jHG0?

• Akash’s post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/akash-shah-7897095b_announcing-sonder-health-hospital-discharge-activity-7396961633287172097-gX5M

4b. Rayne Elder (‘22) is Looking for Instructors with Retail Experience for Nonprofit Workshop

Hi! I work at JumpStart Inc, a nonprofit that supports and educates entrepreneurs. We offer multi-week workshops on topics like leadership, grant writing and funding, social media marketing, food service industry insights, and more. Our workshops are led by industry experts and typically run 6–8 weeks, with one 2-hour session each week.

We currently run Food Product (CPG) Deep Dive, a program for scaling consumer packaged goods businesses focused on growth, pricing, production, sales channels, and distribution. We’re now in the early stages of developing a similar workshop focused on non-food, physical retail products (apparel, home goods, accessories, non-consumable beauty, lifestyle products). Potential topics include getting into retail stores, wholesale partnerships, pricing and margins, marketing and merchandising, operations, etc.

Ask: We’re currently in the process of identifying potential instructors with strong strategy and retail experience. If you know someone who may be a interested in teaching a workshop on retail, I’d love to connect. Thanks! To connect, please DM me on the Fellows Slack (“Rae”) or email at smallbiz@jumpstartinc.org

4c. Julia Wang (‘17) works for an org w/ FREE programs on bank referrals, due diligence for Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition

I wanted to share that I work for New Majority Capital, a firm thats essentially VFA for ETA (*ETA = Entrepreneurship through Acquisition), but focused on underrepresented future business owners.We have programs opening up in LA, Houston, and Detroit this year and offer bank referrals, due diligence etc for FREE and we also have a fund for investment in deals. Take a look and apply or DM me on the new Fellows Slack if you’re interested!

4d. Sarah Tatarski (‘22) is offering workshops through The Mindful Tech Club

• Feb 20 - 10:15am - 2pm - Focus & Flow: A Guided Deep Work Experience with Sarah (Free)

• Starting Feb 23 - The 28-Day Digital Habit Shift: Reclaim Your Attention, Energy, and Time from Tech - $28

• Follow for more sessions: https://luma.com/the-mindfultech-club

4e. Nadia Laher (‘15) Accepting New Therapy Clients

Nadia Laher (‘15, New Orleans) has become a licensed therapist in New York and is accepting new clients.

Nadia specializes in supporting high-achieving professionals struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, and burnout. As a daughter of immigrants, she brings her lived experience and a deep commitment to social justice to her work supporting BIPOC clients, and is passionate about expanding representation for first-generation immigrants, Middle Eastern, and South Asian individuals in the mental health field.

If you or someone you know is curious about starting therapy, learn more about her practice here: https://counselingcentergroup.com/therapists/nadia-laher/ and feel free to reach out at nadia@ccgrouptherapy.com

4f. Julia Kortberg (‘16) Offering Coaching Services

Have you ever been curious about trying a coach? Julia Kortberg (VFA ’16 alum), former VFA team member and ICF-accredited leadership coach (CPCC, ACC), is offering a meaningful, low-pressure way for VFA community members to experience coaching and see its impact firsthand. Julia has partnered with many VFA alumni and founders as they’ve worked toward greater clarity, confidence, and self-alignment. See the quote below from one of her clients:

“I’ve been working with Julia for close to a year now in a coaching capacity and, like VFA, it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made. Julia’s helped me gain a deeper sense of personal conviction, live more aligned with my values, and navigate some tough personal challenges. Her frameworks gave me clarity where I had confusion, and her coaching has been instrumental in both my professional growth and personal development.” - Akhil Aniff (‘18, Columbus and Ember Founding Team Member)

Every engagement begins with a complimentary chemistry session to see if it’s a fit. Coaching is offered on a sliding scale for VFA community members, with a few pro bono options available.

📩 coachjuliakortberg@gmail.com

🔗 juliakortberg.com

4g. Tom Krumins (‘17) Launching Political Tech Startup CampaignAI

Tom Krumins is co-founding political tech startup CampaignAI to build effective and ethical AI agents for local, underfunded, and historically-marginalized candidates or organizations.

My co-founders are SC gubernatorial candidate Jermaine Johnson (D) and SC state rep. Brandon Guffey (R). We're building an actively nonpartisan platform to help break the moment of hyper-polarization in politics.

We'll be launching in early/mid March.

Join the waitlist to get notified at CampaignAI.us

5. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by March 18

The next newsletter will be on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) by Wednesday, March 18th.

Thanks for reading the Ember Community Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about Ember Community and Fellows.

Subscribe now

Happy New Year! Let’s make 2026 count!

Eileen Lee, Ben Weinberg, and Akhil Aniff

Table of Contents

1. Critical Updates & Asks

   1. Round 2 Application Deadline

   2. Refer a candidate and get $$$

   3. How You Can Help Ember

2. Ember Updates

   1. Job Seeker Support

3. Bulletin Board

   1. NEW Ember Community Job Board!

   2. Download pictures from the Launch Event!

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by February 11th

   ---

1. Critical Updates & Asks

1a. Round 2 Application Deadline

Our second round application deadline for 2026 Ember Fellows is on January 20th. The application for Round 2 is live and is on the website:

https://emberfellows.org/

Please help spread the word by sending the website link to people. You can also refer candidates here.

Also, consider posting on LinkedIn! Check out example posts from Fellows — one by Zubin Tehrani (‘13), one by Amanda Tien (‘15), and/or one by Curtis Chou (‘24) — that you can use as a template or even just reshare! Thank you to everyone who’s helped spread the word so far.

If you want to message your alma mater or host an info session, check out our alumni recruitment kit here. Email ben@emberfellows.org with any questions.

1b. Refer a candidate and get $$$

Yes, you read that right! Fill out this form to give someone you think would be a great addition to the community a leg-up in the selection process. If a candidate you refer joins our 2026 cohort, we will pay you $500 once they start their job with a partner company!

1c. How You Can Help Ember

Interested in helping out in other ways? We have lots of volunteer needs! Help us judge a Selection Day (January 23 in Atlanta and March 13 in NYC!), organize events in your city, hire a Fellow, and/or refer a Company Partner to us. Please fill out this interest form and we’ll follow up.

And donate! Our biggest need is $ to fund the capacity for team members to do this hard work full-time. Join other Fellows who have already donated or pledged, like Zubin Tehrani (‘13), Evan Brandoff (‘13), Amanda Tien (‘15), Alyssa Dizon (‘16), Taylor Lipsich (‘20), and many more. Any amount makes a difference! Get those tax deductible donations in!

2. Ember Updates

2a. Job Seeker Support

There are over 50 past VFA Fellows actively searching for roles who have engaged in the Job Pilot Program. This landing page features profiles of VFA Fellows looking for roles; please take two minutes to skim and see if there’s anyone you can make a connection for. Or, if you’re hiring, check out these profiles!

If you are job seeking and want to be added to the pilot, please fill out this form.

If you are hiring, please message Akhil Aniff (914-299-7212 | akhil@emberfellows.org or DM him in the New Slack) asking to connect and learn more about our Alumni Talent Agency program.

3. Bulletin Board

3a. NEW Ember Community Job Board!

from Ben Weinberg (Birmingham ‘18) and Ember Founding Team Member

I am very excited to announce the launch of our new Ember Community Job Board!

Every company represented in this list has had an Ember Community Member (inclusive of VFA Alumni) work for them at some point. That means you will likely be able to find a warm intro to somebody at the company.

Check it out here and let us know if you have any feedback!

3b. Download your pictures from the Launch Event!

Pictures from the event can be found here! Use them in your LinkedIn post to promote the Fellowship and be sure to tag The Ember Fellowship.

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by Feb 11th

The next newsletter will be on Thursday, February 12th. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) by Wednesday, February 11th.

Thanks for reading the Ember Community Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about Ember Community and Fellows.

Subscribe now

Happy New Year! We’re in the final stretch of recruiting for the Ember Fellowship’s inaugural 2026 cohort, and we need your help getting the word out.

Our final application deadline is January 20th. If you know any college seniors (or recent grads with less than 3 years on the job) who would be a great fit, please share the application with them: https://emberfellows.org/pages/apply

We’re hosting one last virtual info session before the deadline on Thursday, January 15th, 9-10am ET. Register link here to share with anyone curious about the program.

Refer a candidate: Fill out this form to give someone you think would be a great addition to the community a leg-up in the selection process. If a candidate you refer joins our 2026 cohort, we will pay you $500 once they start their job with a partner company!

Want to help recruit at your alma mater? Check out our alumni recruitment kit. You can even print out this flyer and post it on a bulletin board at a college near you. Email ben@emberfellows.org with any questions.

Want to post on LinkedIn? Here are some copy options — please tag The Ember Fellowship:

• Option 1 — Straightforward: Applications are now open for the Ember Fellowship — a two-year program connecting recent grads with high-impact roles at startups in Birmingham, Atlanta, and Detroit. Fellows complete a two-week training camp focused on startup fundamentals and practical AI skills, then join companies with a 3:1 job-to-fellow ratio and a 1,600+ alumni network behind them. Final deadline: January 20th. Apply here: https://emberfellows.org

• Option 2 — Personal/values-driven: Every graduate deserves a chance to prove what they’re capable of. The Ember Fellowship is built for college seniors ready to make an impact right out of school. You’ll work in high-access roles at innovative companies with mentorship, coaching, and a community that believes in you. For seniors unexcited about consulting case interviews and the “traditional” jobs all their friends are applying to — this is a fantastic alternative. Final deadline is January 20th! Apply here: https://emberfellows.org

• Option 3 — Practical/informative: Nervous about the current job market? The Ember Fellowship gives early career talent firsthand startup experience in emerging tech hubs like Birmingham, Atlanta, and Detroit. If you’re a college senior looking for a structured path into tech and innovation — check it out! Final deadline is 1/20. Apply here: https://emberfellows.org

If you already posted on Linkedin, please consider reposting your “Why VFA/Ember” story with details about our Jan 20 deadline and Jan 15 Info Session: The Ember Fellowship connects recent grads with pre-vetted startup roles in emerging entrepreneurship hubs like Birmingham, Atlanta, and Detroit. If you’re a graduating senior and unexcited about consulting case interviews and the “traditional” jobs all your friends are applying to, this is a fantastic way to access a structured post-grad path into the startup ecosystem.

Ember has one last virtual info session on Thursday, January 15th, 9-10am ET before their next and final deadline on January 20, 2026. Links to register for the info session and apply in the comments!

• Info session registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/yDjikNDKTSm7SkdsRA0mKw

• Apply here: https://emberfellows.org/pages/apply

Is your company hiring? We’d love to partner with you to place a Fellow or connect you with our alumni network for more senior roles. Reach out to akhil@emberfellows.org to learn more.

Interested in helping out in other ways? We have lots of volunteer needs — help us judge a Selection Day (January 23rd in Atlanta, another on March 13th in NYC!), organize events in your city, hire a Fellow, or refer a Company Partner. Fill out this interest form and we’ll follow up.

Thank you for being part of this community and helping us build something meaningful together.

Eileen, Akhil, and Ben - Ember Founding Team

Happy Holidays!

Akhil Aniff (‘18) and Ben Weinberg (‘18)

Table of Contents

1. Critical Updates & Key Asks

   1. Letter from Eileen

   2. How You Can Help Ember

2. Ember Updates

   1. Alumni Talent Agency - New Hires!

   2. Job Seeker Support

3. Bulletin Board

   1. Launch of Sonder Health by Elizabeth Duffield (‘16) & Akash Shah (’16)

   2. Sean Wen (’14) Publishes Cookbook: Asian Smoke

   3. Download pictures from the Launch Event!

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by January 7th

   ---

1. Critical Updates and Asks

1a. Letter from Eileen

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! This year, I’ve been incredibly grateful for all of you, our Ember / Venture for America community. It’s been almost 18 months since we got that tragic email about Venture For America ceasing operations … but it’s been incredible to see how our community has come together. We are building a stronger, better version of the program that has given us so much.

