LatinxAmerica's podcast: Recent Episodes
Adriana Flores-Ragade
LatinxAmerica is focused on highlighting catalysts that are using, leveraging, creating or investing in technology that can positively impact the Latinx community. Experts cover topics ranging from education, health, diversity, and civic engagement to financial stability/wealth creation.
Pabel Martinez, Global Account Director at Tik Tok, founder of Plurawl, and podcaster at ¿Quién Tú Eres?. In this conversation, he talks about his journey to work in his dream company and how he overcame imposter syndrome.
We discuss the importance of therapy, navigating corporate America as a Latinx in tech.
Pabel also shared the skills he developed to land jobs at social media companies such as Facebook and Tik Tok.
Listen and get inspired!
Henry Quintana, Operations Manager at Capsule in New York, shares the skills and resources that helped him develop professionally. He talks about his experience at different startups, how he overcame challenges, and how companies could develop more inclusive cultures.
Learn about his story and connect with Henry via LinkedIn.
Cuco Vega is the founder of Bexi, the tool that helps people who have never run a digital marketing campaign or run their digital marketing for their business according to the goals they want to accomplish. Cuco talks about his journey as a co-founder and how to inspire others to follow the same path or learn from some of the challenges and opportunities that come his way.
https://bexi.io
Jennifer Garcia is the founder of Fluential Leadership and the COO of the Latino Business Network (LBAN). Through her company, she provides individual solutions for personal and professional growth, equipping individuals to uplevel their leadership ability. In this episode, we talk about Leadership shift, personal development shift, and passion shift amongst other topics. Learn about her story and connect with her:
https://www.fluentialleadership.com/
Jennifer Garcia is the founder of Fluential Leadership and the COO of the Latino Business Network (LBAN). Through her company, she provides individual solutions for personal and professional growth, equipping individuals to uplevel their leadership ability. Fluential Leadership also supports small businesses with growth strategies, retaining top talent, and maximizing productivity. In this episode, we focus on how and why leaders can develop effective communication skills as we focus on helping our community level up. https://www.fluentialleadership.com/
Cristina Trujillo talks about her path to becoming a founder of REEM. REEM Media is a full-service bilingual MediaTech agency owned and operated by Women of Color, leading a diverse talent pool of high-caliber creatives in media and tech.
https://www.reemmedia.org/
Miguel Gomez, CFP is a is Financial Advisor for Hispanic Investors. In addition to being a Financial Advisor, he is passionate about helping people take the mystery out of personal finance through “Dinero en Español”, a podcast where he talk about money and finances in a clear way and also interview experts and successful entrepreneurs.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguelggarcia/
Cheryl Campos Talks About VCFamilia and Building a Community of Latinx Investors
VCFamilia founding member Cheryl Campos talks about the future of the organization and how others can join and become active members. VCFamilia is a community of 200+ Latinx investors supporting current & emerging VCs + founders - posting venture jobs, opportunities, and events.This is a second interview with Cheryl where we talk about her career advancement as an investor and other exciting opportunities in the pipeline for her and for the VCFamilia community.
https://www.vcfamilia.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylcampos/
VCFamilia founding member Af Hernandez is an investor focused on cleantech, IoT, industrials sustainability. He was previously at Ecosystem Integrity fund where his responsibilities include sector research, pipeline development and tracking, and investment due diligence support. Before EIF, Af was a Senior Strategic Planner at the newly formed Lockheed Martin (LM) Energy. At LM Energy, Af oversaw the research and development investment portfolio and was key in developing the long-term strategy. Af is a co-founder of VCFamilia and an advocate for diversity and inclusion.
VCFamilia member Rebecca Danta is the Managing Director of Miami Angels, the largest angel network in Florida, which funds pre-seed and seed software companies with early traction across various sectors.
Miami Angels has deployed $18M into 33 companies since 2014, and Rebecca built a sustainable, independent business model for the organization.
Prior to joining Miami Angels, Rebecca managed global campus operations for General Assembly in New York City, the first accelerated learning provider, and the "Top Most Innovative Company in Education" per Fast Company. General Assembly had a successful exit in 2018. Prior to that, Rebecca worked at Macy's in their Executive Development Program.
Rebecca is a Miami native and passionate about investing into markets and teams that are often overlooked in traditional venture capital. She serves on the board of the Florida Venture Forum and is a Class XI member of Miami Fellows.
https://www.miamiangels.vc/team
VCFamilia member Marco Casas is a Venezuelan-born professional who has been named to Business Insider's "100 rising stars who represent the future of venture capital." His career extends across early-stage ventures and global public companies. Marco is passionate about fintech and other disruptive technologies closing gaps of access to capital, opportunity, and outcomes.
Marco pursues these interests via a partnerships and business development full-time role at American Express, and via Angel investing and active participation in organizations like VCFamilia, a Latinx in tech community, Toy Ventures, an operator-led venture fund, Rally Cap Ventures, an emerging markets fintech fund, On Deck Fintech and the Council of Foreign Relations, where Marco is a Term Member.
