Ventureprise Alumnus Receives Venture for America Fellowship
“Actually, it was here that I realized I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” said Miguel Avila during an interview in the 49er Foundry, the student business incubator at UNC Charlotte. Avila, a Belk College of Business senior, will graduate at Fall Commencement.
Recently, he was chosen to join the Venture for America (VFA) Fellowship program after a highly selective process. With more 2,400 applications for the class of 2018, the program extended offers to less than 18 percent, and Avila is the first UNC Charlotte student so honored.
VFA is a two-year fellowship program for recent college graduates interested in entrepreneurship. Barrie Grinberg, senior director of community partnerships at VFA said its mission is to create economic opportunity in American cities by mobilizing the next generation of entrepreneurs and equipping them with the skills and resources they need to create jobs. More than 70 percent of VFA alumni hold leadership positions at a startup, while 20 percent launch their own company.
Read the feature here.