We have raised over $150,000 towards the Ember Fellowship, $50,000 of that coming from just the Launch Event! We also had close to 200 applications for our 2026 Fellowship and we have over 30 alumni volunteers supporting us with reviewing applications, redesigning our website and making connections with potential Company Partners (CoPas) for both our Fellowship Program and Alumni Talent Agency.

November has been an incredible month for us - we are more united as a community, now aligned under the Ember banner. We are actively fundraising money for our 2026 operations. We also had multiple new job placements including our first ever paid alumni placement. This proves our original hypothesis of leveraging the incredible Ember network to find mid and senior level talent for CoPas, creating value for our community and a reliable income stream for Ember.

Most companies wind down around this time of year but on the Ember team, we’re only picking up the pace! Stay tuned for more. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and an epic New Year!

Eileen Lee

CEO of The Ember Fellowship

1b. How You Can Help Ember

Our second round application deadline for 2026 Ember Fellows is on January 20th 2026. It’s never too early to apply! The application for Round 2 is live and is on the website:

https://emberfellows.org/

Please help spread the word by sending the website link to people. You can also refer candidates here.

Also, consider posting on LinkedIn! Check out example posts from Fellows — one by Zubin Tehrani (‘13), one by Amanda Tien (‘15), and/or one by Curtis Chou (‘24) — that you can use as a template or even just reshare! Thank you to everyone who’s helped spread the word so far.

We are hosting multiple info sessions between now and January 20th. Below are the times, dates and registration links:

• Wednesday, December 17th, 12-1pm ET

• Thursday, January 15th, 9-10am ET

If you want to message your alma mater or host an info session, check out our alma recruitment kit here. Email ben@emberfellows.org with any questions.

Interested in helping out in other ways? We have lots of volunteer needs! Help us judge a Selection Day (January 23 in Atlanta and another one in March!), organize events in your city, hire a Fellow, and/or refer a Company Partner to us. Please fill out this interest form and we’ll follow-up.

And donate! Our biggest need is $ to fund the capacity for team members to do this hard work full-time. Join other Fellows who have already donated or pledged to like Zubin Tehrani (‘13), Evan Brandoff (‘13), Amanda Tien (‘15), Alyssa Dizon (‘16), Taylor Lipsich (‘20), and many more. Any amount makes a difference! Get those tax deductible donations in!

2. Ember Updates

2a. Alumni Talent Agency - New Hires!

We have many alum from our job pilot who have started or signed new jobs! Congrats to Ashwin Ramanujan (‘18), Jack Vejvoda (‘21), and Maggie Nunley (‘12) for their new roles!

2b. Job Seeker Support

There are over 50 past VFA Fellows actively searching for roles who have engaged in the Job Pilot Program. This landing page features profiles of VFA Fellows looking for roles; please take (2) minutes to skim and see if there’s anyone you can make a connection for. Or, if you’re hiring, check out these profiles!

If you are job seeking and want to be added to the pilot, please fill out this form.

If you are hiring, please message Akhil Aniff (914-299-7212 | akhil@emberfellows.org or DM him in the New Slack) asking to connect and learn more about our Alumni Talent Agency program.

2C. Slack Update: Summary

72% Fellows who voted were in favor of rebranding this space from VFA Fellows 2 --> Ember Community and opening the Slack to future Ember Fellows. The space is currently being rebranded.

Fellows weighed in and came upon the following consensus -- “If I did the Venture for America Fellowship, I would call myself a VFA Fellow. I would also call myself an Ember Community Member, perhaps something that could be listed in a ‘Professional Membership’ space on LinkedIn. Future Fellows would be called Ember Alumni.”

See the Fellows Slack for more details.

Related: this COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER will be co-branded from VFA Community Newsletter to VFA + Ember Community Newsletter. Amanda Tien (’15) had pledged in August 2024 to run it as a VFA Community Collective volunteer newsletter for one year post VFA’s closure and did so; since last August, Akhil Aniff (’18) and Ben Weinberg (’18) -- who are also now working for the Ember team with Eileen Lee -- took on the work of the newsletter. Moving forward, the newsletter will reflect the future of this community in that way!

3. Bulletin Board

3a. Launch of Sonder Health by Elizabeth Duffield (‘16) & Akash Shah (’16)

After spending the last 10 years in healthcare tech startups, we launched Sonder Health to tackle a problem that is costing our healthcare system tens of billions of dollars: transitions of care.

Today, discharges from the hospital to post-acute care facilities (skilled nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and similar settings where patients continue recovery) are complex, manual, and frustrating for patients and healthcare providers.

Sonder Health is tackling the bottlenecks in hospital-to-post-acute care transitions with an AI-powered platform designed to streamline placements, reduce delays, and finally give patients, families, and providers a system that actually works.

Do you know a hospital exec that cares about improving the discharge process? Do you know stellar engineers that care about improving healthcare? We’d love to hear from you: founders@sonderhealth.co

3b. Sean Wen (’14) Publishes Cookbook: Asian Smoke

Sean Wen (’14), co-founder of Pinch Boil House and Curry Boys BBQ in San Antonio, is releasing his first cookbook this spring. Asian Smoke: Thai and Southeast Asian Barbecue from the Curry Boys, co-authored with partners Andrew Ho and Andrew Samia, shares the recipes behind their celebrated fusion of Texas-style smoked meats and Southeast Asian curries.

What started as a pandemic pop-up in a pink shipping container has grown into a culinary phenomenon—Curry Boys earned James Beard “Best Chef: Texas” nominations in both 2023 and 2024, was named one of Texas Monthly’s top BBQ spots, and is now expanding to Nashville.

Sean describes the book as “an incredible labor of love” and a thank-you to everyone who’s supported their journey from a 200-square-foot shack to national recognition.

Pre-order Asian Smoke here: geni.us/AsianSmoke (Book ships March 2026)

3c. Download your pictures from the Launch Event!

Pictures from the event can be found here! Use them in your LinkedIn post to promote the Fellowship and be sure to tag The Ember Fellowship.

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by Jan 7

The next newsletter will be on Thursday January 8th. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) by Wednesday January 7th.

Thanks for reading the VFA Community Collective Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about VFA Fellows.

Subscribe now

1) Ember Fellowship: First Application Deadline - Nov 15

Ember Fellows (Eileen Lee’s 2.0 project) launched officially last Wednesday on November 5! Over 150 people attended the launch event in Brooklyn; in attendance were Fellows from 2012 - 2024, funders and supporters, and past team, including Andrew Yang. The energy in the room was incredible, and we crowdfunded $50,000 for the Ember Fellowship! Most donations came from Fellows — see these photos of hands being raised? That’s people who got so amped, they pledged to donate.

Ways You Can Help The Next Generation of Fellows:

1. Our first round application deadline for 2026 Ember Fellows is on November 15. (Second round deadline will be January 20, 2026).* The application is on the website (which we’re currently working on making ~ more beautiful ~ ): https://emberfellows.org/

   1. Please help spread the word by sending ^ the website link to people.

   2. And/or posting on LinkedIn! Check out example posts from Fellows — one by Zubin Tehrani (‘13), one by Amanda Tien (‘15), and/or one by Curtis Chou (‘24) — that you can use as a template or even just reshare! Thank you to everyone who’s helped spread the word so far.

   3. We also have another info session this Friday, November 14th, 12:30-1:30pm ET. Register here.

   4. If you want to message your alma mater* or host an info session, please fill out this interest form and we’ll reach out to you with some materials!

2. Interested in helping out in other ways? We welcome volunteering with our team to help us get the ball rolling, doing Selection Day (January 23 in Atlanta and another one TBD in March!), organizing events in your city, hiring a Fellow, and/or helping set up Company Partnerships. Please fill out this interest form and we’ll follow-up.

3. And donate! Our biggest need is $ to fund capacity for team members to do this hard work full-time. Join other Fellows who have already donated or pledged to like Zubin Tehrani (‘13), Evan Brandoff (‘13), Amanda Tien (‘15), Alyssa Dizon (‘16), Taylor Lipsich (‘20), and many more. Any amount makes a difference! Get those tax deductible donations in!

*Note: In the coming weeks, we’ll send an “Alma Mater Recruitment Kit” to help you spread the word with your own college for the second round of applications. Stay tuned!

2) Community Poll: Rebrand VFA Fellows 2 Slack to Ember Fellows Slack, and Allow New Fellows to Join?

Poll: Are you in favor of the VFA Fellows Slack 2 space being rebranded as Ember Fellows, and open to the next class of Fellows?

This poll exists to ensure transparency and community buy-in. Vote in Slack via emoji reactions in this post in #general. This poll will be open for 3 weeks. Deadline to vote: Wednesday December 3 at noon eastern. Weekly reminders will be sent in Slack #general on Wednesdays until deadline.

»» Please see the message posted yesterday (11.12.2025) in #general by the Slack Admin Account in the New Slack to vote, read additional context, ask questions, and to discuss further. Thank you for your consideration!

3) Fellow Bulletin Board

a. Dylan Yuska (’18) Built a Credit Card Matching Tool

Dylan Yuska (’18, Philadelphia) built a credit card matching tool called PerkPath, which leverages your real spending to determine which card maximizes your net annual rewards value. Find out your perfect credit card match in less than 60 seconds. All users get a free limited preview, but VFA friends can use code “VFA” for a 50% off paid report upgrade. Try now at getperkpath.com and please send any feedback to dylanyuska30@gmail.com!

b) Help validate a startup idea to bring ethical AI to campaigning from Tom Krumins (‘17, New Orleans)

I am exploring a startup idea, and I need advice!

THE IDEA:
Build an AI prompting engine that helps local candidates create AI-generated video ads in a structured and compliant format.

ASK 1:
Review the pitch deck and share feedback (e.g. narrative, investment ask, revenue projections)

ASK 2:
Contact me if you can help with navigating equity conversations before officially forming the business.

My collaborator is running for governor and cannot contribute time or money to the venture. He was there as I shared the initial idea, so I want to provide equity. However, multiple investors shared that they will not invest if one of the co-founders has a clear, public, and politicized commitment keeping them away from the role. This is a harsh dose of reality, and I am trying to better understand the expectations that investors have for “co-founders” and equity.

Thank you! DM me if you have any questions! Click here to view the deck!

c) 1on1 Career Coaching with a Rockstar Woman, recommended by Laura Berk (‘12, Vegas)

Are you working through big, challenging development questions related to your current job or career path? Are you ready to get clear on what you really want and build the energy and confidence to go after it?

I’m helping my friend and ex-colleague Shawn spread the word about her leadership coaching business. She’s been at it for over a decade; we ran One Medical’s health coaching program together when I worked there.

She supports high-achieving professionals as they navigate things such as switching careers to something more aligned, juggling work and parenthood, finding a way to stay in their current role without burning out, or stepping up their leadership to reach big goals. Her coaching integrates leadership development, wellness, and neuroscience-backed behavior change into a cohesive, practical coaching experience.

Check out her website if interested or I can introduce you: https://www.shawncaseycoaching.com/

Submit a Blurb to the Newsletter

NEXT FULL NEWSLETTER WILL BE SENT ON TUES 12/2/2025

Note, we’ve moved the next newsletter back a few weeks to account for the holiday! Please submit any and all blurbs via this form here by Monday 12/1/2025 (even late into the night).

Akhil Aniff (2018, Columbus)

Table of Contents

1. Critical Updates & Key Asks

   1. Letter from Eileen

   2. FREE Ticket Raffle - Nov 5th Fundraiser and Launch!

   3. Share your VFA stories, photos and videos!

2. VFA 2.0 Updates

   1. Alumni Talent Agency

   2. Support VFA 2.0 — with $$$ and/or time!

3. Bulletin Board

   1. Brooks Sime (’16) is throwing a NYC Halloween Party

   2. Alum Cowork Day at Komodo Health: Friday 11/7

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by November 12th

   ---

1. Critical Updates and Asks

1a. Letter from Eileen

Last month, Akhil and Ben flew down to Atlanta for our strategic retreat, where we solidified our vision for what “VFA 2.0” will look like over the next six months. We set aggressive fundraising goals, finalized our new Fellow Experience for 2026, and spent time with alumni in the Atlanta area to test ideas for our new name and brand.