Marco received his BA in political science from Middlebury College and MBA degrees from Columbia and London Business School. He's a proud Latinx immigrant, now settled in New York by way of Swaziland and Russia. Outside of work, Marco is active in the community, serving on the associate board of the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club. He is a happy husband and father of two girls.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcocasas/
VCFamilia member Samantha Batista is a native New Yorker who deeply admires entrepreneurial hustle. Sam started her career on Wall Street before making her way to investing in 2015. Since then, she's worked on debt and equity transactions in both the U.S. and Latin America across several different industries. In 2017, she co-founded Who Is Raising?—a deal sourcing newsletter that aims to connect early-stage founders to investors. Today, she is an investor at a Mexico-based family office and consults and advises companies on growth strategies, fundraising strategies, and business development. She also runs syndicates on pre-seed and seed stage transactions.
https://www.whoisraising.vc/about-us
A VCFamilia member, Carlos is currently the co-founder of Novel Capital a Kansas City firm that leverages Revenue-Based Financing to provide growth capital to early-stage software companies that don’t fit the traditional venture or banking models. In the last two years, Novel has invested over $9M in 26 companies across the US and Canada. He is an active member of the prestigious Kauffman Fellows and Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship. In addition, he serves as board member for LeanLab Education and the Enterprise Bank & Trust Advisory Board.
Prior to Novel, Carlos was the cofounder and CEO of Netchemia for 14 years. Under Carlos’ leadership, Netchemia grew to provide their Talent Management platform to over 3,500 school districts across the country and was recognized as one of the leading technology companies in K-12 education. Netchemia received many accolades including being named District Administration Magazine’s top products. Of all the recognition, Carlos is most proud of his company being named one of Kansas City’s “Best Companies to Work For.” In 2015, Carlos successfully sold Netchemia to Vista Private Equity, one of the best PE firms in the world. Carlos immigrated to the United States from the highest city in the world, La Paz, Bolivia, when he was 18 years old. He studied computer science and graduated from Washburn University with a bachelor's degree. Later, he completed his MBA at the University of Kansas. He lives in Kansas City with his wife, a children’s author. In his free time, he enjoys giving back to the entrepreneurial community as a mentor and advisor, traveling, dancing salsa, and experimenting with tasty cocktail recipes that he can share with friends and family.
https://novelgp.com/
Taj Ahmad Eldridge is a 25+ year investment professional whose career has included high level executive roles in banking, asset management, alternative investments, and entrepreneurship. As General Partner of Include Venture Partners and Senior Director of Investments at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), Taj has built a longstanding career with expertise in the fields of fintech, media, energy, transportation, and the circular economy. Taj is also one of the 70 Black Investors in Bevy.com - a $325 million virtual conference platform as noted in AfroTech.
At LACI, Taj established both the LACI Impact Fund I (LIF I) and the LACI Debt Fund to allow cleantech companies to grow with diverse capital. These funds utilize an equity impact lens to encourage invested companies to have environmental, economic, and social impact - particularly on increasing the number of underrepresented voices in the cleantech industry. In addition, Taj created programs such as LACI Investor Talks (LIT), the LACI Investor in Residence program, and the Player to CEO Athlete-Investor Impact Summit Series with JP Morgan Chase. Taj has been named one of the 53 Investors to Watch in 2021 by Pitchbook & 101 Black Titans in Tech while nurturing and building a team of investment activists.
Prior to LACI, Taj was the Director for the Incubator at the University of California in Riverside, California. During his tenure as Director, Taj’s team brought a $10M venture fund (Highlander Fund) to the Inland Empire - the first for the region. Because of Taj’s focus on blending entertainment, policy, and entrepreneurship, the region was named the #4 city in the United States for Diverse Entrepreneurs via Entrepreneur Magazine.
Taj began his career as a banker and economist with Wells Fargo Bank, UBS Investment Bank, and TRW Investments. Taj has also been a Founder, Board Member, and Investor in companies such as ILTG Media, Boswell Official Apparel, Voter, Xtopoly, Rookielook, iListen, KYC Hospitality, KIGT, Majira Project, CleanTek Capital and ConCreates. Taj also serves on the Climate Finance Advisory Team of the Community Investment Guarantee Pool (CIGP), the Executive Board of the Homeboy Industries Ventures Fund, and The Majira Project - a Boston Consulting Group Venture Studio.
Taj has been profiled in publications such as Impact Alpha, Los Angeles Business Journal, Pitchbook, Forbes, GreenBiz, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more regarding his tireless efforts on achieving alpha while also advancing equity.
Taj has a BA degree in poetry & literature from Texas A&M University-Commerce, an MBA degree in International Business from Pepperdine University, and studied geopolitical economics at Claremont Graduate University as a PhD. Taj also studied abroad at The Universidad Adolfo Ibanez in Santiago, Chile, The Universidad Do Porto in Porto, Portugal, and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in Hong Kong, China.
Taj is an avid audiobook bibliophile and a lover of music of all genres.
A VCFamilia member, Jesús Salas is rooted in the belief that making culturally conscious investments is a path to increasing opportunity and positive economic outcomes for otherwise overlooked communities and founders. Jesús is a former Associate with Omidyar Network where he supported the sourcing and evaluation of venture investments and tools that catalyzed the supply of purpose-driven technology. Jesús has worked domestically and abroad in a variety of capacities such as a management consultant, impact investor and investment banker with global organizations working across industries ranging from agriculture, education, and financial technology.
Outside of Slauson & Co., Jesús is involved in a range of organizations committed to increasing diversity at all professional levels. These efforts include the Toigo Foundation, the Access Project, and VCFamilia. Jesús is a 2021 HBCUvc Emerging Venture Leaders Award recipient and a Board Member of Microlumbia- Columbia Business School’s student-run impact investing fund.
Jesús is from the northside of Fort Worth, Texas and is the son of Mexican immigrants. Jesús is a proud first-generation graduate of Stanford University, holds an MBA from Columbia University and recently completed a fellowship with the Just Economy Institute.
