VFA March Newsletter: New Slack, RFP Coming Soon, Eileen's VFA 2.0
so many ~ new beginnings ~
Howdy VFA Fellow community! The big news is 1) that we’ve started a new Fellow-owned and -operated Slack community, 2) that Eileen Lee is continuing to build out her version of VFA 2.0, and 3) that we’ve got an RFP coming soon for alumni community work. More on all of that below.
Be well,
Amanda Tien (2015 Fellow, Providence & New Orleans)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
VFA Community - Critical Updates & Key Asks
The new VFA Fellows Slack is live! Come through!
Eileen Lee is Continuing to Grow VFA 2.0! She’s hosting Open Office Hours on Fridays at noon
Request for Proposal (RFP) for VFA Alumni Community Coming Soon
Tax Questions or Donations to Venture for America (the entity)? Ask the Board!
VFA Community - Initiatives
VFA Skillshare: The UX Playbook for AI-Generated Designs [Monday March 24, 6pm ET]
Philly Coffee Shop Co-Working & Farmer’s Market: Some Thursdays in Spring :)
VFA Social Engagement Committee: Monthly Goal Setting Check-in on March 19
Jobs
Bulletin Board
Running a small business? We’re here to help you succeed. [Rana '19 Detroit) & (Kyle '19 Philly)]
Shark Tank is Casting in Philly on April 11!
Looking to connect with experts in women's health and maternal health
Sense per Point: Sean Kim '23's Credit Card Rewards Newsletter!
Submit a Blurb for Next Time
1. Critical Updates & Key Asks
1A. The new VFA Fellows Slack is live! Come through!
From Amanda Tien (‘15):
We launched the new Fellow-owned and -operated Slack! The TLDR of why we did this: a) it’ll stay around ♾️, b) won't be altered/leveraged 💰 and c) our privacy of what we share and send 🔒 (s/o to moderator Julia Wang (‘17) for the great summary). Invites have been sent out to the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 classes, and ad hoc to hundreds of Fellows across the other classes. 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 March! When you get your invite, please accept ASAP so that way it’ll release another invite slot for someone else.
Please check out our Frequently Asked Questions in the Special Bulletin for more information.
1B. Eileen Lee is Continuing to Grow VFA 2.0! She’s hosting Open Office Hours on Fridays at noon
From Amanda Tien (‘15) on behalf of Eileen Lee:
Eileen Lee (founding VFA COO, VFA team 2011 - 2016) is continuing to build her version of VFA 2.0! Many Fellows have joined her efforts to research, explore, and collaborate. She is planning to host an all-Fellow Town Hall in the coming months.
If you want to get involved, learn more, or just chat, please stop by her open office hours, every Friday at noon eastern! (RSVP and find those on the VFA Community Calendar here.)
I’ve also posted an update on the VFA Acquisition situation in #vfa-future in the new Slack.
1C. Request for Proposal (RFP) for VFA Alumni Community Coming Soon
From VFA Community Collective*
We are in the process of creating a RFP to further VFA Community Collective work. A special bulletin will be coming out via the newsletter in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
1D. Tax Questions or Donations to Venture for America (the entity)? Ask the Board!
From the VFA Community Collective*
People have been reaching out with questions re: moneys paid out previously from VFA and/or recurring donations. We, the community volunteers, have no access or really affiliation with VFA-the-entity or the VFA Board. We also do not have any intel. For answers, please reach out directly to the VFA Board of Directors and what's left of the transition team and cc all of these addresses: vfacommunity@ventureforamerica.org, board@ventureforamerica.org, billing@ventureforamerica.org, Betsye@ventureforamerica.org
*the group of volunteers who have been actively working to support the Fellow network with new initiatives and structures since the August 6 cease-of-operations. Get in touch with us at vfaaab@gmail.com or in the open #vfacc-community-collective channel of the New Slack!