This retreat reinforced everything I believe about the VFA community. We’ve built something powerful together: a job matching system that’s already connected 45+ alumni to meaningful opportunities, upcoming fellowship programs in Birmingham, Atlanta, and Detroit, and a network of 1,600+ fellows who consistently show up for each other.

What struck me most during our Atlanta sessions was the same thing I experience in every conversation with alumni—we always end with “how can I help?” It’s a testament to our community’s commitment to that original mission: creating outsized, meaningful impact in the cities and companies where we work.

We’re just two weeks away from our “Call Me Maybe” Launch Event on November 5th, 6-9pm in Brooklyn, where I’m excited to meet many of you face-to-face, unveil our new name and vision, and share concrete plans for 2026. Plus, we’ll have catering from Sean Wen (2014)’s Curry Boys BBQ and Fellow story sharing throughout the night.

After 13 years and 1,600+ fellows, we’re just getting started.

See you on November 5th!

Eileen Lee, CEO of [new name pending—come to the event to find out!]

1b. FREE Ticket Raffle - Nov 5th Fundraiser and Launch!

We’ll be raffling off 2 free tickets to the event to alums who are setup with recurring donations to support 2.0 (tax deductible donation link here) - any dollar amount counts. Please make your contributions by EOD October 27th to participate and we’ll select winners on October 28th.

Hotels and accommodations for out of towners: our hotel block at The Tillary Hotel ($229/night) ends soon! Click here to book ASAP:

Event Ticket Link Here: https://luma.com/3zwx3n5f

1c. Share your VFA stories, photos and videos!

We’re walking down memory lane - please share your VFA memories by submitting a short form here!

2. [New Org Name Pending] Updates

2a. Alumni Talent Agency

We’ve had 3 Alumni from the Job Seekers program start jobs this month! Congrats to Daniel Gill (‘22), Tom Gambra (‘24), and Julie Noreene Bautista (‘24) for starting new positions!

If you are job seeking and want to be added to the pilot, please fill out this form.

There are over 40 VFA Alumni actively searching for roles who have engaged in the Job Pilot Program. This page features profiles of VFA Alumni looking for roles; please take (2) minutes to skim and see if there’s anyone you can make a connection for. Or, if you’re hiring, check out these profiles!

If you are hiring, please message Akhil Aniff (914-299-7212 or DM him in the New Slack) asking to connect and learn more about our Alumni Job Placement program

2b. Support VFA 2.0 — with $$$ and/or time!

Eileen is doing the work, building the thing, and making stuff happen. You can donate (tax deductible!) to VFA 2.0 here. Even $10/month is great and shows your support, but of course, if you can give more, all the better.

If you are interested in building things for the VFA community, please reach out to Eileen at lee.eileen@gmail.com with the subject line: “VFA 2.0 -- Hi from [Your Name]” OR DM her in the new Slack! Please tell her about what expertise you might be able to lend. Particularly seeking support with program development, partnership building, nonprofit fundraising, community building (mentorships!), event planning.

3. Bulletin Board

3a. Brooks Sime (’16) is throwing a NYC Halloween Party

Looking for a Halloween plan? Miss your VFA friends in the NYC area? Come to Goofy Silly Halloween (goofysillyhalloween.com) on 10/31 in Ridgewood, Queens. BIG NOTE: It’s just a few days before the Nov. 5th Launch Party - come to both and make a weekend out of it!

3b. Alum Cowork Day at Komodo Health: Friday 11/7

Come join us for a Cowork Day after the launch event. Connect, work and spend the day with other alums. RSVP to join here.

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by Nov 12

The next newsletter will be on Thursday November 13th. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) any time in the day/evening on Weds November 12th!

Thanks for reading VFA Community Collective Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about VFA Fellows.

Subscribe now

Table of Contents

1. Critical Updates & Key Asks

   1. Note from Eileen

   2. Sign up to the Nov 5th Launch Event!

   3. Submit your idea for VFA 2.0’s new name!

2. VFA 2.0 Updates

   1. Alumni Talent Agency (formerly “Job Pilot”) Updates

   2. Support VFA 2.0 — with $$$ and/or time!

3. Bulletin Board

   1. Sarah Tatarski (‘22) & Fernando Bohorquez Maestre (‘21) are launching their Mindful Tech Club!

   2. Sophia Fang ('18) Launches Peachy Day, Migraine Care App!

   3. Nathan Cheng ('23) looking for Product Designer, Design Engineer, or Design/Ops roles

   4. Kyle Chalmers (‘19) launches “The Analytics Campaign: A Substack on the Power of Data Analytics”

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time for October’s edition!

   ---

1. Critical Updates and Asks

1a. Note from Eileen

August and September have been exciting months for the re-launch team. We’re making moves on alumni value creation, narrowing in on a new name, and there are only 43 days until our Nov 5th Launch in NYC!

We've placed 3 Alums through the Job Seekers Program in September! Congrats to Khalid Alzubi ('22), Jasper DeShields ('23) and Bintou Jarju ('24). This is just the beginning - we're starting to fulfill our promise of adding value back to the Alumni Community.

Next week I'm having an in-person working session with Akhil and Ben in Atlanta to keep ramping up our systems and operations and hit some aggressive goals for the next 6 months! But first, we need to finalize our new name and I’m personally offering $500 to the alum who comes up with the option we choose. More context on the challenge below.

We’ll have a big reveal at our launch party in Brooklyn on November 5th! Tickets are almost gone, so get yours here.

Cheers,

Eileen Lee, CEO of [new name pending, come to the event on Nov 5th to find out]

1b. Sign up to the Nov 5th Launch Event!

On November 5 in Brooklyn, we're gathering to celebrate VFA 2.0's official launch, reveal our new name, and raise funds for our first Fellowship Class. This isn't just a party—it's a fundraiser to launch the next generation of conscious entrepreneurs. Expect inspiring conversations, real connections, food by Sean Wen of Curry Boys BBQ, and a few surprises we can't spoil yet.

Sign up here: https://luma.com/3zwx3n5f

1c. Submit your idea for VFA 2.0’s new name!

$500 for the person who comes up with a new name for VFA 2.0!

Deadline is THIS SUNDAY, 9/28. We’ve heard lots of good feedback on a new name for VFA 2.0, and are going back to the drawing board. Please read this naming brief for context on the ask and submit your ideas here. We’re excited to see what the community comes up with!

2a. Alumni Talent Agency (formerly “Job Pilot”)

We’ve placed 3 Alum through the Job Seekers Program in September! Congrats to Khalid Alzubi (‘22), Jasper DeShields (‘23) and Bintou Jarju (‘24) and good luck in your new roles!

There are 43 other active alumni in our Job Seekers Program. This Fellow CRM features profiles of VFA Fellows looking for roles; please take 2 minutes to skim and see if there’s anyone you can make a connection for. Or, if you’re hiring, check out these profiles!

If you are job seeking and want to be added to the pilot, please fill out this form.

If you are hiring, please email Akhil Aniff (akhilaniff@gmail.com; or DM him in the New Slack) with the subject line “VFA 2.0 - Job Program - I’m Hiring”

2b. Support VFA 2.0 — with $$$ and/or time! Now starting to plan a 2026 Fellowship

Eileen is doing the work, building the thing, and making stuff happen. You can donate (tax deductible!) to VFA 2.0 here. Even $10/a month is great and shows your support, but of course, if you can give more, all the better.

If you are interested in building things for the VFA community, please reach out to Eileen at lee.eileen@gmail.com with the subject line: “VFA 2.0 -- Hi from [Your Name]” OR DM her in the new Slack! Please tell her about what expertise you might be able to lend. Particularly seeking support with program development, partnership building, nonprofit fundraising, community building (mentorships!), event planning.

3. Bulletin Board

3a. Sarah Tatarski (‘22) & Fernando Bohorquez Maestre (‘21) are launching their Mindful Tech Club!

Fernando (trampolinehealth.co) and I (psychepathcoaching.com) are excited to share something we’ve been working on together — The MindfulTech Club: A 6-Week Journey to Reclaim Your Focus (themindfultechclub.com)!

It’s a live group starting October 8th from 7:15-8:45 pm EST for entrepreneurs who feel pulled in a million directions by their screens and social media. As founders, we know what tech burnout feels like, and we wanted to create a space to pause, reset, and protect our focus while building things that matter.

Each week we’ll gather for 90 minutes to practice tools like breath work, somatic work, and mindfulness, plus share real conversations about how to set boundaries with tech. You’ll also get accountability, community support + ongoing support after for up to a year, and have fun along the journey!

There are only 10 spots because we’re keeping it intimate. If this speaks to you, or you know someone in your life who could use a reset, we’d love for you to join us. There will be future cohorts, so feel free to sign up for future cohorts at the website below!

👉 Learn more + save a spot: themindfultechclub.com

3b. Sophia Fang ('18) Launches Peachy Day, Migraine Care App!

After growing up watching my mom struggle with migraine and being hospitalized four times myself, I knew something had to change. Migraine affects 1 in 6 Americans and costs the U.S. $78B each year, yet 95% of patients are still undiagnosed or untreated.

I’ve launched Peachy Day, a 1-min-a-day headache tracker that doesn’t feel like a chore. Built with hundreds of patient interviews, a team with 125+ years of lived experience, and 50+ years of clinical expertise—including the founder of Stanford Headache Clinic—the app reimagines migraine care to focus on celebrating daily joy and habit change.

Go check my app out at www.peachyday.co or follow along at @peachyday.co on TikTok and Instagram. Thanks and have a Peachy Day!

3c. Nathan Cheng ('23) looking for Product Designer, Design Engineer, or Design/Ops roles

Hey VFA community :) I'm a Philly-based designer-who-codes looking to join a great team after a few years of working solo. I just finally finished rebuilding my portfolio (Next.js + Sanity CMS), which sharpened how I think about performance, content architecture, and bridging design with code.

For the last few years, I've handled design and digital work at a family-run B2B software company—site updates, support docs, and planning migrations—and made some pitch decks for startups. I can work across design, docs, and code to get things unstuck.

Open to Product Design, Design Engineer (with mentorship), or Design/Ops roles. I'm drawn to teams that values craft and wants to work on something bigger than I can build alone. If that sounds like your org—or you know of one—I'd love to connect. Always glad to meet more VFA heads!

Portfolio: https://nathancheng.work

More about: https://nathancheng.fyi

3d. Kyle Chalmers (‘19) launches “The Analytics Campaign: A Substack on the Power of Data Analytics”

Hi, I’m Kyle Chalmers (Philly '19), co-founder of Efishent (https://www.efishent.co/) along with Rana Mohamed (Detroit '19) and we are the authors behind our new Substack "The Analytics Campaign". In this publication we explore how data can shape better decisions in politics, tech, and beyond. So far, I’ve broken down Arizona’s CD7 special election and Rana has shared lessons on building dashboards that actually drive action. Check out our articles below:

- https://kylechalmersefishent.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-analytical-campaign

- https://kylechalmersefishent.substack.com/p/data-driven-analysis-of-how-to-win-the-2025-az-cd7-democratic-special-primary-election

- https://kylechalmersefishent.substack.com/p/az-cd7-results-vs-my-predictions

- https://kylechalmersefishent.substack.com/p/building-dashboards-that-drive-action

Subscribe and join us—we’re just getting started!

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by Date Here

The next newsletter will be in October. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter).

Thanks for reading VFA Community Collective Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about VFA Fellows.

Subscribe now

Catch you on the flip side,

Akhil Aniff (2018, Columbus)

Table of Contents

1. Critical Updates & Key Asks

   1. TODAY: VFA 2.0 Town Hall, 3:30pm - 5:00pm EST

2. VFA 2.0 Updates

   1. New AI Powered Job Board LIVE!

3. Bulletin Board

   1. VFA Network Weekly Job Drop

   2. Help us create more opportunities for alumni to connect

   3. Let's Talk Dating: A Conversation Hosted by Pittsburgh Fellows

   4. Khalid Alzubi ('22) is launching his new Olive Oil brand, Zait

   5. Oktoburghfest Returns — Housing Form is Live & Ticket Prices Increase Soon

   6. Want help hiring more remote workers?

   7. Merchpath Launch - the private label merch platform!

   8. VFA advisor and mentor, Gary Chou, and his Orbital community

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by September 10th

   ---

1. Critical Updates and Asks

1a. TODAY: VFA 2.0 Town Hall, 3:30pm - 5:00pm EST

Want to know what’s up with VFA 2.0 and what the plan is for a 2026 Fellowship? This is the event to attend (or at least watch a recording of!). VFA announced a cease of operations a year ago in August 2024, and in this meeting, Eileen Lee will share the vision for the future. This meeting will be led by Eileen with alumni support. To RSVP, please 1) register on Zoom here and 2) RSVP yes to this GCal event.

