course in Detroit, where he worked for
the Detroit-based tech company Are You
a Human.
He believes Venture for America serves
as the first step toward the post-graduate
lives and careers of its fellows. Fellows, he
says, have the attitude that the program is
an entry point to new experiences.
Nussenbaum, a graduate of Wesleyan
University, grew up in Newton, Mass.,
and says that he is "totally surprised to be
in Detroit today as Detroit was not on my
radar at all."
Post-fellowship, he decided to stay
in Detroit to build a software company
called Castle and remodel a large house in
Detroit to turn it into a group living and
working space. More than half of the fel-
lows from his year have stayed in Detroit.
but also active as a young Jewish adult;
he's taken a course with Rabbi Ariana
Silberman, read many Jewish texts and
befriended several members of the Isaac
Agree Downtown Synagogue community,
which he describes as "an excellent group
of people and quite welcoming."
He meets with young Jews on a regular
basis, has volunteered at the Downtown
Synagogue and even organized a mosaic
Shabbat service.
While he was pretty afraid of Detroit's
reputation when he moved here, he says
he really loves it and sees Michigan as
a great place. He lives in Woodbridge,
a neighborhood in Detroit that Nelson
believes houses about 20 active members
of the Downtown Synagogue.
TODD NELSON
Mike Wilner, part
of the 2013 VFA
class, is cur-
rently the product
manager at
BoostUp, where
he works on
projects related to
marketing, social
media, analytics,
technology and
Mike Wilner
operations — a
typical startup
grab-bag.
The community, he said, "is really
strong in Detroit — everybody knows
each other. The best thing the commu-
nity can do for a recent college graduate
moving to Detroit would be introducing
them to as many people in the commu-
nity as possible by lowering the barriers to
becoming a part of the community."
He gets the full Downtown experience
living at Detroit City Apartments where
he can hear the Tigers score runs from his
balcony, has a 5-minute walk to work and
a 15-minute walk to the Riverwalk.
He said that he's hoping to get involved
in the Jewish community in the coming
year. "I do feel pretty welcome," Wilner
says, "as there are a lot more Jews in
Detroit than I anticipated."
So far, he describes his experience as
MIKE WILNER
Todd Nelson is another VFA fellow
who stayed in Detroit beyond his two-
year commitment. Nelson works with
NextEnergy in Detroit as manager of
venture support, where he works with 80
startups and 20 academic researchers.
Born in Winston-Salem, N.C., Nelson
describes his hometown as not a great
place to be Jewish. Since his graduation
from Columbia University in 2012, he
has not only been committed to Detroit,
Todd Nelson volunteers to clean the
refrigerator at the Isaac Agree Downtown
Synagogue
www.redthreadmagazine.com
immersive and amazing. "In Detroit, ev-
eryone is trying to help everyone, because
instead of just existing in a city, Detroiters
feel a sense of responsibility in shaping
the city's future. I think that kind of com-
munity is almost impossible to replicate
elsewhere."
ALEX PERSKY-STERN
Alex Persky-Stern studied math and
economics at Wesleyan University before
joining the VFA program in Detroit. As
a 2013 fellow, he now leads analytics
and product improvement at a Detroit
Venture Partners-backed startup called
SocialProof.
Going to school in Connecticut, Persky-
Stern said that "it seemed like 90 percent
of grads would go to Boston, New York,
D.C. or San Francisco. It didn't even cross
my mind that
I might end up
here in Detroit." ."
Now in
Detroit, he lives
Downtown, right
next to Comerica
Park. He's most
surprised with
the number of
hidden gems in
Detroit. "When
Alex Persky-Stern
people visit the
city (or more likely just hear about it),
there are a few names of restaurants, bars,
etc., that they recognize. But after over
a year I still keep discovering great new
places and I have a long to-do list of spots
I still need to
check out."
I
MITCH RUBIN
Mitch Rubin is
one of the newest
VFA fellows as
part of the 2014
cohort. He moved
here after his
graduation from
Duke University,
where he studied
political science
and markets and
Mitch Rubin
management studies. He is currently
employed at BoostUp in Detroit, where
he focuses on business development and
marketing.
His biggest surprise about life in De-
troit is the people. "Given the rough cir-
cumstances that Detroit has experienced
in the last several years, it's incredible to
see the strong sense of community that
has emerged. Everyone supports one an-
other. There is also a cultural resurgence
taking place in Corktown that breathes
new life into the city and makes it exciting
to be a part of."
The Westchester, N.Y., native envisions
he'll be in Detroit for the foreseeable
future. He describes his experience so
far as incredible and says "the amount
I've learned, combined with the amazing
group of people and the resources at our
disposable, is unthinkable. I'm grateful to
be a part of such a unique organization
and hope others are able to have the same
experience."
RUSSELL SUSKIND
After having been in Detroit for just two
weeks, Florida native and Syracuse Uni-
versity graduate Russell Suskind would
have thought someone was "absolutely
crazy" to suggest he'd live in Detroit,
where he now resides.
"I naturally thought I would gravitate
toward a larger city following school.
That being said, I'm really excited to be
in a city that has this much passion and
pride," Suskind said. Suskind is currently
working in business development at Lev-
elEleven, where
his primary focus
for the next three
months will be on
generating new
leads and explor-
ing new partner-
ships.
Suskind can't
say enough
about Venture
for America. At
Russell Suskind
times, I have to
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