Venture Jobs Foundation

What Venture Jobs Foundation does

Venture Jobs Foundation (VJF) is a Rochester, NY-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2017 to revitalize high-poverty neighborhoods by supporting underserved entrepreneurs and small businesses to foster job creation. Its core offerings combine a micro-enterprise loan product (the Rochester Fund, providing loans of $10,000 to $50,000 at a 5% fixed annual interest rate with up to five-year repayment terms), a Growth Lending program for established small businesses seeking expansion capital, and a portfolio of training and convening programs including the 9-week Jobs Kitchen Accelerator (built on the CO.STARTERS methodology), the CAFE (Capital Access for Entrepreneurs) 10-part financial workshop series, the Jobs Kitchen Lunch Bites storytelling series, and the annual Economic Development Summit (formerly the Prosperity Conference). The organization is operationally lean with 6 employees and maintains offices in Rochester (headquarters at 260 East Main Street plus a secondary location at 100 Chestnut Street) and Syracuse.

VJF serves SMB borrowers who lack the year-round cash flow, physical assets, or personal net worth to qualify for traditional bank financing, with a geographic focus on the City of Rochester and surrounding underserved neighborhoods. The business model is hybrid: VJF funds operations through charitable donations (501(c)(3) contributions at tiers from $100 to $1,000), interest income on its micro-loan portfolio, and a 1.5% loan closing fee plus filing fees. It underwrites loans based on community impact and growth potential rather than conventional asset tests, fills a gap in the local capital stack, and pairs lending with mentorship, training, and a structured pipeline from education (CAFE) to acceleration (Jobs Kitchen) to capital (Rochester Fund / Growth Lending). Leadership transitioned in 2024 when Kenneth Marienau succeeded founder Dennis M. DeLeo as President; the board is chaired by Brad Rye of Mower and includes senior figures from Rochester's legal, financial, and civic sectors.

VJF reaches entrepreneurs primarily through community-based channels: a weekly Open House every Wednesday from 4-6 PM at the Rochester Public Library, individual loan consultations, direct program applications, and a small footprint of organic social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn) and earned media coverage in the Rochester Business Journal and Democrat and Chronicle. The organization's distribution model is deliberately high-touch and place-based rather than digital, reflecting both its mission and its borrower segment. Partnerships include the SBA (as a community lender), CO.STARTERS (curriculum), and ROCEDC (co-hosting the Economic Development Summit). The organization is not a technology company — it offers no API, SDK, or AI-driven tooling — and its competitive position rests on a 501(c)(3)-subsidized cost of capital, integrated ecosystem of services, and trusted brand within Rochester's underserved entrepreneur community.

Name

Venture Jobs Foundation

Legal name

Venture Jobs Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://venturejobs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Venture Jobs Foundation is a Rochester, NY-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides micro-enterprise loans ($10K-$50K at 5% interest), growth capital, business training (Jobs Kitchen Accelerator, CAFE Program), and convening events to underserved entrepreneurs in high-poverty neighborhoods seeking to create jobs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Microfinance and Community Development Lending

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Micro-enterprise lending
• Community development finance
• Small business loans
• Entrepreneur training programs
• Nonprofit microlending

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations: VJF operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on charitable donations from individuals, organizations, and community supporters to fund operations and loan capital.
2. Micro-Enterprise Loans: The Rochester Fund offers micro-loans from $10,000 to $50,000 with 5% fixed annual interest rate and repayment up to 5 years. Loan closing fees of 1.5% of loan value plus filing fees apply. The program focuses on community impact rather than wealth/assets.
3. Growth Lending: Growth capital loans for small businesses with established operations seeking to expand. Targets businesses in or relocating to low-income neighborhoods committed to creating inclusive jobs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Venture Jobs Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides micro-enterprise loans (the Rochester Fund, $10,000-$50,000 at a 5% fixed annual interest rate with up to 5-year repayment), growth capital for established small businesses, and entrepreneur training programs (the Jobs Kitchen Accelerator and CAFE workshop series). Its mission is to revitalize high-poverty Rochester neighborhoods by supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses that cannot qualify for traditional financing, with the goal of fostering job creation.

Product overview

Venture Jobs Foundation is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of services to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in Rochester's underserved neighborhoods. The core offerings include the Rochester Fund (micro-enterprise loans ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 at 5% fixed interest), the Jobs Kitchen Accelerator (a 9-week cohort training program using CO.STARTERS methodology), the CAFE Program (Capital Access for Entrepreneurs - a 10-part financial management workshop series), and Growth Lending for established businesses seeking expansion capital. These products are complemented by the annual Economic Development Summit (formerly Prosperity Conference), Jobs Kitchen Lunch Bites networking events, and business advisory resources. The organization focuses on job creation as the pathway to prosperity in high-poverty neighborhoods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rochester Fund: Micro-enterprise loan program offering $10,000 to $50,000 loans with 5% fixed interest rate and up to 5-year repayment terms for businesses in Rochester.
• Jobs Kitchen Accelerator
• CAFE Program (Capital Access for Entrepreneurs)
• Growth Lending