1b. Join Our New Slack

All New Slack invites were sent out a few months ago. If you’re not in the New Slack, check your spam folder or old inbox and see if the invite link is there. If not there, then please email vfaaab@gmail.com to get added!

2. VFA 2.0 Updates

2a. New AI Powered Job Board LIVE!

Thanks to the ingenuity of Ben Weinburg (‘18), we’ve now built an AI powered job board. This board has scraped the web / LinkedIn to find all available opportunities each individual Alum is connected to, representing over 2000+ jobs! If you are searching for your next opportunity, check out the new job board here!

2b. Job Pilot Update from VFA 2.0/Eileen Lee

• There are over 50 past VFA Fellows actively searching for roles who have engaged in the Job Pilot Program. This Fellow CRM Notion features profiles of VFA Fellows looking for roles; please take (2) minutes to skim and see if there’s anyone you can make a connection for. Or, if you’re hiring, check out these profiles!

• If you are job seeking and want to be added to the pilot, please fill out this form.

• If you are hiring, please email Eileen Lee (lee.eileen@gmail.com; or DM her in the New Slack) with the subject line “VFA 2.0 - Job Pilot - I’m Hiring”

2c. Support VFA 2.0 — with $$$ and/or time! Now starting to plan a 2026 Fellowship

Eileen has begun the initial planning and design phases for a 2026 Fellowship. Funds, as we all know, are critical to getting any startup or project going.

Eileen is doing the work, building the thing, and making stuff happen. You can donate (tax deductible!) to Eileen’s VFA 2.0 project here. Even $10/a month is great and shows your support, but of course, if you can give more, all the better.

If you are interested in building things for the VFA community, please reach out to Eileen at lee.eileen@gmail.com with the subject line: “VFA 2.0 -- Hi from [Your Name]” OR DM her in the new Slack! Please tell her about what expertise you might be able to lend. Particularly seeking support with program development, partnership building, nonprofit fundraising, community building (mentorships!), event planning. Many past VFACC volunteers have already been engaging with Eileen’s VFA 2.0.

3. Bulletin Board

3a. VFA Network Weekly Job Drop (from Ben Weinberg)

Are you looking for a job actively or even just curious? I built an automation that pulls open job opportunities from any company a VFA alum has ever worked at. It updates weekly, so if a job is on there it should still be open AND a VFA alum should have an extremely warm intro. Check it out here: https://airtable.com/appmeCKzH4FJzfuDA/shrYpcs2QrsBwEgil

Here's a quick video walkthrough too! https://www.loom.com/share/f1fb7bb071884d65955f52eae729b5d4

We'd be grateful for any contributions (suggested $10/wk) to support and fund our efforts in creating a year-round talent agency for alumni.

Via Ben Weinberg (Birmingham - 2018)

3b. [Feedback Requested] Help us create more opportunities for alumni to connect (from Ben Weinberg)

Hey y'all! We're working on a concept to further strengthen the connective tissue of the alumni network. Check it out here!

Since this is an expansion of the RISE group concept, I'm especially curious to chat with folks who found value (or didn't) from a RISE group.

Book some time on my calendar if you want to talk more! We really just want to understand if this is something you'd find valuable or not 😅 https://zcal.co/i/umJZVD03

Via Ben Weinberg (Birmingham - 2018)

3c. Let's Talk Dating: A Conversation Hosted by Pittsburgh Fellows

Pittsburgh fellows Emily Sjoberg ('22) and Rena Zhang ('23) are hosting Let's Talk Dating — a live panel and discussion on how tech is shaping modern romance.

Panelists include Michaela Elliott ('17), Group Product Manager at Match Group, alongside two other leaders in the Pittsburgh dating space.

Fellows and alumni in the area are encouraged to attend!

📅 Tuesday, August 26

🕕 6–8 PM

📍 Avenu: Meyran

Registration: https://lu.ma/09nyxb4u

Via Emily Sjoberg (22, Pittsburgh)

3d. Khalid Alzubi ('22) is launching his new Olive Oil brand, Zait

Hey VFA! I'm excited to share the launch of my new olive oil company. As I like to say, the buying experience for olive oil has gone stale. I started Zait to build a brand around this kitchen staple that actually resonates with people. Our extra virgin olive oil is produced in small batches from olives harvested and cold-pressed on my family's farm in Jordan each November.

You can grab a bottle at Zaitoliveoil.com and follow along on Instagram at @Zait.oliveoil. We haven't started posting yet, but it's the best way to stay in the loop as I keep building this out.

Thanks in advance for the support!

Via Khalid Alzubi (22 Philadelphia)

3e. Oktoburghfest Returns — Housing Form is Live & Ticket Prices Increase Soon

The countdown is on: Oktoburghfest is happening October 10–12 in Pittsburgh, PA.

Hosted by the VFA PGH community, this weekend tradition brings fellows from across the country together for connection, celebration, and silly competitions.

🏠 Housing form is now live – fill it out to get matched with a local host: https://forms.gle/76oRi4eX8cPLjKct8

🎟️ Early bird tickets are $30 + fees — but prices go up after August 31, so don't wait: https://posh.vip/e/oktoberburgh-fest

👥 Join the GroupMe for updates: https://groupme.com/join_group/108373314/9krKcuic

Let's make it a weekend to remember – prost! 🥨

Via Emily Sjoberg (22, Pittsburgh)

3f. Muhan Zhang ('15) wants to help you hire remote workers and regain time freedom

Are you looking to hire vetted, overseas talent for your business? If so, I want to help.

While running operations at Andrew Yang's 2020 presidential campaign, I remotely built a portfolio of 17 apartments in Providence, RI. That passive income gave me the foundation to start my own fund last year, where I suddenly doubled my operational load. Managing other people's money made it clear I needed help with data entry, weekly updates, and admin work without compromising service quality.

After a year of disappointing virtual assistant (VA) agency experiences, I finally hired an assistant who now runs weekly syncs, manages biweekly check-ins with property managers, updates P&L dashboards, books my travel, supports my mom's tech needs, and oversees several Airbnb listings.

The shift was transformational. I started having perfect weeks again—10/10 on fulfillment and energy—with 30+ hours of deep work weekly to focus on the big picture. When dozens of business owner friends asked how I found her, I launched Eudy.co to help mission-driven entrepreneurs hire teammates who are cost-effective, systems-minded, and trained in the best productivity practices.

Every Eudy.co assistant records their work (so you never second guess), documents your processes (so you're building a system), and brings the mindset that helped me scale from employee #1 to 250+ on Yang's campaign.

We've mainly supported real estate professionals so far, but we're expanding into other industries too. Whether you're an overwhelmed exec or a founder looking for leverage, I'd love to help.

Book a time to chat: calendly.com/muhan Or email me: mhz@muhanzhang.com
Via Muhan Zhang (2015, Miami)

3g. Ivan Hadzhiev ('22) launched Merchpath - the private label merch platform!

Hey everyone! I've been heads down building Merchpath (merchpath.co) for a few months now and recently went public! We focus on making high-quality branded merch at an affordable price with lots of customization options. With our private-label collection, any startup, corporation, or other org can create super customized swag down to the tags. We also just launched our design studio (https://design.merchpath.co/) on the website allowing anyone to do everything here without the back and forth of email. I'm thankful to have partnered with an industry vet that has over 15 years experience in this field, allowing us to get the best price:quality ratio for our clients and avoid any tariff hike/delays.

I'm doing a VFA affiliate program giving $200 cash to anyone who refers a client (who will also get a discount). Feel free to email me anytime at ivan@merchpath.co for more details.

Via Ivan Hadzhiev (VFA KC 2022)

3h. Check out former VFA advisor and mentor, Gary Chou, and his Orbital community

You may have been to Gary's Orbital physical space in NYC during the early days of VFA. He's now launching a new membership to help build reflection as a habit for professionals.

The Orbital Membership is a professional learning network built around a quarterly reflection practice. Join thoughtful professionals who commit to quarterly reflection and sharing what they learn along the way.

https://orbital.nyc/membership/

Via Eileen Lee (VFA HQ 2011-2016, 2025+)

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by September 3rd

The next newsletter will be emailed on Thursday September 11th, 2025/ Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) any time on Wednesday September 10th.

Thanks for reading VFA Community Collective Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about VFA Fellows.

Subscribe now

Hello fellow Fellows, hope the summer is treating you well, all things considered. In this issue, we’ve got a lot of dope events coming up: VFACC/2.0 Volunteer Interest Meeting (Zoom) on Mon July 28 from 7-8pm usa est, 2.0 Town Hall (Zoom) on Thurs Aug 7 from 3:30-5:00pm usa est, Oktoburghfest in Pittsburgh Oct 10-12, and a date TBA Reunion/Launch Party in Fall 2025 in NYC. Lots of cool Fellow companies and projects (psychadelic coaching, protein puddings, a calculator to identify how much money for your ideal lifestyle, investing in Ohio)— be sure to check out the Bulletin Board! Last but not least, there’s an update on the newsletter itself as well as a poll in the New Fellow Slack.

Sending good vibes,

Amanda Tien (2015, Providence and New Orleans)

Table of Contents

1. Community Updates & Events

   1. Oktoburghfest Returns — See You in Pittsburgh Oct. 10-12!

   2. Inviting Eileen Lee to the New Fellows Slack - yay or nay?

   3. Reminder for Requesting New Slack Invites

   4. Updates About This Newsletter

   5. Interested in Volunteering with the VFA Community Collective?

2. VFA 2.0 (Real Name TBD Soon) Updates

   1. Get Involved with VFA 2.0 (real name coming soon!) through Volunteer Board Committees: Fill out this Sign-Up Form and/or Join Our Interest Meeting on Mon July 28 at 7-8:00pm usa est

   2. 2.0 Town Hall on Thursday August 7, 3:30-5:00pm usa est

   3. Reunion/Launch Party - coming to NYC in Fall 2025, stay tuned!

   4. Fellow Job Pilot Update and How to Get Involved

   5. Donate to 2.0!

3. Bulletin Board

   1. Morgan Rucker + Olivia Stevermer ('23) launched their clean, protein pudding!

   2. Investing in Ohio: Jeffrey Stern (‘16) and The Ohio Fund

   3. Sarah Tatarski ('22) Launched Her Coaching Business!

   4. Nico Krachenfels (Bham ’18) built a calculator that shows the minimum salary you’d need to fund your ideal lifestyle through retirement. Try it and give me feedback?

   5. *Leadership & Wellness Coaching* for the hard periods in life

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by August 6

   ---

1. Community Updates & Events

1A. Oktoburghfest Returns — See You in Pittsburgh Oct. 10-12

Via Emily Sjoberg (‘22, Pittsburgh)

Grab your steins, dust off your lederhosen, and prepare… Oktoburghfest is BACK, happening October 10-12 in the wonderful city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

It's our VFA PGH city event to bring together fellows from across the country, and this year’s shaping up to be one of the best yet. Join us for a weekend of beer, bonding, and pretzel-fueled fun. We’ll be dropping a housing form soon so you’ll have a place to crash.

Here’s the lineup:

• Friday, Oct 10 – Bar crawl to reunite and rally

• Saturday, Oct 11 – Main event at the HYP Club: drinks, snacks, and competitions

• Sunday, Oct 12 – Chill hangs + exploring the Burgh

🎟️ Early bird tickets are $30 + fees – grab ‘em before it’s too late. Tickets + info: https://posh.vip/e/oktoberburgh-fest

👥 GroupMe (join for updates): https://groupme.com/join_group/108373314/9krKcuic

GCal Event so you don’t forget.

