Venture for America is a nonprofit startup that recruits, selects, and trains highly talented recent college grads, places them at startups in emerging US cities for two years of hands-on experience, and provides them with access to the network and resources to become company builders and job creators. The Fellowship is highly selective, as is our team, and we’re looking for people who can jump in and make a huge impact.


We’re currently seeking motivated, passionate college students to join our team at VFA HQ for the spring of 2019. If you’re a talented go-getter with an interest in entrepreneurship, the Venture for America internship program is a great opportunity to get hands-on experience at a high-growth, mission-driven nonprofit startup.


You:

  • Are a current student at an NYC, Philly, or Pittsburgh-area college or university, in any major

  • Welcome challenges and responsibility; you’re an ambitious self-starter who’s reliable and conscientious

  • Demonstrate next-level organizational skills and attention to detail

  • Give everything 10% more than it requires, and feel there is no task too small

  • Prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously

  • Demonstrate excellent communication skills on the phone, over email, and in person

  • Have strong values alignment with VFA and are excited about our mission


What you’ll do:

  • Work 10-20 hours a week at either our Manhattan, Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh office

  • Work closely with one department at VFA (see below!) – we’ll help you determine the best fit for your interests and skill set

  • Manage at least one major project that will serve as the capstone of your internship – again, we’ll help you figure this out


VFA Departments hiring interns:.


  1. The Development team is responsible for fundraising to cover all operating costs for VFA, through cultivating corporate partners and individual donors, securing institutional grants, and hosting annual events. We are looking for an intern to help with operational fundraising activities which are likely to include SalesForce/database management, data entry, data analysis, donor research, list management, and process improvement. This role is operational and data-focused and will give good insight into how an impact-driven nonprofit is funded. Intermediate skills in Excel or Google Sheets is required. Some experience with the following is a plus: Tableau, Salesforce or other database.


  1. The Programs Team runs the ongoing training, job support, and skill development opportunities that transform our Fellows into value creators, beginning with our summer Training Camp and continuing throughout the Fellowship. We have openings for two interns. Beyond supporting the Programs team on all Fellow-facing initiatives and processes, each intern will focus on one of the following areas:

    1. Programs Experience Intern: Work alongside the Director of Fellow & Alumni Experience in our Philadelphia office to maintain the platforms used to engage our Fellowship community and develop additional resources. Key projects will include supporting the relaunch of our Fellow-facing Squarespace website and curating the content it will house. Desired skills/experience include website development on Squarespace (or similar platform), UX/UI, and content management.  

    2. Software Developer: Support the success of The VFA Mentorship Network by iterating on the software program used to match Fellows with mentors and developing a UI for future use. Play an integral role in formulating recommendations that will enhance the overall execution of the mentorship program. The successful candidate will work alongside our Senior Programs Manager in Pittsburgh. Necessary skills/experience include software design and development in a test-driven environment, UX/UI, and data evaluation and visualization in Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets. Experience with Airtable is a plus, though not required.


  1. The Entrepreneurship team is responsible for designing and executing entrepreneurial programming directed towards the Fellow & Alumni community, connecting Fellows & Alumni with external resources, and providing access to capital to Fellow Founded Companies. We are looking for an intern to help with:

    1. Operational logistics of our venture fund management (process creation, data entry, general organization)

    2. Programmatic logistics surrounding our entrepreneurial programs (process creation, program support)

    3. Ecosystem diligence in the cities we work in to be support founder and future founders in VFA cities

    4. Intermediate skills in Excel or Google Sheets is required. Marketing / finance experience is helpful but not required.


  1. The Talent Team is responsible for recruiting, selecting, and onboarding each class of Fellows to join Venture For America.  We build a diverse pool of prospective applicants and design an inclusive & equitable application process to select outstanding future Fellows & entrepreneurial leaders.  We are hiring one intern who will do the following:

    1. Support our recruitment efforts by identifying promising pockets of underclassmen candidates and recent professionals.  This work will support our ability to recruit a powerful and diverse class of Fellows for our 2019-2020 recruitment season.

    2. Support our selection efforts by assisting in the analysis of our current application process.  This work will support our ability to make the best decisions at each stage of our process.

    3. Assist in creating collateral about VFA.  This work will support our ability to increase VFA’s visibility and brand.

    4. Intermediate skills in Excel or Google Sheets is required. Some experience with any of the following is a plus: Tableau, Salesforce, Splash, .

  2. The Community Partnerships/Company Partnerships team manages VFA’s local relationships in each of our cities and facilitates matching our Fellows with jobs in startups across the country.  We write grants, lead business development and sales, build processes, and evaluate our performance to make improvements for future cycles. We are hiring one intern who will do the following:

    1. Compile, analyze, and create visualizations of 2018 Fellow compensation data.  This work will support our business development and Fellow matching work in 2019.

    2. Monitor data entry compliance on the 2019 Company Partnerships sales pipeline and conduct preliminary data analysis to understand the characteristics of companies who seek to hire Fellows.  Among other things, this work will help support VFA in our diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, to ensure that we are building a diverse group of hiring partners in 2019.

    3. Assist in creating collateral about VFA Match and VFA events in our cities.

The Good Stuff:

  • The VFAmily: we have a fun, social office culture, and you’ll have an opportunity to make a real impact on a small but growing team.

  • The inside scoop: you’ll get a front row seat to the VFA Fellowship program and the recruitment and selection of our 2019 class.

  • The substantive, marketable experience: we treat our interns like VFA team members. We’ll give you lots of responsibility from day one, and the more you rise to the occasion the more we’ll have you take on.

  • The network and expertise: we’re pros when it comes to applying and interviewing for jobs and have an extensive network of partners and supporters. If you’re great, we can be a career resource for you down the line.

  • The perks: we offer a $500 stipend and plenty of free coffee and snacks.

This position has been filled. Would you like to see our other open positions?