Lake Orion Alum Looks to Help Detroit with Venture for America

Matthew Fish, a 2009 graduate of Lake Orion High School who is graduating this May with a double major in economics and law and society from Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH, has been chosen by Venture for America to become a fellow in the fledgling entrepreneurial program.

Venture for America (VFA) is a young nonprofit company looking to make a big impact on struggling economic areas, with Detroit among its target cities. VFA hopes to provide a boost to young start-up businesses by matching graduates with startup companies in cities that desperately need young talent.

Venture for America Fellows are recent college graduates aspiring to be entrepreneurs who are chosen through a rigorous, multi-stage application and selection process. Hundreds of applications are received annually from students across the country.

The first class of Venture for America Fellows includes graduates from Harvard, Yale, MIT, Brown, Duke and other top schools. VFA is looking to create 100,000 jobs by 2025. Detroit startups expect to have 15-25 of these recruits join them this summer adding to the team that was put into place last year.

“I am so honored and excited to have been selected for this program,” Fish said. "I feel that getting a chance to be a part of something bigger than just myself and my career is an amazing opportunity. I’m really looking forward to playing a part in bringing change and a more positive energy to a city trying to redefine and rebuild itself.”

The goal of VFA is to send these graduates out into startup companies to learn what it takes to become an entrepreneur first hand; many of these young people will end up starting businesses of their own at some point. It’s also about redirecting a portion of the top talent coming out of our universities into new start-ups instead of funneling all the top talent into large corporations.

This summer the 2013 class of fellows will be sent to an extensive training camp held at Brown University. The Camp will consist of class work and a chance to work with real businesses and seasoned investors and entrepreneurs. By the time these young people complete the training they are more than ready to make sizable contributions to the start-up company they have committed to for the next two years.

Fish has always been an entrepreneur at heart. He got the bug after he started and ran a summer basketball camp for a few summers starting when he was nine years old. Fish then started a business in Lake Orion called Town My Way, an interactive online community guide, when he was 19.

In his time spent at Oberlin, Fish has been encouraged to make a difference in the world by taking information and formulating creative solutions.

“I’ve learned that there is never just one way to approach a problem or situation,” he said. “I was probably a little ahead of myself starting a business while trying to finish college, but I did learn a tremendous amount and it helped me get here today.”

Fish also landed an internship with Detroit Venture Partners while in college. It was there that he had a chance to see firsthand how Dan Gilbert, Josh Linkner and the rest of their staff were creating huge change in Detroit. “I have always wanted to be a part of something that can create such a positive impact on a large number of people. There is nothing better.”

Fish says he is optimistic about Detroit's future.

“I’ve already noticed significant changes happening in Detroit and it is nothing compared to what the next few years are going to bring," Fish said.