Come for the pretzels, stay for the #memories. See you in the Burgh🥨

1B. Inviting Eileen Lee to the New Fellows Slack - yay or nay?

From New Fellows Slack 2 Admin:

Poll: Are you in favor of Eileen Lee being invited as a full-member to this Slack, yes or no? Vote IN-Slack via emoji reactions in the post shared today in #general. Weekly reminders sent on Wednesdays. Deadline to vote: Friday July 25 at 10:00am usa est.

Context:

• Eileen has emphasized wanting to first and foremost respecting the Fellow community; she said she would be honored to be included but did not push an invite. This poll is in response to over a dozen Fellows pushing the Slack admin to consider inviting Eileen.

• Given that this been requested for by so many Fellows, we want to consider it as a poll given that this is a space we all share rather than make this decision unilaterally as administrators. #integrityinallthings!

• We would want to see a super-majority approval (i.e. 66% or higher of votes).

• Only people actually in this Slack can vote; this is a decision rooted in this community, so therefore, people in said community should be the ones voting.

• We do NOT foresee this as a precedent-setting new rule -- no other past VFA HQ employees (of course not counting Fellows who were also VFA HQ employees) who were will be added to this Slack; this is a space for the present and future Fellow community. As Eileen is working on the future of the community, she would qualify for this invite. Future non-Fellow requests would be on considered an individual basis.

• Fellows will maintain ownership and administration of the Slack.

See the message in #general in the New Slack to vote, read additional context, and to read reasons we’ve heard for/against.

1C. Reminder for Requesting New Slack Invites

All Fellows have received Slack invitations at this point and the form to request is now closed. If any Fellows missed the onboarding window (February to June 2025), they can email vfaaab@gmail.com to request an invitation.

1D. Updates About This Newsletter

Via Amanda Tien (‘15, Providence & New Orleans)

Two quick notes here: First, this will be my last edition of making this newsletter; moving forward, Akhil Aniff (‘18) will be taking over (see June’s newsletter for more details about that transition and a long happy-emo letter from me about it). Again, it’s been a joy and honor to create bridges and spaces with y’all to keep this community going, and I look forward to what’s next!

Second, I’ve updated the sections slightly to meet the changing needs of the community:

• Section 1: Community Updates & Events continues to be for anything that is likely to be of high-interest, value, or need-to-know to the whole VFA Fellow community as it is now.

• Section 2: VFA 2.0 (name tbd) is for Eileen Lee’s vision of relaunching a version of VFA and contains updates related to that.

• Section 3: Bulletin Board is for any and all other Fellow updates (e.g. wins, asks, personal life updates, company launches, etc).

• The section Jobs & Opportunities has now been retired in response to low-submission rates — if you’re looking for a new job, be sure to hop into the new VFA Slack and check out #jobs-opportunities! If you’re hiring, tell Eileen Lee (see 2D below) or submit a blurb to the newsletter under Bulletin Board!

• If you have any feedback about these changes or anything else regarding the newsletter, you can write to Akhil Aniff (‘18) and Ben Weinberg (‘18) about it at vfaaab@gmail.com

1E. Interested in Volunteering with the VFA Community Collective?

We are merging efforts to support VFA 2.0 (name tbd). Please see 2A below.

2. VFA 2.0 (Real Name TBD) Updates

2a. Get Involved with VFA 2.0 (real name coming soon!) through Volunteer Board Committees: Fill out this Sign-Up Form and/or Join Our Interest Meeting on Mon July 28 at 7-8:00pm usa est

From Eileen: Thank you for all your incredible work to keep VFA alive and our community supported since last summer. I couldn't be more excited to restart a version of VFA and continue engaging our alumni through some of the great initiatives you all started and am grateful for any continued interest and support. If you’re at all interested in volunteering, please fill out this form — it’s not a firm commitment, but this will help us gauge interest and follow-up.

We’re envisioning an interest-based committee structure with quarterly commitments. We are trying to keep the committees focused on the strategic imperatives of the work at this time: 1) building the foundation for the organization, 2) launching a 2026 fellowship (smaller cohorts in Birmingham, Detroit, and Atlanta), and 3) supporting VFA alumni through the job pilot and beginning to ideate future structures. Aligned to those goals are the following tentative committees: 2026 Fellowship Committee (Training Camp 2.0, program design, recruitment, etc), Name and Branding for VFA 2.0, Birmingham City Committee, Detroit City Committee, Atlanta City Committee, Launch Party Planning in Fall 2025 in NYC (includes Alumni Engagement), Fundraising (includes Alumni Engagement), and Job Pilot (includes Alumni Engagement).

Amanda Tien (‘15) has volunteered to host a volunteer transition meeting from the VFA Community Collective work to VFA 2.0 on Monday July 28 from 7-8:00pm usa est. Amanda will introduce the meeting and help context-set, and then I, Ben, and Akhil will share our framework moving forward and answer questions.

Past, current, and new volunteers are all welcome! If you are interested in volunteering, please 1) fill out this form and 2) RSVP to this GCal event (it’s okay if you can’t make the meeting). Thank you for your interest!

2b. 2.0 Town Hall on Thursday August 7, 3:30-5:00pm usa est

Want to know what’s up with VFA 2.0 (actual name tba) and what the plan is for a 2026 Fellowship? This is the event to attend (or at least watch a recording of!). VFA announced a cease of operations a year ago in August 2024, and in this meeting, Eileen Lee will share the vision for the future. This meeting will be led by Eileen with alumni support. To RSVP, please 1) register on Zoom here and 2) RSVP yes to this GCal event.

2c. Reunion/Launch Party - coming to NYC in Fall 2025, stay tuned!

We’re still planning this, but keep an eye/ear out ;) If you want to be a part of helping us plan this, join our Reunion-planning committee by signing up in the form in 2A above!

2d. Fellow Job Pilot Update and How to Get Involved

• There are over 50 past VFA Fellows actively searching for roles who have engaged in the Job Pilot Program. This Fellow CRM Notion features profiles of VFA Fellows looking for roles; please take (2) minutes to skim and see if there’s anyone you can make a connection for. Or, if you’re hiring, check out these profiles!

• If you are job seeking and want to be added to the pilot, please fill out this form.

• If you are hiring, please email Eileen Lee (lee.eileen@gmail.com; or DM her in the New Slack) with the subject line “VFA 2.0 - Job Pilot - I’m Hiring”

• If you are interested in helping create expedited back end data systems to automate this, we’d love your help! Please reach out to Eileen Lee (lee.eileen@gmail.com; or DM her in the New Slack) with subject line “VFA 2.0 - Job Pilot - Data Automation Help”

2e. Donate to 2.0!

Eileen has begun the initial planning and design phases for a 2026 Fellowship. Funds, as we all know, are critical to getting any startup or project going. Eileen is doing the work, building the thing, and making stuff happen. You can donate (tax deductible!) to Eileen’s VFA 2.0 (actual name tbd soon) project here. Even $10/a month is great and shows your support, but of course, if you can give more, all the better.

3. Bulletin Board

3a. Morgan Rucker + Olivia Stevermer ('23) launched their clean, protein pudding!

Via Morgan Rucker (‘23, San Antonio)

Did someone say protein pudding?? We finally launched our protein pudding - over 2 years in the making since meeting through VFA! We would absolutely love your support if you’d like to give it a try <3

• Only clean, natural ingredients

• Top 8 allergen free (gluten, dairy, nut, etc.)

• Plant-based

• No refrigeration needed, enjoyed from a spout pouch (think gogo squeez)

• Organic

(If anyone has contacts in PR, CPG, etc. we'd appreciate any intros - ty!!)

Also, we love meeting other fellows - reach out if you're in the LA area :) morgan@psquaredfoods.com + olivia@psquaredfoods.com

Find us online (psquaredfoods.com) and on Socials (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube) at @psquaredfoods Let's raise the standards for our food system together!

3b. Investing in Ohio: Jeffrey Stern (‘16) and The Ohio Fund

Via Jeffrey Stern (‘16, Cleveland)

Hey VFA fam! Excited to share that over the past year, I’ve joined the founding of a new firm called The Ohio Fund. Since our launch last year, we’ve raised ~$240 million, closed our first fund, and made 19 investments to date, deploying >$100 million directly into growing Ohio-based companies. If anyone in the VFA community comes across interesting people, companies, or opportunities in Ohio, please keep me in mind. I’d love to support and stay connected to all the great things happening in OH. Thanks and excited to reconnect — feel free to reach out jeffrey@theohiofund.com

3c. Sarah Tatarski ('22) Launched Her Coaching Business!

Via Sarah Tatarski (‘22, Philadelphia)

Hi everyone! I am a certified integration coach and officially launched my coaching business, PsychePath Coaching (www.psychepathcoaching.com)! In my work, I offer 1:1 personalized support to individuals preparing for or integrating psychedelic experiences. My focus is on legal ketamine treatments and psilocybin journeys, and my coaching is rooted in harm reduction, mindfulness, and trauma-informed care. I help clients move from feeling stuck or overwhelmed into deeper clarity, self-trust, and transformation—using practices like breathwork, integration assignments, and education about what’s happening in the brain and body. If you or someone you know is navigating grief, burnout, spiritual awakening, or just seeking deeper connections, you don’t have to do it alone. Learn more at www.psychepathcoaching.com

3d. Nico Krachenfels (Bham ’18) built a calculator that shows the minimum salary you’d need to fund your ideal lifestyle through retirement. Try it and give me feedback?

Last year at my job, I was gunning for a raise, but burning out. A good VFA friend (hi Edan) asked me if I knew how much money I actually needed to live the lifestyle I wanted to. At that point I hadn't really considered what my ‘ideal lifestyle’ even looked like, so I had no idea what that $ number was. I built a web app that helps you A) Define your ideal lifestyle, B) See how much it costs, and C) Figure out what salary would be enough to fund that life all the way through retirement

My ask: Give the MVP a spin (it’s free) and send over any feedback you have, good or bad! Here’s my email: nicoskrachenfels@gmail.com

The calculator: https://myenoughlife.com

3e. *Leadership & Wellness Coaching* for the hard periods in life

Via Laura Berk (‘12, Las Vegas)

Are you switching careers, dealing with burnout, juggling work and parenthood, or figuring out how to step up your leadership to reach big career goals? My good friend Shawn Casey, who I worked with at One Medical to grow its health coaching program, runs her own private coaching business: www.shawncaseycoaching.com. She is a nationally-certified health & wellness and leadership coach (15+ yrs) and one of the most sincere, compassionate, experts in the space that I've ever met. She describes herself as a holistic leadership coach who supports high-achieving professionals as they navigate what’s next. Her coaching integrates leadership development, wellness, and neuroscience-backed behavior change into a cohesive, practical coaching experience. She works with people who are ready to get clear on what they really want and build the energy and confidence to go after it. **Check out her website (www.shawncaseycoaching.com) or I can introduce you, DM me on the new Slack**

4. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by Weds Aug 6

The next newsletter will be on Thursday August 7. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) any time in the day/evening on Weds August 6.

Thanks for reading VFA Community Collective Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about VFA Fellows.