A VCFamilia Member, Adriana C. Embus Figueroa is a first-generation Afro-Latina working at the intersection of business, policy, and technology. Currently, Adriana serves on the Investments Team at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI). In this role, she manages the LACI Impact and Debt Funds and supports entrepreneurs in accessing and securing capital from investors across the world.
Prior to LACI, Adriana served as a Financial Analyst at Samuel A. Ramirez & Co., Inc., the largest Latino investment banking firm in the country. There, she focused on providing quantitative banking analysis and support for the procurement of funds for local, regional and national capital improvement projects. Prior to Ramirez, Adriana worked as a Development Analyst for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, helping daily to secure funding for the more than 10,000 scholarships HSF distributes to Latino students nationwide.
Outside of work, Adriana is a member of the member of the Young Alumni Board for 21st Century Leaders; a delegate for the National Alumnae Strategy Task Force for Girls Incorporated; and an active young alumna of the Yale Latino Alumni Association.
Ms. Embus Figueroa graduated with honors from Yale with a B.A. in Ethnicity, Race & Migration and Political Science, and was a QuestBridge Scholar. She is of Colombian & Puerto-Rican descent, and was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia.
Mariana Garza is an associate at XYZ Venture Capital. While at school she researched venture capital, innovation, and intellectual property and interned at Bessemer Venture Partners on the investment team and on the entrepreneur selection and growth team at Endeavor Global. Outside of her interests in entrepreneurship and tech, Mariana loves todo stand-up comedy and boxing and talk about Mexican art and culture. Mariana goes by Mars (like the planet) and is based on the East Coast.
She graduated from Harvard College in May of 2020 with an Honors concentration in Economics and a secondary in the History of Art and Architecture.
A VCFamilia member, Leandro Bedolla is a VC at M25 in Chicago, the most active Pre-Seed and Seed stage firm investing in Midwest-based startups across most industries (14 states, 117 companies). He sources and meets with founders, conducts analysis and due diligence, supports portfolio companies and firm operations, and initiatives including MidwestStartups.com and the Midwest Startup City Rankings. Additionally, Leandro volunteers with LatinxVC co-leading the Breaking into VC Fellowship, VCFamilia, mentors for Techstars and NVCA/Venture Forward’s VC University, and was recognized by HBCUvc as a 2021 Emerging Venture Leader.
Previously, Leandro was an associate for the Techstars Anywhere accelerator, Tech Coast Angels’ volunteer analyst program, and built up Startup San Diego’s ecosystem as MD of sponsorships and a lead organizer for San Diego Startup Week. He graduated from Valparaiso University, grew up in Illinois, and is originally from Central Mexico.
A VCFamilia member, Daisy Garcia is a passionate Sr. Investment Analyst at JetBlue Technology Ventures, where she optimizes investments by conducting in-depth analyses and due diligence of early stage startups. Her analytical focus is on startups that operate at the intersection of travel, hospitality, and technology. Some of her areas of interest include artificial intelligence, sustainability, and cybersecurity.
She previously lived in Sweden for over two years, where she worked with an early stage VC and angel syndicate, while acquiring an international education. Her career has also taken her abroad to Israel, Uganda, India, and Latvia. She holds dual MSCs in International Business from the Stockholm School of Economics, and double BAs in Mathematics and Environmental Economics from UC Berkeley.
https://www.jetblueventures.com/
VCFamilia member Ashley Aydin, a Principal at Vamos Ventures talks about early stage investing in critical areas. She started her career in Capital Markets at Morgan Stanley and moved into strategic roles at Y-Combinator Shoptiques.com, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Estee Lauder. She has been an investor at Brand Foundry Ventures, Founders Factory and Dorm Room Ventures.
A VC Familia member, Yesenia Avila Gallardo from Occam Advisors helps clients execute their impact investment strategies. As a Principal at Occam, she works primarily with Potencia Ventures, a family office, to source, diligence, and manage early-stage venture investments in companies with business models that serve or impact low-income customers. She is also the founder of Papalotzin where she works with artisanal mezcal producers in Mexico to import distilled agave spirits into the US.
http://www.occampdx.com/team.html
A VCFamilia member, Amelia Gandara is a Principal at Nationwide Ventures. She has a dual role, managing the fund’s operations and investing alongside the team. She focuses on Nationwide’s early-stage investments with a passion for insurtechs. Amelia has additional experience in investing, operations, strategy and partnerships with stints at GE and a pre-seed funding program. We talk about trends in insurtech, her passion for ballet and art, and advice for people wanting to transition into the corporate VC space.
This is another episode in the VCFamilia series where we highlight Latinx in Venture Capital. In this episode, we highlight Bianca Caban who is a Principal at Heartland Ventures (HV), a Seed & Series A fund with an investor base of strategic corporations located throughout the Midwest. At HV, Bianca is responsible for leading the firm’s deal sourcing, co-investor relations, and founder interactions in Silicon Valley. Prior to that she was Head of Partnerships at Republic, an AngelList spin-off, and CEO of SheWorx, which was acquired by Republic in 2019. Before Republic she worked for a decade in financial services including at firms, Credit Suisse, BlackRock, and Atlas Merchant Capital, which sought investment in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Bianca also established a consultancy, Taino Capital, where she worked with clients on fund formation and strategy. Bianca received a BA from Harvard College and an MBA from Columbia University.
https://www.heartlandvc.com/
Monique Villa leads Mucker Capital's Nashville office, investing in companies across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. She is also the co-founder of Build In SE, a community of startup founders and ecosystem partners committed to company building in the Southeast.
