Venture for America is searching for a highly organized self-starter to manage the day-to-day of VFA’s annual Accelerator program as an independent contractor.
The Job
Venture for America:
Venture for America is a two year fellowship that recruits, selects, and trains highly talented recent college grads, places them at startups in emerging US cities, 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 an impact.
The Accelerator:
The 2020 Accelerator program is a virtual Accelerator that will take place from August 10 - November 19. The Accelerator is designed to support founders who have successfully completed the Fellowship and are ready to jump into their ventures full time.
The Accelerator provides the time, space, and support founders need to make progress on their businesses. This program supports early-stage companies from any industry through skill workshops, professional mentorship, and goal setting & accountability. Participants will receive a monthly stipend, housing, and office space. The program culminates with a National Virtual Demo Day, as well as a pitch for additional funding.
The goal of the VFA Accelerator is to ensure participating companies are well positioned to take the right next step for their business, be it a national accelerator, fundraising round, or product launch. In many ways the VFA Accelerator should be thought of as a zero equity pre-Accelerator.
The Program Coordinator:
The Accelerator Coordinator will manage program logistics, build relationships with mentors and guest speakers, and work closely with VFA alumni as they prepare to launch their businesses. This is a four-month remote contract position and will run from the end of July/early August - end of November 2020. Although it will vary, this position will be around 10 - 15 hours per week.
You
Have worked in an externally facing role for 2-3 years and are comfortable interacting with executives and individual contributors alike. Startup experience is strongly preferred.
Understand how startups work and the language used by founders and investors, and eager to learn more.
Are extremely organized and detail-oriented, and get excited whenever you’re tasked with planning something.
Have strong communication skills and can craft emails that get people to act.
Have experience organizing events from start to finish - virtual events a plus!
Are comfortable with changing priorities and thrive in unexpected situations.
Demonstrate a willingness to do the little things and go the extra mile to accommodate your colleagues, customers, advisors, and whoever else you interact with on a daily basis.
Have an interest in learning about the critical early days of building a startup from the ground up.
What You’ll Do
Support our Entrepreneurship Program Manager in running the Venture for America Accelerator.
Support the participating Fellow Founders on a daily basis by managing scheduling and technical support.
Coordinate scheduling, technical support, and welcoming of visiting mentors, trainers and investors.
Coordinate the logistics of all workshops, events, office hours, and cohort meetings with the help of the Program Manager.
Work with our Finance department to manage Fellow Founders expense reports and stipends.
Connect Fellow Founders with available resources that can help their companies grow (VFA technology partners and service providers).
Support the planning and execution of Demo Day.
Help to create a supportive virtual environment.
The Good Stuff
This position is for an independent contractor. You’ll earn a competitive hourly rate, commensurate with experience.
VFA is a dynamic startup environment with varied responsibilities and a different challenge each day (we mean it – always plenty of interesting problems to work on!).
You’ll work alongside a team of crazy motivated, high-caliber people.
Please Note: Candidates from any of the 14 VFA program cities and New York City, where we are headquartered, is preferred, although this role is remote.