Subscribe now

Sending good vibes,

Amanda Tien (2015, Providence and New Orleans)

Table of Contents

1. Critical Updates & Key Asks

   1. Big News: VFA 2.0 Alumni Coordinators

   2. VFA Community Collective: Status Update - Not Dead, but Dormant

   3. Last Chance for New Slack

   4. Eileen Lee is now a single(ish)-channel guest in the VFA Fellows Slack — only in #jobs-opportunities and #vfa-future

2. VFA 2.0 Updates

   1. Job Pilot Update from VFA 2.0/Eileen Lee

   2. 2.0 Info Sessions on June 16 and June 23

   3. Support VFA 2.0 — with $$$ and/or time! Now starting to plan a 2026 Fellowship

3. Jobs

4. Bulletin Board

   1. Beauty Brand Launch of The People of Earth Co — by Preeti Naik (‘22)

   2. VFA Community Collective: A Long Note About the Past, Present, and Future of the VFACC from Amanda Tien (‘15)

5. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by July 9

1. Critical Updates & Key Asks

1A. Big News: VFA 2.0 Alumni Coordinators

Thank you to all of those who put in responses to the RFP! After careful consideration, the VFA Community Collective (VFACC) Consultant Board — Connie Bowen (‘16), Cameron Champion ('20), and Gabi Rudnick ('23) — have decided to select Ben Weinberg ('18) and Akhil Aniff (‘18) to collaborate on furthering the work of VFACC. After much deliberation, with weigh-in from other members of VFACC and with Eileen, the Consultant Board decided that it makes the most sense to deliver the funds that Andrew Yang had promised to VFACC* directly to Eileen Lee's VFA 2.0 initiative — with the express purpose of being used for building for and engaging the alumni community, including to compensate Ben and Akhil as Alumni Engagement Coordinators. They are expected to start in the coming weeks as the details of their responsibilities are defined; they will be managed and overseen by Eileen and VFA 2.0. VFACC* efforts and volunteers may continue to build in tandem or separately from VFA 2.0. Stay tuned for more from your VFA 2.0 Alumni Engagement Coordinators soon!

*There are two updates about the status of VFACC in section 1B and 4B.

1B. VFA Community Collective: Status Update - Not Dead, but Dormant

Via Amanda Tien (2015, Providence & New Orleans)

Over the past few months, VFACC* has been winding down. We’ve done our job, and we’re proud of it! We created opportunity for ourselves and others. Value creation is how we measured achievement.

The VFA Community Collective was always meant to be a short-term, volunteer-driven solution to the chaos in the wake of VFA's closure with the purpose of 1) creating support structures for 2024 Fellows (and some 2023 Fellows) which included job-sourcing, mentorship, the crowd-funding campaign, the Skillshare series, and more, and 2) establishing new modes of communication and connection for the entire alumni network (such as the newsletter, updating the old Slack, now creating the new Slack, the Notion, the Celebration of Life event, the office hours, St. Louis Reunion, and more).

Moving forward -- if you want to build things for the VFA community, we encourage you to to support Eileen Lee’s vision of VFA 2.0 (see 2c below). Alternatively, you can still join us in #vfacc-community-collective in the New Slack but know that, just like in the early days of VFACC and any startup, you'll need to take initiative and lead the way.

VFACC project updates: This newsletter will continue at least through August 2025.* The Notion (tinyurl.com/VFANotion) still has many old Training Camp and Skillshare resources and may be updated by VFA 2.0 moving forward. The New Fellows Slack is alive and well (see 1C if you need an invite).

*For a longer message from Amanda Tien about VFACC, please see Bulletin Board #4b.

1C. Last Chance for New Slack

All New Slack invites were sent out a few months ago. First, check your spam folder or old inbox and try it. If your link has expired, please fill out this form by June 20. After that date, there are no guarantees that we will be monitoring that form (we’ll try our best but hey we’re all busy) … so if you’ve been slacking on Slack, get on it ASAP.

1D. Eileen Lee is now a single(ish)-channel guest in the VFA Fellows Slack — only in #jobs-opportunities and #vfa-future

New VFA 2.0 Alumni Engagement Coordinator Ben Weinberg (‘18) invited Eileen Lee to be a guest in #jobs-opportunities and #vfa-future to help empower her for the job pilot and in building VFA 2.0. (Slack administrators do not plan to open this space up to any other past team members; this space is about the future.) You can now Slack Eileen Lee directly. If you have any feedback about this decision, please DM Ben Weinberg (‘18) on the new Slack.

2. VFA 2.0 Updates

2a. Job Pilot Update from VFA 2.0/Eileen Lee

• There are over 50 past VFA Fellows actively searching for roles who have engaged in the Job Pilot Program. This Fellow CRM Notion features profiles of VFA Fellows looking for roles; please take (2) minutes to skim and see if there’s anyone you can make a connection for. Or, if you’re hiring, check out these profiles!

• If you are job seeking and want to be added to the pilot, please fill out this form.

• If you are hiring, please email Eileen Lee (lee.eileen@gmail.com; or DM her in the New Slack) with the subject line “VFA 2.0 - Job Pilot - I’m Hiring”

• If you are interested in helping create expedited back end data systems to automate this, we’d love your help! Please reach out to Eileen Lee (lee.eileen@gmail.com; or DM her in the New Slack) with subject line “VFA 2.0 - Job Pilot - Data Automation Help”

2b. 2.0 Info Sessions on June 16 and June 23

Eileen has recently gone full-time on VFA 2.0! Learn more about her vision for a 2026 Fellowship and/or get involved at one of these sessions:

• Mon, June 16 - 12:00 – 1:00pm ET - Gcal Event

• Mon, June 23 - 2:30 – 3:30pm ET - Gcal Event

2c. Support VFA 2.0 — with $$$ and/or time! Now starting to plan a 2026 Fellowship

Eileen has begun the initial planning and design phases for a 2026 Fellowship. Funds, as we all know, are critical to getting any startup or project going. (To get a sense of her vision, please attend one of the info sessions highlighted above.)

Eileen is doing the work, building the thing, and making stuff happen. You can donate (tax deductible!) to Eileen’s VFA 2.0 project here. Even $10/a month is great and shows your support, but of course, if you can give more, all the better.

If you are interested in building things for the VFA community, please reach out to Eileen at lee.eileen@gmail.com with the subject line: “VFA 2.0 -- Hi from [Your Name]” OR DM her in the new Slack! Please tell her about what expertise you might be able to lend. Particularly seeking support with program development, partnership building, nonprofit fundraising, community building (mentorships!), event planning. Many past VFACC volunteers have already been engaging with Eileen’s VFA 2.0.

PS: If you have experience with handling crypto donations, Eileen would love your help in getting that set up!

3. Jobs and Opportunities

3a. Job Pilot Update from VFA 2.0/Eileen Lee

• Please see the job pilot update in 2a for candidates, sharing opportunities, and more.

3b. Jobs from the New Slack

All of these roles are in the VFA Slack in #jobs-opportunities — if you’re interested, join the new Slack and follow-up with individuals who posted the roles!

• Remote Product Onboarding Manager and Customer Success Manager at a private real estate co

• Web Performance Manager and Lifecycle Manager at a tech stock company

• Sales and Business Development Manager at a business/financial company

• Account Executive at an AI company

• Looking for a freelance data visualization specialist

• Product Manager in NYC at a sustainability company

• and more!

4. Bulletin Board

4a. Beauty Brand Launch! @thepeopleofearthco by Preeti Naik (‘22)

Via Preeti Naik (‘22, Detroit/Ann Arbor)

Hello ✨fellow fellows✨! I have officially launched my sustainability, inclusivity, and artistry focused independent/ self funded beauty brand: The People of Earth! I am launching with Face Base, a cream complexion product that comes in 72 shades, with 6 undertones at 12 depth levels PLUS 5 shade adjusters.

If you love inclusive beauty, know someone who does, or just want to support the work and follow along, check out the instagram page, give it a follow, and share with anyone who loves beauty! https://www.instagram.com/thepeopleofearthco/

4b. VFA Community Collective: A Long Note About the Past, Present, and Future of the VFACC from Amanda Tien (‘15)

Via Amanda Tien (2015, Providence & New Orleans)

This is a much more personal, more detailed, more behind-the-scenes blurb about VFACC and my involvement with the VFA community. As I said in the blurb above at 1B, the VFA Community Collective was always meant to be a short-term, volunteer-driven solution to the chaos in the wake of VFA's closure, and I am so incredibly grateful and proud of what we did.

From August until November, we met and worked actively on a weekly basis. It was really cool tbh, and also, really tiring! We were doing so much stuff! We came up with a quick name as a way to handle the closure of the VFA Alumni Advisory Board -- we built the tracks as we were running the train. We created structures, systems, and communities. We matched people with mentors, got people jobs, introduced Fellows to other Fellows for the first time, salvaged resources, made connections, planned events, and dreamed. In November 2024, I hosted a Future of VFA Town Hall which was designed to be about volunteer-driven ideas for the future of our community. While it was that, it also ended up inviting a lot of other new conversations that changed the game --- Andrew Yang offered several thousands of dollars to support VFACC, Eileen Lee decided to officially start pursuing VFA 2.0, and the VFA Board of Directors finally began to talk (and then, later, stopped talking) to me and other volunteers.

From then onwards, VFACC started to shift, and that is totally okay. We all know that, from Startup Land, that creating things has phases.We moved our meetings from weekly to biweekly, and then, monthly with asynchronous weekly check-ins. Questions came up in informal and formal conversations... What should we spend Yang’s money on? How can we even receive it as a tax-deductible donation? Will we get paid? CAN we get paid? SHOULD we get paid? What is VFA 2.0 and how is that related to VFACC? Should we not bother to do things with VFACC if Eileen is going to do them with VFA 2.0? Wouldn't she be able to do it better, with structure and funding? What the heck is happening with VFA-the-entity?!

Volunteers got burnt out and wanted a break during holidays. When we returned, those questions ended up stalling many of our initiatives, causing many people to enter an indefinite holding pattern. By the end of Q1 2025, in response to shifting interest and volunteer availability, we started to wind down regular operations of VFACC, and the group transitioned into more of an ad hoc initiative, especially pursuing the potential Yang money. Our working channel continued to grow quieter. VFACC isn’t dead, but it’s dormant, and that’s fine. Again, I think we did what we were trying to do -- and more.

I unexpectedly became a sort of de facto leader in this project, driven largely through the joy and energy of building with other people. My favorite parts of VFACC were August through November --- hectic, exhausting months of texting, Slacking, emailing, Zooming as we designed things, made things, broke things, fixed things. It was so fun. It was the VFA I remembered. We were creating value for ourselves and others. I'm so proud of all the work we did. Thank you to everyone who volunteered with VFACC and/or Venmo’d me money to help with random things (lanyards and workshop materials for Reunion! A Zoom account!) in big and small ways, including but not limited to: Akhil Aniff (‘18), Anand Macherla (‘18), Aurorah Arndt (‘24), Bailey "Bee" Payne (née Golding) (‘24), Ben Rothschild (‘23), Ben Weinberg (‘18), Brenden Watson (‘23), Briggs Uhler (‘23), Caitlin Jones (‘19), Cameron Champion (‘20), Connie Bowen (‘16), Curtis Chou (‘24), Emily Sjoberg (‘22), Erin Lee (‘23), Ethan Carlson (‘12), Evan Fried (‘16), Gabriella "Gabi" Rudnick (‘23), Jad Hamdan (‘21), Jessika "Jess" Agyepong (‘23), Jose Huerta (‘24), Julie Bautista (‘24), Julia Wang (‘17), Katie Bloom (VFA HQ 2014-2018), Mark Bennett (‘15), Micah Leinbach (‘18), Muhan Zhang (‘15), Naabia Romain (‘21), Nate Taminger (‘22), Nathan Cheng (‘23), Reagan Cline (‘18), Sarah Tatarski (‘22), Sean Lane (‘12), Stephanie Guzmán (‘18), Stephen Kita (‘16), Veronica Bido (‘23). And there are hundreds more of people who volunteered to be mentors, donated to the GoFundMe, coordinated with press, shared ideas, attended virtual and in-person events, and planned dope in-person events -- thank you to everyone who worked on the St. Louis Reunion with me and Connie Bowen (‘16); looking at the Nov 2024 RIP VFA party planners Brooks Sime (‘16), Alyssa Dizon (‘16), Caitlin Morelli (‘16); the Bay Area Friendsgiving and hiking crews led by Curtis Chou (‘24), Angeline Fung (‘24), and Mark Bennet (‘15), amongst others; the Nov 2024 Bamasgiving Crew of Cameron Champion (‘20) and Tyler Jacobson (‘22), amongst others; and Emily Sjoberg (‘22) and Simrat Oberoi (‘23) planning Reunion/Reunion x Oktoburghfest (Sept 26-28 in Pittsburgh); the NYC co-working sessions and Philly family dinner series.. There is so much that our community can do -- and there’s more still possible.

