JVF’s General Assembly Sponsorship offers fully-funded tech courses to women entrepreneurs in NYC looking to take their ventures to the next level.

In addition to supplemental skills training, participants are matched with a JVF mentor to help translate their coursework to the real world.

In 2023, we hosted a happy hour for all grantees and mentors at the General Assembly offices as an opportunity for peer mentorship. Jess was one of the first employees at General Assembly and served as Director of New Market Expansion, so JVF is grateful to continue her legacy through this partnership.

2024 Grantees

  • Kanyinsola Aibana

    DATA ANALYTICS

    Kanyinsola Aibana is a mission-driven strategic operator with a passion for fostering an equitable and sustainable food system.

    She received her MBA from UC Berkeley Haas where she focused on food systems, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. Prior to her MBA, she worked at ideas42, a non-profit consulting firm. There, she used insights from behavioral science to design and implement impactful interventions across various sectors globally to build better products, systems, and policies.

    Kanyinsola is excited to learn and incorporate new tools to leverage data-driven insights in her future endeavors.

  • Tiffany Truong

    FRONT END WEB DEVELOPMENT

    Tiffany Truong is a biologist-turned-product designer with a rich background in both the sciences and design. She holds a degree in Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and initially built a career contributing to groundbreaking research in cancer and space exploration.

    Transitioning to design, Tiffany has applied her analytical skills across multiple sectors, including healthcare, sustainability compliance, and even NASA. Her work primarily revolves around conducting detailed user research and developing design solutions informed by her findings. Leveraging her scientific research experience, Tiffany specializes in transforming complex workflows into user-friendly software interfaces, excelling at making data-informed decisions that enhance both design functionality and user experience. Currently, she is keen on broadening her skill set into web development to bridge the gap between design and engineering, hoping to enhance collaboration with engineering teams and distinguish herself as a multifaceted designer.

    During her free time, she loves exploring New York City through street photography, playing the piano, traveling, and going on hikes.

  • Ana Bonamassa

    PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

    Ana Bonamassa is a seasoned product manager in food tech. Ana has consulted and advised on new food ventures on a local and global scale (Agnes Pasadena, Erva Brew Co, et al). Her experience centers on navigating market expansion, building product roadmaps, and leading UX/UI redesign.

    Ana is currently pursuing an MBA to make an impact in the food system. Her mission is to empower health and food equity through technology and community partnerships, a commitment shaped by her experience as a multicultural Latina. Ana graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Sociology.

  • Erica Kreisberg

    DATA SCIENCE ADVANCED

    Erica studied biomedical engineering, with a focus in neuro modulation and signal processing. She is currently working as a research coordinator in a neurology lab focusing on electrical stimulation for people with psychiatric and neurological conditions. Erica is also the cofounder of Edj Technology Inc., developing a medical wearable for early detection of wound site infections. I'm always excited to learn, design, and come up with creative solutions.

  • “It was such an honor to receive the JVF Scholarship. The unique opportunity that JVF provided to collaborate and learn through General Assembly’s Data Analytics certification program was already quite significant, but to also share space with a family and organization that also cares so deeply to make the experience as valuable as possible for all participants was truly remarkable. This, in addition to being able to dive into content, be mentored by an expert in the field, and connect with others with similar goals and aspirations during my coursework was an exceptional experience. I look forward to seeing JVF expand and support other passionate female entrepreneurs!”

    Jean Barnla Capitali, 2023 - Data Analytics

  • “This sponsorship has enabled me to better communicate with the designer that I work with, have a better understanding of how to execute on product experiments keeping best practices in mind, and the course inspired some new ideas that we're actively working on. Thank you all so much!”

    Nora Hamada, 2023 - User Experience Design

  • “Being a grantee of the Jessica Vollman Foundation has been a blessing for me and my organization, Black Web Fest. I now have the tools to develop functional apps from start to finish. This year through my organization, I am launching an educational video platform that provides courses on emerging media, technology, and general business practices. Our goal is to democratize education for Black and other underrepresented creators.”

    Victoria Coker, 2022 - Software Engineering

  • “After completing the Data Science Immersive at General Assembly, I gained invaluable new skills which have allowed me to expand my consultancy Garth Group to focus on offering data science services. This expansion in my business would not be possible were it not for JVF. I will be forever grateful for this amazing opportunity that came unfortunately from such tragic circumstances.”

    Jean Brewster, 2022 - Data Science

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Past Grantees

  • Christina Buckley

    2023

    DATA ANALYTICS

    Christina Buckley is a strategic and analytical thinker with a passion for education and human services. Ms. Buckley graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California in 2018 with a BA in Sociology.

    She leveraged data in her research of education in juvenile detention centers, as an education manager for students with disabilities, and as a manager of data, assessment, and compliance.

    Ms. Buckley has worked in New York City charter schools for the past 5 years, and is passionate about bringing more meaningful insights to educators and increasing opportunities for the students they serve.

  • Jean Barnla Capitali

    2023

    DATA ANALYTICS

    Jean Barnla Capitali is a results-driven literacy consultant and accomplished problem solver with the ability to see issues from multiple angles and determine effective solutions that consider the needs and feelings of everyone involved.

    Her creativity and imaginative approach have led her to successfully create and manage two innovative initiatives that advanced reading and writing skills for thousands of students and teachers in a multitude of diverse settings and contexts in New York City.

    Her mission has been to empower educators and learners with the best practices and resources to achieve their instructional goals while using data-based decision making processes. She is looking forward to exploring new opportunities ahead to expand her efforts in education and beyond.

  • Nora Hamada

    2023

    USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN

    Nora Hamada is the founder and CEO of Recruit Rise, a program to help people launch their career in recruiting. She has spent most of her career advising startups on building their early-stage engineering teams.

    Previously she served as the tech recruitment advisor to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. As a highly driven entrepreneur, former product manager, and recruiting leader, Nora is committed to improving peoples’ work lives, resulting in a positive outcome for everyone involved.

    When not working, she spends her free time hiking, scuba diving, or reading a good book at one of her favorite neighborhood cafés.

  • Tess Clark

    2023

    DATA ANALYTICS

    Tess Clark is a results-driven, analytical, and highly motivated strategy and operations leader with a passion for equal opportunity education.

    She graduated from Kenyon College with a Bachelor’s in Modern Languages. Since 2020, Tess has served as the Director of Strategy and Operations at Cricket eLearning, an online language education company formerly known as Fluent City.

    Recognized for developing sustainable and scalable products in new markets, she is focused on building engaging environments that foster lifelong learning for students of all ages.

  • Victoria Coker

    2022

    SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

    Victoria Coker is a multi-discipline artist and entrepreneur. She graduated from St. John’s University with a Bachelor’s in communication arts.

    Ms. Coker has more than ten years of design and marketing experience and has worked for organizations such as Carnegie Hall, Bric Arts Media, and Oxford University Press.

    In 2017, she launched the Black Web Fest, an organization dedicated to celebrating Black creatives and digital content. Her goal is to build a legacy to empower her community.

  • Jean Brewster

    2022

    DATA SCIENCE

    Jean Brewster is a payments industry geek with expertise delivering strategic insights and technical leadership at global companies such as Mastercard and Amex.

    Ms Brewster is a graduate of the University of Michigan with an MBA in corporate strategy and finance. She started Garth Group in 2018 to offer go-to-market services and help guide innovators to enter new markets and commercialize breakthrough ideas.

    She is passionate about driving business growth through customer insights.