Prior to joining Mucker's investment team, Monique's career in early-stage venture capital began in 2013 leading investor relations for Velos Partners, and more recently with Core Innovation Capital. Earlier in her career, Monique advised digital entertainment startups on business development and strategic partnerships and later went on to lead a startup accelerator for students in the Greater Los Angeles area. Her love for startups began in 2008 while interning for TOMS, where she supported finance and inventory management projects for several nationwide launches. To request an intro, email monique@mucker.com.
https://techcrunch.com/2021/02/02/vc-meets-the-land-of-opportunity/
Alejandro Guerrero is a co-founder and General Partner at Act One Ventures, a Los Angeles-based pre-seed/seed fund investing in business software. Since 2015 the team of Alejandro Guerrero and Michael Silton have raised $65mm in AUM. They have invested in more than 40 companies, 70% of which were founded by women or minorities. He is the creator of the Diversity Term Sheet Rider for Representation at the Cap Table and the Diversity Riders Podcast.
Previously, Alejandro was the co-founder and CEO of Uniq Apps, a SaaS platform for encrypted work messaging. Prior to Uniq, he was the co-founder of Live Entertainment Network, an interactive video player platform that helped artists monetize live shows on a “premium-content-only” destination.
As a founder by background, Alejandro takes an empathetic approach to the challenges founders face raising money and building startups. He and his partner at Act One have been working together since 2013, while both were volunteering at UCLA Ventures.
https://actoneventures.com/diversity-rider/
https://www.audible.com/pd/Podcast/B08JJLPNZ1
VCFamilia member Marcos Gonzalez, founder and managing partner of Vamos Ventures, is being recognized in this special series co-hosted by VCFamilia. Marcos is committed to supporting founders in high-growth and overlooked opportunity: early-stage tech companies led by Hispanic and other diverse founders. VamosVentures has successfully closed Fund I at $50mm and is now deploying capital. Learn about his journey and how his commitment to the community, coupled with his extensive experience in finance and consulting, and long-term relationships led him to successfully launch and fundraise for his own fund.
https://www.vamosventures.com/
VCFamilia member Adrian Mendoza is the Founder and General Partner of Mendoza Ventures. After having two VC-funded startups in Boston, he started Mendoza Ventures to address the funding gap in the pre-seed investment stage for underrepresented founders. He launched his firm in 2016 focused on investments in AI, Fintech, and Cybersecurity companies. Mendoza Ventures is minority and women led as well the first VC firm in the east coast founded by a latino. Learn about his journey and how he approached raising a fund.
https://mendoza-ventures.com/
Juleita Moradei is a partner and founding member of Hometeam Ventures. She drives dealflow and operations while focusing on bringing innovation to the world’s largest - but least innovative- industries: Construction and housing. Learn about her untraditional journey into VC and the innovation happening in impact driven construction tech led by companies like Icon whose team is building 3D printed homes.
As part of VCFamilia's Venture Capital Series, we highlight VCFamilia member Pilar Johnson and Debut Capital. She talks about her journey into VC and how she went from DNI trainer to co-founding a venture capital fund. Debut Capital invests in companies led by Indigenous, Latinx, Black and Brown founders who focus on impact and growth.
https://debutcapital.com/
Dr. Chavez is the Director of Mental Health at Caminar, Inc. and an expert in Substance Use Disorders. This is one of two episodes focusing on diagnosis, treatment and how Latinx dealing with this chronic illness can access effective treatment options. We explore some case studies to help our listeners understand how to access treatment and/or advocate for a loved one experiencing addiction.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamrachavez/
Dr. Chavez is the Director of Mental Health at Caminar, Inc. and an expert in Substance Use Disorders. According to a report from the American Addiction Center, 11% of tech workers have admitted to using illegal drugs. About 60% have used marijuana and 20% of the workers that they surveyed have used painkillers. Dr. Chavez talks about treatment options and how support systems can make a difference in treatment during remission.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamrachavez/
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/addiction-statistics/tech-industry
In our founder series, we talk about Miguel’s extensive experience in brand development, marketing and customer experience for Fortune 500 companies and purpose-led ventures. He shares how he works with startups, companies and individuals in identifying and focusing on the intersection between culture, community & purpose.
https://colabworks.co/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgarcast/
Erika Zarco is a licensed marriage and family therapist, certified clinical tele-mental health provider with a certification in grief therapy.
In this episode Erika talks about different therapy resources to heal or learn from the stages of grief.
Dealing with grief after a person passes away or a relationship comes to an end can be painful and complicated. Grief is different for everyone, and there are various approaches for healing that can address or leverage meditation, attachment theory, Emotionally Focused Therapy, or Tapping to recover in a healthy process with expert therapists such as Erika.
Erika Zarco is a Director of Counseling for Women United and Active (Mujeres Unidas y Activas). She offers a more humanistic therapeutic approach for patients: Narrative Therapy, a clinical orientation with a postmodern perspective.
Narrative therapy helps employers to face the new emotional challenges Covid brought. It provides the patient with knowledge of their abilities and values to effectively confront current and future problems.
She talks about the difference and advantages compared to traditional therapy. Narrative therapy approaches the patients as the expert, navigating their problems without stigmatizing or pathologizing professional and personal challenges.
In this episode, Adriana and Erika simulate a therapy session, so you could see the great benefits of Narrative Therapy that Erika has been offering to Latina women and employees.
