Chingona Ventures

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Samara Mejia Hernandez launched Chingona Ventures in 2019, raising $6M, and just two years ago, she raised $52M for Fund II as a sole Latina GP. We talked about her inspiring journey—growing up in Mexico, immigrating to the U.S., and watching her parents work tirelessly to acclimate and provide a better life. Samara shared her path from earning an engineering degree to starting her career at Goldman Sachs, and eventually transitioning into venture capital. An MBA from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management helped her find her stride in venture and connect with key figures in the investor community. In our conversation, we delved into what it takes to raise a fund, manage the stresses and pressures of being a GP, and balance these responsibilities while raising a family. Samara spoke about maintaining authenticity, creating a mold when you don't fit into one, and the importance of being resourceful and scrappy—qualities she looks for in founders today. Chingona is slang for "badass woman," in Spanish and Samara embodies that spirit through and through. This episode is a must-listen! 🎧 The full conversation can be found on: YouTube: https://shorturl.at/m42NX All Audio Platforms: https://shorturl.at/M4bka #podcast #venturecapital #startups #investor #entrepreneurship

🙏🏼 Thanks to Forbes for covering Hoop's founding story and my own entrepreneurial journey: - Before we even had a product, Brian, Justin, and I wanted to recreate the magic of the early days of Trello: A small team with a product people loved that was fun and full of energy. - In the age of AI, we wondered how you could solve the problem of "How do I keep track of everything I need to do differently?" - We realized that AI should do most of the work for you and leave you with time to focus on what matters. That's Hoop! In my personal story, Hoop is my 5th startup. (!) It all starts with my family immigrating to the US from the Soviet Union and instilling me with these ideals: - We sacrificed so much so you could have a better life. - America is the land of opportunity. - Education is everything. - What's the worst that could happen if you fail? Nothing compared to the hardship of the old country. Link is in the comments if you'd like to learn more. Thanks again to everyone for your continued support. Startups are hard, so I'm grateful for the opportunity to take a moment and celebrate the journey. #startups #ai #founderstory #founders

In Episode 6 of the New Light Ventures podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Samara Mejia Hernandez, Founding Partner of Chingona Ventures. An institutionally backed pre-seed fund with $60M AUM and over 40 investments in tech startups across the U.S., Chingona is fueling the next generation of badass founders. 🌟 3 Key Takeaways: 1. Leveraging Experience to Build a Firm - Samara applied learnings from her time at Goldman Sachs and MATH Venture Partners to intentionally structure Chingona Ventures for the long-term. 2. Owning Your Authentic Strategy - Samara emphasizes the importance of fund managers developing a thesis that makes sense for them and confidently communicating how it will work. 3. Implementing Processes for Scale - As a solo GP, Samara has put frameworks in place around sourcing, diligence, and portfolio support to enable her small team to operate effectively. "From the beginning, as I've mentioned before, I consider myself a fiduciary of people's money. I raise money from others to invest, and I feel there is a huge responsibility that comes with that." Whether you're an emerging manager, aspiring VC, or founder, Samara offers valuable perspectives on building an institutionally-backed firm while staying true to your unique approach. 🎧 Listen to Samara's full story now - link in comments!

We are thrilled to share that we have been selected by Sonder Hospice to offer comprehensive grief and loss services to its patients and families. This partnership will provide Sonder’s community with access to an innovative digital platform featuring support groups, grief content, loss logistics, and more. "Betterleave’s expertise aligns perfectly with our mission to provide compassionate, comprehensive care," said Lloyd Wilson, president and CEO of Sonder Hospice. Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/e5EWnr4S

This summer has been busy over here at Lirvana Labs, Maker of Yeti Confetti Kids! We are proud to share new data showing significant learning gains in English and Math 📈 , as well as the release of new features that further our mission of providing accessible and inclusive learning opportunities for children and families around the world. 👏 As we grow, we remain committed to rigorous research and partnerships with experts. Our current data indicates that playing the Yeti Confetti Kids app for 15 minutes a week can increase children’s English and Math skills by half a grade level in only 10 weeks. Soon, we will launch a multi-year research study with Dr. Alice Siu, Director of Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab. We can’t wait to see what this research tells us about the efficacy of Yeti Confetti’s personalized AI modules in English Literacy, Math Reasoning, and Critical Thinking! Additionally, we are expanding our offerings to include exciting new features: LLM-powered Critical Thinking Simulator, Multilingual Learning Companion, and Custom Spelling Games. These features empower children in responsible-decision making, allow for expert bilingual learning, and provide customized spelling instruction. Thank you to all of our supporters, partners, experts and advisors who continuously drive our mission forward: Dr. Alexandra Chen, Dr. Alice Siu, Michael H. Levine, Claire Galdun, Mohammed Estaiteyeh, PhD, Dr. Richard Shell, Amy Chang, Christine Ma-Lau and Michael Hsu. Your guidance and collaboration help us stay true to our core values of merging generative AI capabilities with best practices in early childhood education. We are so thankful for the dedicated team at Lirvana Labs! Led by Christie Pang and Clement Pang, the small-but-mighty team puts in the daily work and collaboration to make all of this possible:  Tim Schmidt, Rachel Palangie, Shreyas Narayanan, Roma Dave, Paul Clenahan, Dan L., Aggie Cheung, Sarah Sung, Ryan Parajas, Brian Mak, Queenie Kung, Abigail Dye and Courtney Fone. Learn more about our learning gains and new summer rollouts in our press release: https://lnkd.in/gCwPcSTx #edtech #personalizedlearning #digitallearning #learningthroughplay #educationequity #ailearningcompanion