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Fellow Spotlight: Katherine Catlin, Gonzaga University Posted on June 14, 2013 by Zainab Name: Katherine (Kate) Catlin Hometown: Redmond, WA University: Gonzaga University ’13 Major: Economics What led you to apply for Venture for America? I’ve been active in social and environmental causes since Junior High, and always thought I was going into the public sector or NGO work. Spending a semester in Nicaragua with the Social Entrepreneurship Corps changed everything. I saw how business and the private sector could transform communities, providing a necessary good or service while maintaining financial self-sustainability and empowering people through jobs. As soon as I heard about the VFA opportunity I knew I had to apply. What better way to learn entrepreneurship than doing it? What were you doing when you found out you were accepted? Biking. I almost swerved into traffic. Now that you’re a Fellow, what are you most excited about with regard to VFA? What do you hope to accomplish? I’m most excited about the connections and networks to be made. First with my fellow VFA colleagues, who are all creative go-getters ready to create the next Google/Kickstarter/sliced bread. Next, with mentors and investors that could be the support I need to launch my own business within the next five years. If you had to live one place for the rest of your life, where would you choose? Seattle. I’ve been lucky to travel a lot and see some beautiful things, but there’s no place like home. Best thing about Goganza University: The Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program Favorite Book: Anything Shakespeare or Herman Hesse. Favorite childhood TV show: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Favorite meal: Grilled pacific NW salmon Favorite holiday: Christmas Best class you’ve ever taken: Economics of Microfinance Favorite thing to do on Sunday: Long bike rides up mountains and down rivers. Favorite entrepreneur: Greg Van Kirk and George Glickley of Community Enterprise Solutions, the inventors of the empowering “MicroConsignment” model. Favorite cereal: McCann’s Steel Cut Oats with peanut butter. Most worn article of clothing: Under Armour Leggings. I love to be active and outdoors whenever possible! Favorite sports team: Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball Best trip you’ve ever been on: Kayaking down the Rio San Juan between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Sunset on that river can’t be described in words. Favorite historical figure: Kate Mardsen- one of the toughest and most compassionate women in history. Marsen journeyed 2,000 miles across Siberia in the late 19th century searching for medicine to aid people afflicted with Hansen’s disease. Accomplishment you’re most proud of: Biking from Seattle to Washington, DC in 2009. This was the most intense physical challenge of my life. Yet more importantly, I conversed with people from all walks of life, witnessed the disparity of economic conditions across our nation and changed my perspective on just about everything. Posted in Fellow Spotlights | Tagged 2013 Fellow, Fellow Spotlight, Gonzaga University '13, Katherine Catlin, Redmond, venture for america, WA | Leave a comment | Introducing the VFA Innovation Fund Posted on June 12, 2013 by Megan A message from Andrew Yang: It’s hard to get started as a young entrepreneur—often much harder than one would ever realize. For me, it took a failed company and years of experience of a startup executive before I hit a point where I could effectively run a company. I started Venture for America in order to give our talented young people a more well-lit runway. The first 40 Fellows who joined Venture for America are some of the most enterprising young people I’ve ever encountered. Aside from constantly striving to make an impact at their companies in Detroit, New Orleans, Providence, Cincinnati and Las Vegas, many spend their free time pursuing passion projects or trying to improve their communities. Not only did they choose to take the path less traveled to become entrepreneurs and have a positive impact —they continue to create value every day. We’re thrilled to announce that thanks to American Express OPEN Forum, a platform for small business owners and entrepreneurs to share advice, our Fellows now have access to the VFA Innovation Fund: a fund created solely to fund the ideas of VFA Fellows. Right now at VFA.RocketHub.com, our Fellows are working to promote their ideas and crowdfund their way to the first $20,000 in funding available only to them. The Fellows that raise the most money between now and July 8th will gain access to the Innovation Fund to get their ideas off the ground. Please take a moment to look through their projects and see the incredible things our Fellows are doing— teaching entrepreneurship in middle schools, trying to simplify meeting people at networking events, creating an affordable Cincinnati sandwich shop, and more. Over the next several weeks, the Fellows will be seeking advice and support from their networks, and working to raise as much money as possible. Visit VFA.RocketHub.com today to show your support. Let’s help today’s young entrepreneurs create new opportunities for themselves and others. Posted in Entrepreneurship, Posts by Andrew Yang, VFA News | Tagged american express open forum, crowdfunding, fellows, innovation fund, rocket hub | Leave a comment | Fellow Spotlight: Kwaku Osei, Virginia Commonwealth University Posted on June 7, 2013 by Zainab Name: Kwaku Osei Hometown: Alexandria, VA University: Virginia Commonwealth University ’11 Major: Marketing What led you to apply for Venture for America? The mission and vision of VFA so finely aligned with my identity and what I wish of myself in the future that a few years ago I would have paid for this opportunity, so it became an easy decision for me to go ahead and apply when I found out about it. What were you doing when you found out you were accepted? I was hanging out with a good friend, relaxing. Now that you’re a Fellow, what are you most excited about with regard to VFA? What do you hope to accomplish? Too many things to list, but ultimately to further utilize my entrepreneurial potential and bolster my network. I’m hoping to leave a mark and further cement this fellowship as the premier training ground for future business creators as well as helping to establish it as a great symbol of an American revival story. Making great friends along the way is a major bonus! If you had to live one place for the rest of your life, where would you choose? Heaven Best thing about Virginia Commonwealth University: The abundance of time to explore, learn, and develop. Favorite Book: Fiction: 100 years of Solitude, Invisible Man Non-Fiction: Think and Grow Rich & the Master Key System. Favorite childhood TV show: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and of course good ol’ Dragon Ball Z! Favorite meal: BBQ (Ribs, Beef Brisket, sauce haha) and great cheesesteaks Favorite holiday: My Birthday Best class you’ve ever taken: MGMT 491 (The CEO Class) – it was a special invitation-only class for 10 seniors where every week we met with leading CEOs from some of the most forward thinking companies of various industries and sectors. We got to ask them whatever we wanted and through this process got to learn a lot about the professional as well as personal lives of some of America’s brightest business leaders. Favorite movie: “Jackie Chan’s Police Story, V for Vendetta, Lucky Number Slevin Favorite thing to do on Sunday: Relax, Meditate, Read, etc. Favorite entrepreneur: Andrew Carnegie, Reginald Lewis, Richard Branson, Elon Musk Favorite sports team: Washington Redskins for football and my VCU Rams for Basketball! Best trip you’ve ever been on: Too many to single out one! Favorite historical figure: Jesus Christ, Siddhartha, Alexander the Great, Marcus Garvey Accomplishment you’re most proud of: My accomplishments in the future! Posted in Fellow Spotlights | Tagged 2013 Fellow, Alexandria, Class of 2013, Fellow Spotlight, Kwaku Osei, Virginia Commonwealth University | Leave a comment | What entrepreneurs should be doing Posted on June 7, 2013 by Andrew Yang Several people have forwarded the VFA Team a recent MIT entrepreneurship essay on the sort of problems American entrepreneurs should be focused on. It’s very thought-provoking, and accurate in arguing that both the market and the respective experiences of founders drive what sort of companies get started and invested in (and which don’t), and why that might not always lead to the kind of innovation we need. Great read. Posted in Entrepreneurship | Leave a comment | |
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