This episode is part of our mental health and leveling up series. Dr. Abby Medcalf talks about how to start creating connections to begin building lasting relationships to succeed personally and professionally. Learn more about her work and connect with her: https://abbymedcalf.com/
Erika is a bilingual and bicultural Mental Health Specialist (LCSW) with 10 years of outpatient experience working with diverse individuals and families in terms of race/ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, and mental/dual diagnoses. Learn how she works with Lstinx in Silicon Valley through her work at Stanford Health Care.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikagarciarangellcsw/
Dr. Palacios joins us again to talk about how she works with entrepreneurs who are exhibiting tremendous amounts of stress and anxiety. She discusses strategies in her Stress Management Program and how entrepreneurs benefit from identifying stressors which are sometimes induced by cultural expectations in our community. You can connect with Dr. Palacios to learn about her work or to tap her expertise to support you or your company: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-palacios-consulting/
Or email her at: stephaniepalaciosconsulting@gmail.com, or find her on Clubhouse
AJ DeLeon is the founder of Innovare through which he is leading a scaling social enterprise which drives continuous improvement and social innovation within the education ecosystem. We talk about his journey as a founder and how he and his co-founders are leveraging their diverse skill sets to launch a successful app that helps leaders in education and the nonprofit sector use data strategically to combine usually disparate systems into one single dashboard to guide decision-making in schools and school districts.
https://innovaresip.com/
Monica Black is the founder of Function, an investor syndicate connecting South Florida's private wealth community with early stage technology, investment opportunities across the world. We talk about her journey into VC and why she decided to relocate to Miami before other VCs made the move there. She talks about how and why she decided to create a syndicate, how investors can join and how founders can fundraise from syndicates.
https://function.vc/
Twitter: @monicasblack
Lynda Ruiz grew up in a small farming community in California’s Central Valley. As the daughter of educators, she learned from her dad about the importance of learning to code and pursued the STEM path. We talk about her growth as a software engineer and how she has overcome some challenges as a Latina by joining communities such as Techqueria and also becoming a role model to my underrepresented youth in rural communities.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndarubyruiz/
https://techqueria.org/
https://keeptruckin.com/
Claudia is a LatinX entrepreneur, community advocate and an alumna of Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative Education-Scaling Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is the Founder and CEO of Calibueno, a licensed cannabis company in Oakland, CA. Claudia uses her passion for cannabis along with her life experience in a working-class Latino community to build a cannabis industry that is inclusive and diverse.
https://www.calibueno.co/
Dr. Palacios’ mission is to empower others through her work and experiences as a clinical psychologist, business consultant, and public speaker. She talks about her journey, her personal experience with trauma, approaches to treat anxiety and depression and how this moved her into a new direction.
Brad has been an early-stage investor and entrepreneur since 1987. He is also a best selling author, an advocate and an active venture capitalist. We talk about learning, growing, the importance of diversity and becoming part of entrepreneurial ecosystems. We center the conversation on his latest book, The Startup Community Way, which he co-authored with Ian Hathaway.
https://foundrygroup.com/team/brad-feld/
https://www.amazon.com/Brad-Feld/e/B0043MYSL8
Javier Llerena is an Executive Coach elevating and empowering Latinx leaders. Javier started his corporate career at Oracle as a Direct Marketing Executive and ended it as a Managing Director of Magpie Technologies. After realizing that his passion lies in helping others propel their careers forward and enhance their personal lives, he transitioned into leadership coaching and strength-based facilitation.
www.thealistleaders.com
Dr. Roman is a clinical psychologist licensed in California and Mexico with 28 years of experience. She offers a combination of both cultures and both worlds of psychology. She specializes in trauma, sexual abuse, and immigration issues. We talk about trauma and how it manifests itself in the workplace and at home - especially for Latinx in tech. We also role play strategies for overcoming the fear of asking for a raise and discuss how one can tap therapy and practice self-care. Please note that this conversation is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical, psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a licensed professional.
https://emotionsinharmony.org/
Arthur Garcia is the Co-founder & COO of SOMOS, the first dynamic platform impacting +650 million Latin@s for future tailored health and drug discovery. Arthur is also Co-founder of the Contabi Alliance, an international association of independent accounting firms. We talk about his journey from keeping the books for his parents' Taco truck and paleteria businesses to eventually being recognized as a Top 20 under 40 leader in accounting twice in the last 5 years. Arthur is also an alumnus of the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative Scaling Program cohort 7.
https://www.somosancestria.com/
https://contabialliance.com/
Cheryl is passionate about the intersection of finance, technology, and social impact. She is the Head of Venture Growth and Partnerships at Republic, a one-stop-shop for founders to raise capital from both accredited and non-accredited investors. She is focused on introducing underrepresented founders to both traditional and alternative funding sources in order to help their startups thrive. In other direct investing roles, she is a scout for Lightspeed and an investment partner at The Community Fund. Cheryl is also one of the founders of VCFamilia, a community of Latinx VCs supporting current & emerging investors through collaboration.
Trailer featuring Cheryl Campos, Brad Feld, Arthur Garcia, and Dr. Stephanie Palacios.
