LaFamilia Foundation

🏙️ Introducing Our Chicago City Leads: We are thrilled to welcome two exceptional leaders as our Chicago City Leads: Fernando Carranza and Zimri Rodriguez from VCFamilia! 🎉 ⭐️ Fernando Carranza Fernando is a venture capital investor supporting tech-driven businesses led by founders reshaping the future of work and human enablement sectors. Currently with Cleveland Avenue’s CAST US Fund, Fernando believes that equitable access to capital can transform communities and catalyze systemic change. With experience at Digital Currency Group, Societe Generale, and Agora Partnerships, he brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for impact investing. Fernando holds an MBA from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management and a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. ⭐️ Zimri Rodriguez Zimri is a dynamic leader with extensive experience in venture capital, community engagement, and operations within the healthcare tech and nonprofit sectors. As Chief of Staff at Capitalize VC and Chicago Chapter Leader for LaFamilia Foundation, Zimri is dedicated to fostering innovation and supporting underrepresented communities. Her background includes impactful roles at Alumni Ventures, Chicago, and 1871, where they excelled in market research, due diligence, partnership management, and strategic planning. Fernando and Zimri are set to host incredible events, bringing their expertise and passion to foster a thriving entrepreneurial community in Chicago. Stay tuned for more exciting initiatives and opportunities to connect! 💪🚀 #Entrepreneurship #Chicago #VCFamilia #FounderFamilia #Innovation #Leadership #CommunityBuilding #Familia

🌟 Meet Andrei Coso, our Partnerships Lead 🌟 We are thrilled to introduce to you our new team member and Partnerships Lead, Andrei Coso, who brings over 15 years of experience in partnerships and business development. After starting in management consulting and corporate strategy, Andrei found his passion in edtech, building impactful partnerships to expand access to education. Andrei is dedicated to empowering people, advancing careers, and strengthening the Latine startup and venture capital community. #Leadership #EdTech #LatineCommunity #VentureCapital #CareerGrowth

🌍 More Updates from the GEC+ Puerto Rico Conference in #SanJuan 🇵🇷 After attending the GEC+ Puerto Rico Conference last week at which our Co-Founder and CEO Cheryl Campos was a featured speaker, we are also thrilled to congratulate FounderFamilia member and CEO of Storybook App Francisco Cornejo for winning a spot as one of the US representatives to compete in the 2024 Global Entrepreneurship Awards Finals in Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 later this year! 🎉 With so many talented founders and startups across the USA, being selected is truly meaningful. 🏆 A huge thank you to the Global Entrepreneurship Network for inviting us to these inspiring events. Special thanks to Alejandra Molina and President Jonathan Ortmans for their incredible support and dedication to fostering entrepreneurship globally. 🤝 #GECPlusPR #Entrepreneurship #LatinoEntrepreneurship #InclusiveInvestment #Leadership #LaFamilia #VentureCapital #DiversityInTech #StorybookApp #Startup #CommunityBuilding

Glad to see our NYC Community taking off with our incredible City Leads! 🚀

🌟 Exciting News! We're gearing up for Chicago Tech Week! 🌟 We invite you to join us at La Plaza, our vibrant event bringing together a diverse mix of communities, founders, investors, and Latinos from across Chicago. This is your chance to network, exchange ideas, and celebrate innovation in a lively setting. 🪅 We're also thrilled to highlight Zimri Rodriguez, one of our dedicated Chicago City Leads. Zimri’s commitment and vision are instrumental in helping us expand our local presence and make a significant impact in the community. 🤝 A heartfelt thank you to our incredible co-hosts and supporting communities for making this event possible. Special thanks to Ernesto Pedroza from PromoShare, Gustavo Casas from Dux Capital, and our collaborators at Lazo and Novel. Your cooperation and support mean the world to us. 🙏 🗓️ Tuesday, July 23 ⏰ 5:30 PM 📩 https://lnkd.in/eziPMKEq Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity – we look forward to seeing you there! #LaFamilia #ChicagoTechWeek #Networking #Innovation #LatinoLeadership #Chicago

