While recent grads are known to flock to tech startups in Silicon Valley, there are countless thriving startups around the country in need of young, top talent. Venture for America (VFA) founder Andrew Yang launched the VFA fellowship program in 2011 to help startups better reach their potential while providing the country’s best and brightest with the skills and experience they need to become successful entrepreneurs in their own right.
Modeled after Teach for America, Venture for America provides a path for entrepreneurship to college graduates who want to learn how to build companies and create jobs. Andrew Yang is VFA’s CEO and the author of Smart People Should Build Things, published by Harper Business. Yang previously worked in startups and early-stage growth companies. He was the CEO and President of Manhattan GMAT, a test preparation company acquired by Washington Post/Kaplan; co-founded an Internet company; and was an executive at a healthcare software startup. Yang was named a Champion of Change by the White House in 2011 and one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2012 and 2013. He graduated from Columbia Law and Brown University and currently lives in New York.
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