Latinxamerica.com
LatinxAmericamedia.com
Raul Hernandez Ochoa is an author, business coach and consultant. We talk about his journey and how he helps startups and executives grow. We also discuss his book Productive Profits: The Founder’s Guide to Scaling Your Impact and his podcast Do Good Work.
https://dogoodwork.io/work-with-raul
Sarah Irene Mendoza is a Bay Area Producer at Pandora. She talks about breaking into tech and how she has grown from starting as a receptionist to becoming a producer. She was podcasting when podcasting was new and she has been able to combine her passion for music, production skills and experience to tackle new career challenges, beat any mental blocks and learn how to advocate for herself at work.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahirene/
Susana is the Chief Operating Officer of Pandia Health. We talk about her journey into tech and how she became a serial founder. She talks about how she transitioned into becoming a COO and why she is focused on women health and her keen interest in the Latinx community.
https://www.pandiahealth.com/
Wil-Dog Abers is the owner at Culture Management Group and Ozomatli. We talk about his journey as an entrepreneur and as a musician launching Ozomatli and el Gavachillo. We talk about how he recruited talent and built the band from the ground up mixing different Latin sounds. He is now creating access by leading a management group which manages bands and artists such Las Cafeteras and Sonny Singh - a Chicano Band from East Los Angeles.
https://www.culturemanagement.com/
https://lascafeteras.com/
This is part of a special series done in collaboration with VMware. Michael Bender is the sponsor of the Latinx Pod at VMware. We talk about his commitment to diversity and why he decided to sponsor this ERG. We also discuss some of the initiatives with local universities and how they could change the landscape of diversity in tech. To learn more about careers at VMware, please visit:
https://careers.vmware.com/main/
Luis Alejandro Liang is an advocate, a DREAMer, and an ERG leader. He talks about the challenges he has faced as an unDACAmented person and why he chose to work for a tech company focusing on social impact. We talk about how he has overcome imposter syndrome. Connect with Luis at https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisalejandroliang/
Hector Ouilhet talks about how he has contributed to evolving the culture of Human-Centric Design at Google to foster innovation. His journey has taken him to different parts of the world and his curiosity has helped him grow into a leader at Google and in his field while maintaining a balance in life and work. Some resources mentioned:
https://design.google/library/contrary-to-popular-belief/
https://design.google/
Sergio C. Munoz is the founder at Intelatin. We talk about his career and why he decided to focus on providing access to capital for BIPOC entrepreneurs. Here are some resources mentioned during the interview:
LA Startup Resource Guide from Founder Institute
Beatriz Acevedo and her new startup SUMA Wealth
Tayde Aburto and the United States Business Association of E-Commerce
The Intake at Intelatin
Sergio talking about Gender Equity in the Venture Capital Industry on PBS
Jacob Martinez is the founder and executive director of DigitalNest and he talks about his journey as a founder and his passion for moving the Latinx community forward. This nonprofit is training and helping place a diverse workforce in tech. Having trained over 2000 students in web development, project management and digital arts, DigitalNest is expanding to Gilroy to scale their impact. You can learn more and support their efforts by visiting: https://digitalnest.org/
Alex is an award-winning community leader and social impact entrepreneur. Through community engagement and content and event production he has built Silicon Valley Latino LLC. SVL focuses on empowering and engaging the Latino community and works closely with Tech companies in the area. You can learn more about Alex and his work and connect with him by visiting www.svlatino.com.
Kelly is Director of Employee Experience and Diversity at KeepTruckin. We talk about her commitment focused on engaging and developing employees and creating inclusive places where people can own their identity. We also talk about her transition from SolarCity to Tesla, what KeepTruckin is all about and why they are actively recruiting diverse talent.
This is an episode powered by VMware’s Latinx Pod. Christina Ulate is a Manager of Information Security Governance based in San Jose, Costa Rica. She talks about how she transitioned from education into tech. We also talk about her professional growth at VMware and the opportunities she has had to thrive in this global company. If you would like to learn more about careers at VMware please visit:
https://careers.vmware.com/main
In this episode we talk with Nicholas Hinrichsen, co-founder of Clutch, about his journey as a co-founder and his experience at Y combinator. We talk about validating an idea, the importance of knowing your customers, changing direction, securing funding and scaling. Nicky also talks about his angel investments in Latin America. You can connect with him at:
https://www.withclutch.com
In this episode, Claudia Martinez and Juan Garcia-Rovetta share their respective journeys into tech and how they became involved in corporate efforts to build community through the Latinx Pod. They talk about how developing strong internal networks have helped them advance in their careers as well as develop a sense of belonging at VMware. This is an episode of a special series powered by VMware’s Latinx Pod. For more information about careers at VMware visit:
https://careers.vmware.com/main/
Marcos Gonzales is fighting the good fight and elevating and advising diverse entrepreneurs. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of Vamos Ventures - an impact VC fund for early-stage tech companies led by Hispanic and diverse founders in the US. If you want to collaborate or learn more about Vamos Ventures, link is below:
https://www.vamosventures.com/
This episode is part of a series sponsored by VMware’s Latinx Pod. Bask Iyer, a leader at VMware, has been a champion of the Latinx Pod. We talk about leadership, how other companies can drive inclusion and benefit from diverse talent and how his personal and professional experiences have led him to become a champion for diverse thoughts and people.
https://careers.vmware.com/main/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/baskiyer/
This is the first episode of a six episode series done in collaboration with VMware’s Latinx Pod. We highlight stories of VMware talent and leadership. This episode highlights Ingrid Morales who leads the leads the LatinX Pillar for the CTO based out of Palo Alto. She works on the program management team for the strategic program office. She is talks about what it took for her, a first generation student, to land a career in tech and how she is thriving at VMware.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingridpm/
If you want to join VMware, here is the link to the careers page: https://careers.vmware.com/main/
We interviewed Richie Serna in 2018 when Finix was still in its early stages with 4 employees. Two years later, Richie and Sean Donovan have led Finix through a series of successful venture funding rounds and have scaled their impact. We talk with Richie about his journey in raising capital and scaling, advice for underestimated founders and VCs, life hacks and the future of fintech.