As shared earlier in this newsletter, Ben and Akhil will be working with Eileen as Alumni Engagement Coordinators in VFA 2.0. Ben and Akhil have been valuable parts of the volunteer community, and I’m excited to see what they’ll be able to do with Eileen in this new role. Eileen, Ben, and Akhil will be figuring out the details of what this role means, but the Newsletter and Slack have already come up as potential places for them to take lead on. I won’t be disappearing -- but, candidly, I am looking forward to doing less :) What this looks like:

1) The Newsletter -- when I started the newsletter, I pledged to do it monthly for a year post shut-down. I told Eileen, Ben, and Akhil that I would be happy to continue to volunteer doing the newsletter until September, or I'd be happy to transition it to VFA 2.0 and Ben and Akhil as early as next month.

2) The New Slack - For now, I’m still the lead admin on the New Fellow Slack with moderator help from Julia Wang ('17) and Micah Leinbach ('17), though I will add Ben and Akhil in the coming weeks and onboard them as well. Good news is that the new Slack is alive and well and really doesn’t need that much maintenance now :)

3) Onboarding - I will be helping onboard Ben and Akhil (who have both already been volunteers!) by trying to download as much community knowledge I have with them, including context on projects like the VFA Notion and the email accounts.

4) Advising - Since January, I’ve been a volunteer on an Alumni Advisory Board for Eileen’s VFA 2.0. We have been meeting monthly and supporting VFA 2.0, weighing in on programs, vision, strategy, and more; Eileen is highly committed to having Fellows be a core part of the design and leadership for VFA 2.0, which I deeply admire and appreciate. I’ve also been on a quarterly Advisory Council for VFA 2.0, and I will be transitioning to just the quarterly one soon.

If you'd like to stay connected with me as an individual (and not just this person sending you random ass VFA shit lol), you can catch me in the New Fellows Slack, on LinkedIn here, on Instagram here (I'm not that active), or on my personal Substack (I'm a writer, when I’m not doing freelance marketing strategy and web+ graphic design… all of which you can learn more about here: https://www.amandatien.com/

In closing… There is no courage without risk. Value creation is how I measure achievement. I will act with integrity in all things. I will create opportunity for myself and others. My career is a choice that indicates my values.

Thank you for putting your trust in me, and I look forward to the future of our community.

With love,

Amanda Tien

5. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by July 9

The next newsletter will be on Thursday July 10, 2025 (delayed one week for the holiday). Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) any time in the day/evening on Weds July 9.

Thanks for reading VFA Community Collective Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about VFA Fellows.

Subscribe now

Table of Contents

1. Critical Updates & Key Asks

• 1A. VFA 2.0 Town Hall TOMORROW 5/9 at Noon Eastern

• 1B. More VFA 2.0 Zooms in May/June

• 1C. VFACC Consultant Board is still exploring options.

2. VFA Community Initiatives

• 2A: NYC Co-Working — Last Fridays

• 2B: VFA NYC Meetup with Eileen Lee: Friday, May 30th, 4-6pm

• 2C: VFA Philly Happy Hour on Tues May 13 and Thurs Coworking on May 22

• 2D. The New Slack—Everyone’s Been Invited, and It’s Active!

• 2E: Reminder & Updates: VFA Community Collective Resources: Calendar, Newsletter, and Notion

3. Jobs - A Few Reposted from the New Slack

4.Bulletin Board

• 4A. Fabio ('16) wants to help you buy or sell a business!

• 4B. Repost: Entrepreneurial Support Hub Featuring 100+ Opportunities!

• 4c. Eddie Micklovic (2022): Nero v2 Launched Today! Lob a comment?

1. Critical Updates & Key Asks

1A. VFA 2.0 Town Hall TOMORROW 5/9 at Noon Eastern

From Ben Weinberg (2018, Birmingham).

Hey Y’all! I’m excited to invite you to join a special call tomorrow Friday (5/9) to learn about VFA 2.0 - spearheaded by Eileen Lee (co-founder and founding COO of VFA) in partnership with many other VFA alums. This is completely independent from the original VFA organization. Eileen is transitioning to work on VFA 2.0 full-time this month and she’s building this as a fresh community resource focused on supporting alumni connections, career development, and maintaining the network we’ve all valued.

We now have fiscal sponsorship in place, and we’re ready to share some concrete plans with you! In just three weeks, over 45 alumni have already joined our initial pilot program focused on helping alumni leverage the VFA network to find the next step in their career journey.

Come hear about:

• The vision for VFA 2.0

• How you can get involved

• The job placement pilot that’s already gaining momentum

• Ways to reconnect with fellow alumni

The call will happen during tomorrow's VFA 2.0 weekly office hours (Friday May 9) from 12-1pm ET Can’t make it? No worries; we’ll share a recording and additional ways to get involved soon. Looking forward to seeing you there!

• RSVP to the Gcal event on Friday May 9 here on the Community Calendar

• Zoom Meeting Room: 88921901277

1B. More VFA 2.0 Zooms in May/June

From Eileen Lee (VFA HQ 2011-2016):

If you missed last month's Zooms, check out more sessions in May and June:

• Thu, May 22·,12:00 – 1:00pm ET - Gcal Event

• Tue, Jun 3, 12:00 – 1:00pm ET - Gcal Event

• Mon, Jun 16,·12:00 – 1:00pm ET - Gcal Event

• Mon, Jun 23,·2:30 – 3:30pm ET - Gcal Event

1C. VFACC Consultant Board is still exploring options.

From VFACC Volunteers:

The group of volunteers (Connie Bowen, 16, Cameron Champion, 20, and Gabi Rudnick, 23) are still exploring the best fit for a potential paid VFA Community Collective Operations & Communications Consultant. They are still discussing with candidates and with Eileen Lee; they plan to have an update by early June. To get in touch with them, please reach out to them at vfaccboard@gmail.com

2. VFA Community Initiatives

2A: NYC Co-Working — Last Fridays

From Tanvi Jadhav (Detroit '21):

Priyanka Jain (Detroit '20) and I are hosting montly co-working on the last Friday of every month in LIC! Partiful invites sent in #city-new-york slack channel :) For folks who can't make it to co-working, we're hoping to do a happy hour this month - vote for a day/time in the poll in #city-new-york in the the new Slack!

2B: VFA NYC Meetup with Eileen Lee: Friday, May 30th, 4-6pm

From Eileen Lee (VFA HQ 2011-2016):

Join the VFA Fellows’ Co-Work and then join us for a happy hour/meetup on Friday, May 30th, 4-6pm! RSVP here.

2C: VFA Philly Happy Hour on Tues May 13 and Thurs Coworking on May 22

From Amanda Tien (2015, Providence & New Orleans):

• Tuesday May 13, 6-8pm - I'm hosting a happy hour meet-up in south Center City at PHS. RSVP at Google Cal Invite. Pay-as-you go, +1s welcome.

• Thursday May 22, 1-4pm - Coworking & Fairmount Farmers' Market - I'll be co-working from 1-4pm at Warehouse Cafe that has lots of tables, internet, outlets, sandwiches, and is right across the street from farmer's market on Thursdays which I'll hit after co-work. RSVP at Google cal link. Pay-as-you go, +1s welcome.

2D. The New Slack—Everyone’s Been Invited, and It’s Active!

From Amanda Tien (2015, Providence & New Orleans):

Everyone’s Been Invited!

All Fellows from 2012 - 2024 (that we know of and have the contact information) have officially been invited! Fellows from those classes should check their spam folders for invites. Thank you to everyone for the patience as we dealt with the Slack restrictions.

New Slack is going great!

The new Slack is way more active than the old one. In the last few weeks, there have been over two dozen jobs posted, questions and offerings, events organized, VFAngels discussions, bee facts, and more. So if you're not in there yet, get it together and accept your invite before it expires. I’m personally so happy to see so many people engaging with it and so glad that the space is adding value.

Need an Invite?

If you did not receive an invite (perhaps you had used your old college or work email with VFA and you no longer have access to those accounts), please first check your spam folder and THEN fill out this form. Volunteer admin will review over the next 4-6 weeks and get back to you. Write to us at vfaaab@gmail.com with any other questions.

Opened Class Channels

Additionally, in response to some feedback, we are going to try opening up / unlocking all of the year channels from 2016 onwards. (This is was around when we lost the "premium" mode of Slack, and couldn't add people directly to channels when inviting them, whereas 2015 and earlier, we largely were able to add people directly to their cohort channels.) The hope is that it will make it easier for everyone to get more in touch with their cohorts! If you have any feedback/problems with this, please feel free to comment in the thread response in the new Slack. All cohort years are posted in the thread for folx to easily join.

2E: Reminder & Updates: VFA Community Collective Resources: Calendar, Newsletter, and Notion

From Amanda Tien (2015, Providence & New Orleans):

CALENDAR

• Reminder that we have a shared community Google Calendar. This is a great way to promote your event (conference, party, launch event, happy hour, panel, virtual voting, whatever) to the entire VFA community. Subscribe here and see events.

• To add an event, simply invite vfafellowsdotorg@gmail.com as an attendee, and it should appear on the shared calendar for everyone. (If you have a city-based event, recommend you put the name of the city first.)

NEWSLETTER

• In August 2024, I volunteered/pledged to do this newsletter monthly for a year post-the VFA shut-down. If a paid consultant or another volunteer or someone from Eileen Lee’s 2.0 team wants to continue with it beyond September, I’d be happy to help onboard that person! Otherwise, I think this newsletter has helped serve a communications bridge for our community and now that we have the new Slack up and going, I don’t think we’ll need this as much :) If you want to discuss the (future of the) newsletter more, please join the New Slack and catch me in #vfacc-vfa-community-collective

NOTION (Info Database)

• The VFA Community Notion - VFAFellows[dot]org (and even ventureforamerica.org) doesn't exist any more, but members of the VFA Community Collective volunteer group re-built it and made a new knowledge base with tons of old and new resources. Think of all that stuff from Training Camp, job boards, and more. Check it out at https://www.tinyurl.com/vfanotion

3. Jobs & Opportunities

Lots of Fellows have been posting jobs in the New Slack! Check out 2E above for details. Here’s a quick preview…and all of the below folks said they’d be down for DMs on the New Slack!

• Asher Lipsitz (2016) is hiring for several roles with CityBlock Health, such as Senior Analyst – Marketing & Engagement. More to come soon here.

• Maxen Haveles (2017) shared that CoderPad is hiring a bunch of roles (Senior Customer Success Manager, Outbound Sales, Chief of Staff to the VP of Marketing, Sales Operations Manage). Careers page here.

• Alex Snedeker (2013) - Wattch is hiring for 2 ATL-based SWE roles! https://wattch.applytojob.com/apply

• Dillon Myers (2014) shared a role for a Product Manager/ Senior PM role for the Community Tech Alliance.

• Nadia Kugrashova knows of a role for a Business Development Manager / BDR / Sales – NYC or San Francisco (Hybrid) at a developer placement company in New York, San Francisco, London, Vienna, Berlin. DM directly for details!

• Katie Rapley is hiring for two roles at BrightDime: Marketing & Customer Relations Manager and Marketing Manager. DM directly for details!

And many more in the New Slack :)

4. Bulletin Board

4A. Fabio ('16) wants to help you buy or sell a business!

Via Fabio de Sousa (2016 Birmingham)

This being VFA, I figure there are some of y'all looking to buy or sell a small business. I work at Baton, a startup that offers the best way to do that (biased but true). If you're looking to sell or want to explore your options, we offer free valuations and support through the whole process. Those of you searching for a business to buy get access to quality listings with well-organized data rooms—no endless back-and-forth with a broker. You can find us at https://www.batonmarket.com/

With love from Rockland, Maine,

Fabio

4b. Repost: Entrepreneurial Support Hub Featuring 100+ Opportunities!

