Joshua Venture Group Releases Survey of Applicants
March 23, 2010FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JOSHUA VENTURE GROUP RELEASES SURVEY OF APPLICANTS
2010-2012 FELLOWS TO BE ANNOUNCED MID-APRIL
8 Jewish Social Entrepreneurs to Receive $100,000 Each for Their New Jewish Idea
3/23/10 (New York, NY) – Joshua Venture Group seeks to reinvigorate and expand the Jewish community by cultivating the leadership of talented, passionate Jewish social entrepreneurs and investing in their ground-breaking ideas. As the announcement of the 2010 fellows quickly approaches, the JVGroup has released a survey of recent applicants to further the larger community’s understanding of today’s most dynamic innovators and ideas.
Since it’s inception in 1998, JVGroup has established itself as a leading national investor of Jewish social entrepreneurs and their ventures.
After a four-year hiatus, JVGroup is in the final selection process of its 3rd cohort of fellows, each of which will be awarded $100,000 in unrestricted and restricted funding, as well as immense organizational support and leadership development. Announced in November 2009, JVGroup has received interest from over 300 individuals, with 18 finalists now remaining. These finalists represent the vast diversity of the Jewish community, spanning a broad age range, located in cities as large as NYC and as small as Austin, and addressing a wide array of issues.
Today, JVGroup released a survey of its recent pool of applicants in order to share its findings with the community about today’s innovative ideas and emerging leaders. Among its findings:
- Entrepreneurial ideas are not just a product of the “NextGen”: Applicants ranged in age from 20-65.
- Communities with a local support system for Jewish social ventures fostered a majority of the JVGroup candidates: Nearly 60% of initial applicants came from communities with local capacity builders. Additionally, 6 of the 18 finalists are alumni of Bikkurim (NYC), Upstart (SF), ROI Summit (Jerusalem), or Presentense (Jerusalem/Boston).
- Social entrepreneurs are seeking to leverage diverse organizational models to support their mission, vision and values: 18% of applicants which advanced to 2nd stage planned to utilize for-profit or hybrid business models.
- Fewer new ventures seek to tackle potentially “loaded” issues: food/environmental ventures and those that seek to redefine “community” are prevalent, while few address issues around diversity or Israel.
“We believe that innovative ideas and the people behind them will transform our society,” said JVGroup Executive Director Lisa Lepson. “The impact of our fellows’ work will help sustain, nurture, and redefine Jewish communities throughout the United States. While building upon the strength and values of our shared heritage and traditions, we envision an expanded Jewish landscape — embracing contemporary values, leveraging new technologies, and relying on innovative and sustainable organizational models.” Joshua Venture Group alumni include Amichai Lau-Lavie of Storahtelling, Rochelle Shoretz of Sharsheret, Jenn Bleyer of Heeb, Idit Klein of Keshet, and Aaron Bisman of JDub.
Access the full JVGroup Applicant Survey here.