https://www.finixpayments.com/
Miriam Rivera is a co-Founder and Managing Director at Ulu Ventures. Miriam talks about her personal story and journey in business, law, technology, and venture capital from the perspective of a startup founder and a VC. Connect with her via LinkedIn and learn more about her work at:
https://uluventures.com/
As part of Latinx Heritage month (which for us is all year long), we are highlighting baMa -Business Angel Minority Association. It is a national initiative to create a more inclusive startup ecosystem through early stage investments in Minority-led startups. Learn about Maria’s journey and how you can join this organization:
https://businessangelminorityassociation.com/
Lili Gangas continues to advocate, mobilize and guide founders and investors in the tech ecosystem. In season 1, we learned about her personal and professional journey. This episode the work that she is doing to close the digital divide, mobilize voters across the nation, and strategically leverage and forge partnerships to advance our community. Listen, take action and register for LTXFEST2020.
https://ltxfest.com/
Lolita Taub shares her journey, breaking into VC, the importance of community and her vision to become a billionaire. We also talk about the Community Fund which she and Jesse Middleton recently launched to invest in early stage community-driven companies.
https://www.lolitataub.co/
Common Sense Latino is a Common Sense Program which has grown in people and impact. We discuss the program components, how and why it has expanded thus contributing to the growth and retention of LatinX employees inside of Common Sense.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/latino
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
As part of Latinx Heritage Month, LatinxAmerica is highlighting organizations having a positive impact on our community through the use of digital assets and content. LatinxAmerica highlights the work and people of Common Sense Media. Rocio Lopez talks about what she and her team are doing to offer Latino families information and resources to navigate and thrive in our digital world.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/latino
Ilse Calderon is a Senior Associate at OVO Fund. She talks about her journey into Venture Capital and also provides advice for underrepresented founders. We also discuss why she is advocating for startups to target Hypercultural Latinx when developing products and services.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilsecalderon/
Joy Carrera is the founder of Carreradigital.io and the host of Basic Brown Nerds. She is a Digital Operations & Business Intelligence Strategist specializing in SaaS, MCNs, and Impact Driven Initiatives. Learn about how she decided to launch her business and what led her to use tech to empower others. https://buildwithjoy.co/
https://www.basicbrownnerds.com/
Beatris A. Mendez Gandica talks about her journey into tech, how she landed her job at Microsoft and why she launched Nuevo Foundation. We talk about her commitment to increasing diversity in tech by preparing the next generation of Latinx in STEM.
https://nuevofoundation.org/
https://www.pluralsight.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/
https://www.udemy.com/
Samantha Santana is the founder of Santana Sports Management. She launched her own company to help the athletes with public relations challenges, brand management and to connect them with communities in order to give back. In a field dominated by men, she is making inroad and representing diverse clients and connecting them with brands and communities.
Greg Monterrosa, a co-founder of MyLLC.com, and a startup weekend mentor and facilitator shares how he is supporting and advancing entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development. He talks about being a founder and the work that he wants to do to build his legacy and empower the Latinx community.
https://www.myllc.com/
http://greg-monterrosa.mystrikingly.com/
TW and Insta: @gregmetro
Ricardo is the founder & CEO of VOIQ. His company raised $5 Million from YCombinator and other top Silicon Valley investors. His company is leading transformation from humans to conversational AI VoiceBots for the Enterprise. We also talk about why he founded the group of the Top Latinx Tech Leaders in the US and what he is doing to support other Latinx founders.
https://www.voiq.com/
https://www.ricardogarciaamaya.com/
https://www.toplatinxtechleaders.com/
Mario talks about how his early childhood experiences shaped his life and allowed him to see things differently in life. He uses this lens when mentoring or working with founders and peers. Mario also talks about a $530 million commitment by PayPal to help support black and other underrepresented communities. Learn about his journey, his priorities and his commitment to help others advance:
https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/paypal-ventures
As we think about wealth differently, we need to begin conversations about risk taking, investing and starting businesses so we can close the wealth gap. Be inspired by Samara’s journey as a founder of Chingona Ventures, a pre-seed and seed stage venture fund focusing on industries that are massively changing and founders that are not always well understood by the traditional investor.
https://www.chingona.ventures/
In collaboration with LatinxVC, we highlight Noramay Cadena - a Founding Partner at MiLA Capital, a seed-stage Venture Capital firm in Los Angeles. We talk about her personal and professional journey into VC and what led her to become a founding member of LatinxVC. Follow her on twitter @noramayc and learn how to join and support LatinxVC at:https://latinxvcs.com/aboutus
Gabriel Soto talks about the findings of a recent report conducted by Edison Research and commissioned by Adonde Media, Lantigua Williams & Co., Libsyn, NPR, and Pandora titled The Latino Podcast Listener Report points to great opportunities for current and potential Latinx podcasters.
https://www.edisonresearch.com/latino-podcast-listener-report/
Jacques-Philippe Piverger is co-founder and managing partner at Ozone X Ventures. He talks about impact through Ozone X Ventures’ pillars of investment which intentionally focus on backing underrepresented founders, increase greater diverse representation at the C-suite and board levels, and opening investment opportunities for diversification in the investor pool.
