An equity-free accelerator program that matches startups with a monthly business stipend of $2,500, along with access to a robust network of peers, mentors, subject matter experts and investors, is gearing up for its annual alumni reunion and demo day this week. During this event, program fellows will have the opportunity to compete for a $10,000 prize.
Venture For America (VFA) is a two-year fellowship program for recent college grads that also holds an annual accelerator program that culminates with a demo day. Baltimore will be home to both the VFA reunion and a demo day pitch competition featuring six of its fellow-founded startups from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6 the Reginald F. Lewis Museum on Pratt Street.
Over the past three months, founders from Pittsburgh, Detroit and Philadelphia have set their sights on taking their companies to the next level. Mamadou Ndiaye is the Philly-based cofounder of RE:LINK, a company that uses AI and blockchain to help creators get verified and secure royalty payments. He said that he and his colleagues used the accelerator to better refine his company’s story for the market.
“We sought an opportunity to take it up a notch, right by simplifying our story even more, especially since we’re using cutting-edge technology,” he said.
Erica Myers, a Baltimore native who serves as VFA’s director in her hometown, highlighted the chance for the cohort’s founders to engage with Baltimore’s tech scene through the reunion and demo day. She referenced UpSurge Baltimore’s equitech principle — in which making a tech scene equitable is inextricably linked to its thriving — when discussing the appeal of Baltimore as an event host city.
“For the first time in our Reunion history, we’ve selected Baltimore as our VFA Reunion destination,” she said via email. “With a decade-long history as one of the inaugural VFA cities, Baltimore boasts an impressive tech ecosystem, brimming with talented individuals and innovators dedicated to fostering an Equitech city.”
According to a press release, VFA has been active in Baltimore since 2013, successfully placing over 120 Fellows in the city. These fellows have contributed their skills to more than 60 company partners and even played a role in founding or cofounding 26 companies.
Demo day attendees will get to hear from VFA CEO Eric Somerville about the journey that the 2023 fellow-founders took through the accelerator.
“By selecting Baltimore as the stage for Reunion and Demo Day, we not only showcase the city’s dynamic entrepreneurial ethos, but also provide a platform for our Alumni to reconnect across diverse graduating classes,” he said in the aforementioned release.
The demo day is also available for registered attendees to livestream. Those startup leaders interested in participating in the 2024 class can already start applying.
Meet the fellows pitching this week, listed according to their cities. Company descriptions come from Venture For America’s website:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Louis Mennel, Carbon Compost: Making “it easy for environmentally conscious people to recycle food waste without the hassle of managing their own backyard pile.”
Detroit, Michigan
Arabia Simeon, PoGo: Empowering “the next generation of voters to make informed voting decisions.”
Sara Chen, Pangu: “Apparel that celebrates women of color in outdoor spaces by bridging the gap between aesthetics and function.”
St. Louis, Missouri
Claire Kim, Cozy Cabbage: “Kimchi for everyone. Healthy made Tasty.”
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mamadou Ndiaye Jr., RE:LINK: “Helps creatives build communities of collectors and profit from the resale of their works through Timbucktoo, a collectibles marketplace.”
Birmingham, Alabama
Milagros de Souza, The Clothing Library: Providing “high-quality, sustainable clothing rental on a localized model that helps people save money, the environment, and space in their closets.”
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