6- The Venture for America Program: A Fellowship for Aspiring Entrepreneurs w/ Kristy Reed and Lydia Ashburn

Kristy Reed and Lydia Ashburn are both Venture for America (VFA) Fellows that graduated from the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC and NC State in 2019.  The Venture for America program is a 2-year fellowship for recent college grads that want to gain entrepreneurial experience. Fellows have the opportunity to work in a variety of roles/environments that provide entrepreneurial exposure, such as startups, SMBs, the innovation branch of larger companies, and VC firms. Plus - when Fellows want to start their own company, VFA provides resources to help them achieve their goals. The mission of the VFA program is to stimulate economic development in American cities by empowering and supporting VFA Fellows.  Through the VFA program matching process, Kristy became a Production Engineer for Infinite Biomedical Technologies (a startup), and Lydia, a Senior Operations Analyst for Total Access Urgent Care (a SMB in the growth phase). On this episode, Kristy and Lydia talk about the VFA program, and their roles, companies, day-to-day work, and impact. 

Read about the VFA Program: https://ventureforamerica.org/

For more information on The BME Grad Podcast, visit the Joint Department of BME at UNC and NC State's website: bme.unc.edu/home/news-events/the-bme-grad-podcast/

Connect with or reach out to Host, Allie Mitzak, on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/allie-mitzak