2. VFA Community Initiatives
2a. VFA Skillshare: The UX Playbook for AI-Generated Designs [Monday March 24, 6pm ET]
Via Stephen Kita (‘16, Philly)
AI tools for designers are rapidly accelerating and Olga Akopiants (2023 Fellow) has the latest scoop! Join our next skillshare to learn about we can better validate AI-generated outputs to make sure we're building the right thing in the first place. If you're in engineering, product, founding, designers, or just plain curious, please join us on Monday, March 24th at 6pm EST! ➡️ Cal event to RSVP
2b. Philly Coffee Shop Co-Working & Farmer’s Market: Some Thursdays in Spring :)
Via Amanda Tien (‘15, Providence & New Orleans)
Join me for a series of super casual drop-in/leave whenever you need to co-working afternoon sessions! Warehouse Cafe on Fairmount Ave has tons of tables, soups and grilled cheese sandwiches, and perfectly fine coffee. It’s also located just across the street from the (great) Fairmount Farmer’s Market on Thursdays. So, if you’re in Philly, come through!
➡️ Dates w/ cal invites: Thurs March 6, Thurs March 27, Thurs April 10, Thurs May 1, Thurs May 15
2c. VFA Social Engagement Committee: Monthly Goal Setting Check-in on March 19
Via Sarah Tatarski (‘22)
New Year, Upgraded You: Goal Setting & Accountability Kickoff - Did you know that writing down your goals makes you 42% more likely to achieve them? As a follow-up from the VFASEC Goal Setting Workshop, we will meet monthly for 30 minutes. The meeting will start with 5-10 minutes of a demo (a fellow sharing tools and/or techniques that have helped them achieve goals). Then for 20-25 minutes, we will share goal statuses and if you need support from the group on any next steps!
➡️ RSVP and find those on the VFA Community Calendar here.
3. Jobs
Join the new VFA Slack to see the newest job postings!
4. Bulletin Board
4a. Running a small business? We’re here to help you succeed. [Rana '19 Detroit) & (Kyle '19 Philly)]
Via Rana Mohamed (‘19)
We're building Efishent (https://www.efishent.co/)—your go-to data analytics consulting partner! We help small businesses unlock hidden insights, automate workflows, and optimize operations for maximum efficiency. Got data challenges? Let’s tackle them together! Email us at info@efishent.co—we’ll show you what’s possible. 🚀
4b. Shark Tank is Casting in Philly on April 11!
Via Anand Macherla (‘18)
“The show will be at Rivers Casino on April 11 for a casting call open to the general public. The casting call is open to the general public. The line to participate will start at 8 a.m. and wristbands to participate will be handed out between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Interviews will begin at 10 a.m. Anyone who receives a wristband will have the opportunity to pitch. Interested parties should also fill out an application ahead of time and bring it with them to the open call. The application requires information about the business, the team and what kind of investment they are looking for.” Learn more at https://technical.ly/startups/shark-tank-philadelphia-casting-2025/
4c. Looking to connect with experts in women's health and maternal health
Via Felicia Oentoro (‘20, Cleveland)
Hi! I’m Felicia, and I’m currently an engineering PhD student at Georgia Tech. I’m currently working on a project related to women’s and maternal health. I’m interested in talking to anybody in the women’s health space.
Right now, my colleague and I are focused on conditions related to pregnant individuals but are also curious about other conditions women face that are typically under-researched (PCOS, endometriosis, etc.), so I’m also interested in talking to individuals that deal with these conditions as well as pregnant individuals who have had preeclampsia or are concerned about their health. Our research project will likely extend into the summertime, so currently, we are creating a contacts list. We might reach out to you over the next few weeks, but you also might not hear from us until the summertime.
Please reach out to me at felicia.oentoro@gmail.com
4d. Sense per Point: Sean Kim '23's Credit Card Rewards Newsletter!
Via Sean Kim (‘23)
Hi all! Sean Kim '23 here - I'm extremely grateful to everyone in the VFA community that has stepped up and kept us going! Hope we can keep going and I can contribute to that :)
I wanted to share my credit card points & rewards newsletter with you all - If you've ever struggled to comb through all of the information out there on what credit cards to get, how to earn/use rewards, and anything related to that, Sense per Point (https://senseperpoint.beehiiv.com/) can help! I'm also always available at 201-838-6767 and senseperpoint@gmail.com for any questions on cards, points, etc. Thank you all now and always, and let's make sense of points & miles together!
https://senseperpoint.beehiiv.com/subscribe
5. Submit a Blurb for Next Time
The next newsletter will be on Thursday March 6, 2025. Submit your blurb here (it’s also linked on the homepage of the newsletter) any time in the day/evening on Weds Mach 5.
Thanks for reading VFA Community Collective Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive updates from and about VFA Fellows.