🏙 Exciting News: Meet Our Inaugural Chicago City Leads! Please join us in congratulating our inaugural LaFamilia Chicago Chapter Leadership! 👏 City Leads: Fernando Carranza, VCFamilia Zimri Rodriguez, VCFamilia Additional Chapter Leader: Christopher Chaidez, CGBP, CDMP, SupportFamilia They are among an exceptional group of 11 leaders from our membership network who stepped up and volunteered to initiate chapters in NYC, Chicago, Miami, and San Francisco. This cohort also includes chapter leaders who are prepared to assist our City Leads in developing their local chapters. Thank you for playing a crucial role in LaFamilia's journey. Together, we are building something extraordinary! 🌟 #Familia #CityLeads #CommunityBuilding #StartupEcosystem #LatineLeadership #Chicago

🚨 San Francisco Familia 🚨 Don't miss the official launch of our SF Chapter and the opportunity to meet our amazing City Leads! 👀🏙️

🚀 We are proud to announce that our very own Cheryl Campos, Co-Founder and CEO of LaFamilia Foundation (VCFamilia + FounderFamilia), spoke at the prestigious GEC+ Puerto Rico Conference yesterday in #SanJuan! 🇵🇷 Cheryl was a featured speaker on the panel "Fostering Inclusive Investment: Strategies to Support Latino and Women Investors," powered by Wells Fargo. This impactful session, moderated by Viviana Angulo, Ambassador of WeInvest, included insights from esteemed industry leaders such as Silvina Moschini, Founder & Chairwoman of Unicoin; Robert Schapira, Senior VP Director Of Small & Business Banking Diverse Customer Segments at Wells Fargo; and Adriana Tortajada, CEO & Managing Partner of 1200vc. Together, they explored the crucial role of diversity in the investment ecosystem, focusing on how we can create new opportunities for underrepresented groups, challenge traditional barriers, and envision a more inclusive future for the investment landscape.  💪 We are proud of Cheryl for her dedication to promoting inclusivity and her leadership in the industry. Join us in recognizing her! 🌟 #GECPlusPR #LatinoEntrepreneurship #InclusiveInvestment #Leadership #LaFamilia #VentureCapital #DiversityInTech

🌟 Recap our CDMX Happy Hour with Carta! 🌟 We had an absolutely fantastic time at our recent impromptu happy hour event in CDMX - despite the rain ☔ , the evening was a testament to the power of community and connection of LaFamilia! 🎉 🥂 We were thrilled to welcome visiting community builder Maria Pope from Carta and show her the incredible support and warmth of our network. Thanks to Adrian J. (AJ) DeLeón, M.Ed. (FounderFamilia) and Carlos Torres de la Cuba (VCFamilia) who hosted, it was a beautiful evening of sharing experiences, exchanging ideas, and fostering the strong bonds that define our community 💪 See pictures here and more exciting gatherings and opportunities to engage with our amazing community below 🔽 NYC: https://lu.ma/9ez7k0sj SF: https://lu.ma/epwshul8

💡What is the “VC Ecosystem”? 🙋🏽♀️ A buzzword often used by Venture Capitalists to describe the industry. I started using it in 2020 when I began my first research project on Latino entrepreneurship at California Lutheran University with my research mentor Gerhard Apfelthaler. 🌿 When we hear "ecosystem," we think environment—biology even (like a pond teeming with life). It paints the VC industry as grand and interconnected. I thought it would be useful to visualize this VC ecosystem with a diagram. Here are some key takeaways: #1 Founders are CRUCIAL: They are the core of the VC Ecosystem. Founders create the demand for investments and propel our economy forward #2 The Evolution from Traditional to the Future VC Ecosystem will Rely Heavily on: Community & locality as the next generation manages VC funds 🔥 Shoutout to some trailblazing founders: • Sandra Velasquez, CEO of NOPALERA, for elevating brown beauty into the luxury space • "Sneaker" Steve Patiño, CEO of Ales Grey, innovating sustainable work footwear with ZERO water waste 📣 Special callout to inclusive & empowering organizations: • Inicio Ventures launching the AngelPath Academy with the mission to democratize access to impact investing • LaFamilia Foundation seeking to close the resource gap for Latine founders by bringing together Latine startups, venture capitalists, and aligned ecosystem partners • Libra Leaders, a curated group of women investors and founders, driving generational wealth for women 🔍 This is my unique view of the VC ecosystem after years in the field. Did I miss a key player? Share your thoughts below! Early Lessons in VC is a new series, curated & written by Anastasia Martinez, stay tuned for more insights into early impact investing and future VC trends. 🚀 #latinaexcellence #VCEcosystem #VentureCapital #Founders #Entrepreneurship #DiversityInTech #ImpactInvesting