John Lilly shares valuable insights given his extensive experience as a founder and investor. He is the former CEO of Mozillla, a venture partner at Greylock, an independent angel investor and currently sits on 8 boards. Follow him on twitter @johnolilly
Ish Verduzco is the author of “How Successful People Get Ish Done” and a leader and advocate of Diversity and Inclusion. We talk about his transition into D&I at Snap Inc. and how he embarked in his new journey as an author. Be inspired by his 5 year goal to influence, impact and help 1M people around the world through his book, podcast and digital social content production to inspire underrepresented groups to become their best selves. Listen to his inspiring journey and get his book: https://www.ishverduzco.com/
Nuno Goncalves Pedro is a two time founder with extensive experience in consulting, tech, and VC. He talks about becoming a founder and reflects on the best career advice he has received over the years. We talk about his podcast Tech DECIPHERED, the role of a startup advisor, how entrepreneurs should pitch in a time of crisis, and resources for learning and growing. Learn more: https://decipheredshow.com/
Juliana Garaizar is a lead investor in Portfolia’s Rising America Fund and the President of the Business Angel Minority Association. She talks about how she became an investor and why she is focused on increasing funding for diverse founders and for ventures serving underrepresented markets.
Martha Nino talks about her humble beginnings and how she transitioned into a marketing role in tech. She also shares how she has advanced in her career, as a Senior Marketing Manager, and provides some tips for job seekers. You can connect with her via LinkedIn.
Erika is a leader and strategist who has been at the nexus of technology, business, and social impact for over a decade. She is currently the Global Head of Impact Computing, at Amazon Web Services, where she helps customers and organizations like start-ups, leading web companies, and Global 500 companies leverage the power of cloud computing. Prior to Amazon, she headed up Strategic Initiatives at Twilio.org after beginning her career in tech at TaskRabbit. Erika’s personal mission is to create a seat at her table for underrepresented women, which she accomplishes through 1:1 mentorship, board service, and investing.
Sergio Marrero is an entrepreneur, facilitator, researcher, coach, and project manager. He is using his experience in strategy and innovation consulting, startups, research, manufacturing, venture capital, and design to help founders seeking investment. This episode is part of a series done in collaboration with the Angel Capital Association. RBL1 launched a free founders training program for those that lost their job due to COVID. You can use the following info to sign up https://rbl1.thinkific.com/courses/launch
Code: LatinxAmerica
Karina Cabrera Bell is a founding partner of OpenAccess a talent strategy firm that helps companies close the gender equity gap. We talk about building diverse leadership teams, DEI programs, and how companies can connect with OpenAccess to design DEI initiatives. This is an episode of the series done in collaboration with the Angel Capital Association where Karina will be featured as a speaker in their virtual summit in May 2020.
https://www.openaccess.io/team
Miri Rodriguez is the Global Head of Internships at Microsoft and an award-winning digital marketer and storyteller. She is also the author of Brand Storytelling: Put Customers at the Heart of Your Brand Story . Miri is an advocate for developing brand narrative across many sectors and industries around the world. We talk about empathy and other soft skills that help in designing distinctive narratives and the importance of building a brand. You can use this code to get her book: SMKSTORYTELLING20
Alicia Robb from Next Wave Impact is an author, researcher, angel Investor, and managing partner of two early stage venture funds. She is also a Ph.D. economist specializing in entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial finance, and international development. Alicia is highlighting for investors that there is a strong pipeline of investible opportunities by companies led by founders of color that have the potential to be super impactful and a positive return on their investments. We talk about diversity and inclusion efforts in the VC space and the upcoming Angel Capital Association’s Founders of Color Showcase.
Arlan Hamilton is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, Arlan has raised more than $10M, and has invested in over 100 companies led by people of color, women, and/or LGBTQ. She talks about her personal and professional journey as well as her upcoming book. It’s About Damn Time is a book focused on creating changes that can scale impact thus creating a ripple effect. You can follow her on twitter @AlranWasHere or visit https://www.itsaboutdamntime.com/
Laura Silva is a leader in accessibility and UX. Laura was a speaker at Grace Hopper 2018 where she shared her passion for designing products with the understanding that they will be used by people from all walks of life. So keeping diversity in language, abilities and access in mind is very important. She is now leading accessibility technology at Bank of America as VP of Global Tech and Operations.
This is the first episode of a series titled Diversity CHAMPS: C-suite heroes advancing minority produced startups. This is part of a collaboration with the Angel Capital Association. This series will highlight capital sources across the spectrum from angel investors to family offices, to VC and private equity. During the first episode, we talk with Lucy Howell, Sheri Macdonald and Juliana Garaizar about the vision for this collaborative effort.
Mat Chacon, a serial founder, is the CEO and founder of Doghead Simulations - a company focused on fundamentally improving the way people educate, train, and collaborate using VR. In the first part of a two part episode, he shares his personal journey and what led him to launch his latest venture as a way to democratize access to education through emerging tech. You can connect with him on twitter @TheVRCEO or on LinkedIn.
https://www.dogheadsimulations.com/
Max Tuchman is the co-founder and CEO of Caribu - a video-calling application that allows family members to read, draw, and play games with one another while in distant locations. She shares insights about how she launched her startup and how she was able to raise money for Caribu.
https://caribu.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxemetuchman/
This is the second part of an interview with Eli Velasquez from VentureWell. Eli’s shares his extensive knowledge of the entrepreneurship and funding space along with his personal experiences navigating unfamiliar situations and places. You can connect with Eli via LinkedIn.
https://venturewell.org/
En este breve episodio, destacamos una plataforma que conecta a médicos de habla hispana con pacientes. Unividoc está ofreciendo su plataforma gratuitamente, durante esta pandemia, y el fundador German Urrego brinda más información sobre cómo pueden conectarse pacientes y médicos. Se necesitan mas médicos de habla hispana...
https://unividoc.com/