Products and services

• Rochester Fund (Micro-Enterprise Loans) Micro-enterprise loan program offering amounts from $10,000 to $50,000 with repayment up to 5 years and a fixed 5% annual interest rate. Targets businesses in the City of Rochester that have been active for at least 1 year and have job creation goals. Includes a 1.5% loan closing fee plus filing fees and a $70 application fee.
• Growth Lending Growth capital program for small businesses that have successfully launched operations and have solid growth opportunities. Targets businesses that require capital to take advantage of growth opportunities but cannot secure funds from traditional lenders, particularly those in or relocating to low-income neighborhoods with a commitment to creating inclusive jobs.
• Jobs Kitchen Accelerator A 9-week cohort program assisting small business owners to refine their plans for growth through individual mentors, limited start-up financing, and experiential learning developed by CO.STARTERS. The program meets 3 hours once a week and focuses on business formation, growth planning, and accessing capital.
• CAFE Program (Capital Access for Entrepreneurs) A 10-part intermediate-level workshop series designed for entrepreneurs and small business owners seeking to enhance their knowledge and skills in managing business finances. Covers financial planning, forecasting, cash flow management, and preparing for loan applications.
• Economic Development Summit Rochester's annual gathering of business owners, nonprofits, government agencies, entrepreneur support organizations, community organizations, and industry leaders focused on recognizing and celebrating economic progress, and empowering and co-creating the future economy of Rochester. The 2024 event hosted nearly 200 attendees over two dynamic days of breakout sessions, keynote addresses, panels, and an award ceremony. Formerly known as the Prosperity Conference.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 200 attendees at 2024 Economic Development Summit
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered key and core.

• Rochester Economic Development Corporation (ROCEDC)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ROCEDC partnered with VJF for the 2024 Economic Development Summit, describing it as a collaboration to recognize and celebrate progress in Rochester's economy.
• CO.STARTERScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVJF Jobs Kitchen Accelerator uses the experiential learning approach developed by CO.STARTERS for small business formation and growth.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DreamSpring: CDFI nonprofit (formed from the merger of Opportunity Fund and Accion in Texas/New Mexico) providing microloans and small-business capital to underserved entrepreneurs, especially women, immigrants, and people of color. Highly comparable in product, mission, and borrower profile.
• Grameen America: 501(c)(3) nonprofit microlender providing small-business loans to underserved entrepreneurs, primarily women, in low-income communities across the U.S. Closest direct comparable to VJF: similar mission (poverty alleviation via microentrepreneurship), nonprofit structure, and small-dollar community lending model, though at much larger national scale.
• Kiva: Crowdfunded micro-lending platform (501(c)(3)) that channels 0% interest capital to small businesses globally. Direct peer in mission and borrower segment; VJF board member Mike Ingham actually founded the Rochester Kiva City initiative, signaling active overlap in the Rochester market.
• LiftFund: Texas-headquartered CDFI nonprofit providing micro and small-business loans to underserved entrepreneurs across the U.S., combined with business advising. Comparable in mission, product mix (capital + TA), and target borrower, though at much greater geographic scale.
• Justine Petersen Housing & Reinvestment Corporation: St. Louis-based CDFI nonprofit offering microenterprise loans, small-business lending, and entrepreneur training to low- and moderate-income borrowers. Closely comparable model: nonprofit microlender + training/TA + focus on job creation in underserved communities.
• Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI): Maine-based CDFI that finances small businesses, including microenterprises, with a focus on job creation in low-income communities. Comparable blend of lending, advising, and mission-driven small-business support; useful regional CDFI benchmark.
• Accion Serving Southern California & the US (Opportunity Fund): Historic U.S. microfinance nonprofit (now part of DreamSpring) that lent to small-business owners excluded from mainstream credit. Direct comparable on mission, product, and borrower segment; useful comp for VJF's scale-out potential.

Broad incumbents

• Capital Impact Partners: National CDFI providing capital and capacity-building to underserved communities, including small-business and entrepreneurship programs. Overlapping mission with VJF but operates at substantially larger scale and broader portfolio.
• SCORE: Long-standing 501(c)(3) supported by the SBA that provides free mentoring and education to small-business owners nationwide. Adjacent rather than capital-side — overlaps with VJF's CAFE and Jobs Kitchen training components — and serves as a free public alternative.

Others

• Rochester Economic Development Corporation (ROCEDC): Regional economic-development organization that partnered with VJF on the 2024 Economic Development Summit; comparable ecosystem convening role and shares many of VJF's small-business constituents in Rochester.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VentureJobsNY
• Facebookfacebook.com/220347194741172
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/venture-jobs-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Venture Jobs Foundation