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People
A good conversation can show you a role, a challenge or a possible future you had not considered. Coffee Chat and Talent Social make space for those conversations to happen.
Talent · Community · Real work
Find your next move in Africa’s startup ecosystem.
The people around you and the work you are trusted to do shape the choices you can make. VFA brings local and global talent into a community where you can find both, with practical support as you decide what comes next.
Teams we’ve worked with
Choose your starting point
For talent
You’re figuring out your next move
Whether you are finding your direction, building a skill or ready to contribute, begin with the support that fits where you are.
Find your pathFor companies
You’re building a team or need work done
Tell us what your team needs to accomplish. We can help you hire an experienced professional, bring in senior support for a period or scope a project with a fellow.
See company routes
The community
A community you can take part in.
Coffee Chat makes room for one conversation at a time. Talent Social brings people together in Nairobi, while the Fellowship gives emerging talent a chance to work alongside others on live projects.
What holds it together
People, practical support and real work.
VFA began by bringing talent and startup teams together around real work. As the community grew, people came to us with earlier questions about direction, skills and whom they might learn from. The support we offer now grew from those needs.
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Practical support
When you are close to your own experience, it can be hard to see where it might take you. Our career programmes help you choose a direction, explain the work you have done and search with more purpose.
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Real work
The Fellowship gives emerging talent the chance to contribute to a live project, work to a deadline and learn from feedback on what they produce.
For talent
Start where you are.
Different moments call for different kinds of help. Begin with the question you are facing now.
- 01
You want to meet people
Coffee Chat introduces you to someone new every two weeks. Talent Social brings the community together in Nairobi.
Coffee Chat · Talent Social
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You want clarity on what’s next
Career Design Lab helps you work out where your experience fits and build a search around roles worth pursuing.
Career Design Lab
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You want an edge in your search
Co-Pilot matches roles to your profile twice a week and helps you prepare applications with a human coach.
Job Search Co-Pilot
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You want to build operator skills
Learn product, fintech, growth, strategy or operations from people who have done the work, in a cohort or at your own pace.
Bootcamps and programmes
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You want real experience
Through the VFA × APP Fellowship, early-career people and career pivoters work part-time on live projects and receive feedback on what they produce.
VFA × APP Fellowship
Not sure? Compare all talent routes.
For companies
Find the right people for the work ahead.
Some teams need a permanent hire. Others need senior help for a period or a defined project delivered. We begin with the work that needs doing and help you choose how to staff it.
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Hire experienced people
We source and assess local and global professionals across product, strategy, growth, finance and operations. You can hire directly or begin with a three-month trial.
4+ years experience · 20–25 hrs/week · 3-month trial
See how hiring works02
Add senior capacity, part-time
Bring an experienced leader into your team for a defined period or piece of work, with the scope agreed before the search begins.
Fractional · project or ongoing · 25% management fee
Explore fractional supportScoped work · VFA × APP Fellowship
Bring in a fellow for a defined piece of work.
Tell us what needs doing. VFA turns the brief into a defined deliverable, matches and onboards a fellow, and checks in every two weeks as the work moves forward. Fellows use AI tools, with clear scope and regular support around the work.
- Scoped before anyone starts
- NDA and full IP assignment
- Check-ins every two weeks
Engagement levels
Access · 4-week Sprint · Pod · Managed workstream
The current evolution of the VFA Sandbox.
Proof
Stories from people and teams we have worked with.
“The program helped me see where I was losing opportunities and how small adjustments could make a big difference. After refining my resume and LinkedIn, I started getting responses from companies I thought were out of reach.”
Jane Career Design Lab participant “I’ve worked with multiple recruiting firms, and this was by far the best experience. The level of engagement, the quality of candidates, and the structured process made all the difference.”
Tell us what you are working towards.
If you are weighing your next career move, we can help you find a place to begin. If you are building a team, tell us the work you need done and we will help you find the right support.