Via Amanda Tien (‘15, Providence & New Orleans):

Introducing Entrepreneurial Support Hub! ESH is a new website that showcases 100+ funding opportunities and shares resources, advice, and guidance on the entrepreneurial journey. We’ve been honored to build this with our friends at Camelback Ventures, Moonshot, 4.0, Echoing Green, and NewSchools. Our mission: empower entrepreneurs with a supportive network, funding clarity, and relevant resources to turn ideas into social impact. Check it out at www.eshub.org

Plus, if you know of any opportunities, please get in touch! Submit new opps at the form at the bottom of this page: https://www.eshub.org/about-us

Big shout-out to Caroline Lutkewitte (2018, New Orleans) who has led this project from start-to-finish at Camelback! I've gotten to work on ESH as a Mar/Comm consultant for the past few months and I've been honored to be a part of it; I'm looking forward to collaborating with her on this for a few more months :) Been awesome to have some collaborative VFA magic on this :)

We’d appreciate if you could like the posts on LinkedIn here, here, and here as well as check out the hub (www.eshub.org) which we hope will be useful to lots of people in this network. Thanks!

4c. Eddie Micklovic (2022): Nero v2 Launched Today! Lob a comment?

Via Eddie Mick (2022):

nero v2 launched today. would mean a ton if you guys could lob a comment.

everyday thousands of songs are shared on nero livestreams.during our closed beta, artists have earned over $200k on the platform. now we’re releasing it to the world. visit nero.fan to check it out. thank you all for the support. love,

5. Submit a Blurb for Next Time

The next newsletter will be on Thursday June 5, 2025. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) any time in the day/evening on Weds June 4.

Thanks for reading VFA Community Collective Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about VFA Fellows.

Subscribe now

High-level summary: 1) Eileen Lee is running a pilot job-placement program for VFA Fellows, so if you’re looking for a job or hiring, hit her up! She’s also hosting (3) VFA 2.0 pitch/Q&A sessions in April in addition to her Friday office hours, so make sure to swing by and learn more. 2) There will be a new VFACC consultant in the coming weeks who will be working on strategy and taking on more of the operational work (including maybe these newsletters). 3) Community-driven events in NYC, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and a new Entrepreneurial Support Hub and an invite to a Content Creator working group. See below for more info on all. Also, the next newsletter will be Thursday May 7, so submit by May 6.

Be well,
Amanda Tien (2015 Fellow, Providence & New Orleans)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. VFA Community - Critical Updates & Key Asks

   1. VFA 2.0 Alumni Zoom Sessions - April 2025

   2. VFA 2.0 is running an Alumni Job Pilot Program! Are you looking for a job or hiring? Talk to Eileen Lee!

   3. The VFACC Consultant Board are reviewing the applications! New community builders coming soon.

   4. The new VFA Fellows Slack is going great! Accept your invites when you get them, we’re still making our way through 2020s.

   5. Venture for America website is officially down

2. VFA Community - Initiatives

   1. NYC Co-Working Every Last Friday + Happy Hours

   2. VFA Reunion x Oktoburghfest: Sept 26-28, 2025 in Pittsburgh!

   3. Philly Community Events in April/May

3. Jobs

4. Bulletin Board

   1. New: Entrepreneurial Support Hub Featuring 100+ Opportunities!

   2. Join My Content Creator Group!

5. Submit a Blurb for Next Time by May 6

1. Critical Updates & Key Asks

1A. VFA 2.0 Alumni Zoom Sessions - April 2025

From Eileen Lee:

Come learn about VFA 2.0 plans and how to get involved. 2025's relaunch will focus on alumni engagement so we need you to come listen and share your thoughts!

These sessions will be a mix of pitching and Q&A and are open to all VFA Fellows/Alumni!

• Wednesday, April 16th, 9-10am ET - Google cal invite

• Thursday, April 24th, 3-4pm ET - Google cal invite

• Monday, April 28th, 12-1pm ET - Google cal invite

You can also join my Friday Office Hours! There’s one on April 4, and then I’m OOO April 11, but plan to be back on Friday April 18. To get the calendar invites and Zoom dial-in, subscribe to the VFA Community Calendar.

1B. VFA 2.0 is running an Alumni Job Pilot Program! Are you looking for a job or hiring? Talk to Eileen Lee!

From Eileen Lee:

We’re running a pilot job placement program!

• If you are job seeking, please fill out this form and we’ll set up an intro call with you!

• If you are hiring, please email Eileen Lee (lee.eileen@gmail.com)

1C. The VFACC Consultant Board are reviewing the applications! New community builders coming soon.

From VFACC, via Amanda Tien:

Applications were due on Monday March 31 for the Operations & Communications Consultant position. VFACC received over a dozen applications from ~20+ VFA Fellows! Thank you to everyone who submitted. That Hiring Board is made up of Connie Bowen (16), Cameron Champion (20), and Gabi Rudnick (23). We plan to share an update by April 7. Keep an eye out in the New VFA Slack. If you have any questions, please reach out to Connie, Cameron, and Gabi at vfaccboard@gmail.com

A personal note from Amanda Tien:

I’m really excited about the potential of a new Communications & Operations for VFA Community Collective! VFACC is the group of volunteers who have been working since the August shut-down to build community resources and opportunities such as this newsletter, the new Slack, the mentorship program, the job board, the crowdfunding for the 2024 Fellows, the Skillshare program, St. Louis Reunion, the Notion (tinyurl.com/VFANotion), the town hall, talking to the Board, and more. The TLDR is that Andrew Yang wants to give us money to keep furthering alumni-driven work, but volunteer work IS HARD and exhausting and so we'd like to use that money to fund someone to drive that work forward.

FWIW, to be fully transparent, I did not apply for the Consultant position—I want to create space for more people to make VFA magic happen!!! (And transparently, I’m also very tired lol.) However, I did create a big institutional knowledge guide to help whoever does do this and I would be happy to do like an onboarding call or something. I'm looking forward to others driving this work forward and to continue to support the work as a volunteer! I have full faith/trust in Connie, Cameron, and Gabi, and I’m really grateful that they’re leading the consultant hiring process.

1D. The new VFA Fellows Slack is going great! Accept your invites when you get them, we’re still making our way through 2020s.

From Amanda Tien (‘15, Providence & New Orleans):

We successfully launched the new Fellow-owned and -operated Slack! It’s been super active and that’s so awesome. Loving all the energy. Thanks everyone for engaging and joining.

Invites have been sent out to the 2012 - 2019 classes and through the F’s of 2020. It takes time for us to move through waves of invite due to spam blocks from Salesforce; we’re hoping to have successfully invited everyone by the end of April! When you get your invite, please accept ASAP so that way it’ll release another invite slot for someone else. You can also skip the line by requesting an invite link to vfaaab@gmail.com

Please check out our Frequently Asked Questions in the Slack Special Bulletin for more information.

1E. Venture for America website is officially down

Via Amanda Tien (‘15, Providence & New Orleans):

Shout-out to Keith Porter for spotting it at http://ventureforamerica.org/ RIP. I saved a bunch of resources on the VFA notion at tinyurl.com/VFANotion and David Mathisson (‘22) noted you can find a lot of old content on the Wayback Machine.

2. VFA Community Initiatives

2A. NYC Co-Working Every Last Friday + Happy Hours

Via Tanvi Jadhav (‘21, Detroit):

Priyanka Jain (Detroit '20) and I will be hosting a coworking session every last Friday from 10a-4pm in LIC! Next one is April 25th. More details on this google calendar invite. We will send more details/RSVP in the NYC channel closer to the actual day :)

For those who can’t make co-working, we’re hoping to find a happy hour time that works for most people :) Keep an eye out for a survey coming soon in the #city-new-york in the Fellows Slack!

2B. Reunion x Oktoburghfest: Sept 26-28 in Pittsburgh!

Via Simrat Oberoi (2023, Indianapolis)

It’s official! Reunion x Oktoburghfest will be held September 26-28 in Pittsburgh! Mark your calendars and get ready for a weekend of connection, learning, and celebration. Stay tuned for more details on schedule and registration. In the meantime, if you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring part of the weekend, please reach out to Simrat Oberoi ‘23 (simratoberoi99@gmail.com) or Emily Sjoberg ‘22 (emilyjsjoberg@gmail.com). We can’t wait to see you there!

2C. Philly Community Events in April/May

To RSVP to these events, join #city-philadelphia in the new Slack!

• Seder-ish Potluck Dinner on Friday April 25, hosted by Gabi Rudnick

• Coffee Shop Co-Working & Farmer’s Market on Thurs April 10, Thurs May 1, and Thurs May 15, hosted by Amanda Tien

3. Jobs

Join the new VFA Slack to see the newest job postings!

Also, see 1B above!

4. Bulletin Board

4a. New: Entrepreneurial Support Hub Featuring 100+ Opportunities!

Via Amanda Tien (‘15, Providence & New Orleans):

Introducing Entrepreneurial Support Hub! ESH is a new website that showcases 100+ funding opportunities and shares resources, advice, and guidance on the entrepreneurial journey. We’ve been honored to build this with our friends at Camelback Ventures, Moonshot, 4.0, Echoing Green, and NewSchools. Our mission: empower entrepreneurs with a supportive network, funding clarity, and relevant resources to turn ideas into social impact. Check it out at www.eshub.org

Plus, if you know of any opportunities, please get in touch! Submit new opps at the form at the bottom of this page: https://www.eshub.org/about-us

Big shout-out to Caroline Lutkewitte (2018, New Orleans) who has led this project from start-to-finish at Camelback! I've gotten to work on ESH as a Mar/Comm consultant for the past few months and I've been honored to be a part of it; I'm looking forward to collaborating with her on this for a few more months :) Been awesome to have some collaborative VFA magic on this :)

We’d appreciate if you could like the posts on LinkedIn here, here, and here as well as check out the hub (www.eshub.org) which we hope will be useful to lots of people in this network. Thanks!

4b. Join My Content Creator Group!

Via Sarah Tatarski (‘22, Philadelphia):

Hey there! I'm starting a monthly (or bi-monthly) creator exchange circle for content creators where we can share ideas, strategies, and insights on what’s working—and what’s not. After a 2+ year break, I’m jumping back into content creation and would love to build a space where we can exchange tips on task management, recording tools, and more. If you're interested, let me know! It’ll be a casual group, so feel free to drop in when you can. I’m excited to connect with you all! Fill out my interest form here!

5. Submit a Blurb for Next Time

The next newsletter will be on Thursday May 7, 2025. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) any time in the day/evening on Weds May 6.

Thanks for reading VFA Community Collective Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about VFA Fellows.

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The Venture for America Community Collective (VFACC) seeks proposals for a consultant or small team (1-3 people) to strengthen our volunteer-driven network following VFA's dissolution in August 2024. We are looking for aligned partners to help maintain our community momentum while developing sustainable operational structures that will serve our alumni network for years to come.

VFACC Request for Proposals: Overview

• Contract Period: 4-6 months (Starting early April 2025)

• Compensation: Up to $18,000* (*Assumes $20,000 in confirmed donations, less operational expenses.)

• Location: Remote

• Submission Deadline: Monday, March 31st, 2025 (EOD)

• Interested candidates are encouraged to email vfaccboard@gmail.com with subject line “Interested” ASAP. The body email only needs to be their interest level (high/medium/low) and the % likelihood that they will submit an RFP. The group will then send deadline reminders to that group along with any additional updates.

• Submit RFPs by March 31 to: vfaccboard@gmail.com with subject line "VFACC Consultant Application"

• —> More information including desired objectives in the full RFP here

Venture for America Community Collective (VFACC) is the group of volunteers who have been working actively to build support structures and share knowledge since the August 2024 cease-of-operations. VFACC has secured a promise of funds from Andrew Yang to continue building out alumni-led initiatives and structure. In order to govern these funds and oversee the hiring of a Fellow to do that work, a special governing board was organized and voted in (open to the entire community) a few weeks ago. This group within VFACC is made up of Connie Bowen (‘16, St. Louis), Cameron Champion (‘20, Birmingham), and Gabi Rudnick (‘23, Philadelphia).

Read the RFP

PS: We try not to send emails aside from the monthly newsletter, but we felt this was important. Thanks for receiving it to your inbox!

Submit a Blurb for the Next Newsletter

The next full newsletter will be on Thursday April 3, 2025. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) any time in the day/evening on Weds April 2.

Thanks for reading VFA Community Collective Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about VFA Fellows.

Subscribe now