LaFamilia’s HHM 2023 — A Testament to Progress
Three years ago, we never dreamed of creating a community-first organization that would achieve the reach and get the support we garnered during this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month. The amount of individuals and partners we list in this article speaks volumes on how we are supported and lifted by our community.
It was especially memorable because it was the first time ever that we hosted the month under one umbrella organization, LaFamilia Foundation. LFF houses the two established and influential branches, VCFamilia & FounderFamilia (with more branches of our familia tree to come!), as now the largest organizations in the world of Latines in the venture and startup ecosystem. Our new LFF logo creatively merges elements from the VCFamilia and FounderFamilia logos, forming a powerful circular symbol representing a self-contained ecosystem with potent network effects, fostering collective growth. Our mission is to continue to grow and disrupt the cycle of neglecting Latine funders and founders, pioneering a unique path — the wheel of progress in motion.
Our celebration, which hosted over 600 people in person across cities and geographies, promoted the theme of “Elevar”, meaning “rise” in Spanish. It was a fitting theme considering the challenges faced by the venture capital and startup industry this past year. Our goal was to celebrate our Hispanic heritage and acknowledge our community’s resilience in the face of economic hardships and industry setbacks. The theme served as a reminder of the potential and untapped talent within our community. It reflected the collective efforts and accomplishments of Hispanic entrepreneurs and investors who have refused to be deterred by challenges.
Rundown below!
8 Global Events
Austin HHM Event @ Malverde 09/20
Our hosts provided glowing feedback from the Austin event, declaring it a resounding success. With 40 investors and founders gracing the occasion, the Austin ecosystem came alive, fostering connections well into the night. Seeing our early members reunite and warmly embrace new additions to our familia was a heartwarming testament to the strength of our community.
A special thanks to our hosts Alejandro Lozano, Alonso Mujica, and Ivan Huerta as well as the J.P. Morgan team in Austin- Gabriela Smith, Gabe Terrazas, Heidi Hubbeling Leach, and Stephanie M. Lopez, and for all their support. 💛
NYC HHM Event @ Comodo 09/21
The event at Comodo kicked off with a line that stretched out the door — an early indicator of the remarkable night that awaited us. And truly remarkable it was! The diverse gathering of over 80 local founders and VCs was a heartwarming manifestation of our community coming together to celebrate the NYC ecosystem. The event felt like a family reunion, and we couldn’t be happier with the turnout.
A special thanks to our hosts Alicia Cepeda Maule, Elias Davis, Julian Fainzaig, Joshe Ordonez, and Mercedes Zhang. as well as the Lift Labs Team: Isaiah Marcus Jenkins, the J.P. Morgan Team: José A Pérez, Karen Rios, Mireya D’Angelo, and Monica Badia, and the Vouch Team: Vanessa Kuhlor for all their support! 💛
Miami HHM Event @ Paraiso Estereo 09/27
Confirmed- rain or shine- nothing stops LaFamilia from coming together and rallying through a storm, literally. An hour into Miami’s HHM, it started pouring, both from the sky and through the door. The event was flooded with L’Attitude conference attendees making their way home to reunite with their LaFamilia community. Remarkably, this event reached unprecedented heights, surpassing its maximum capacity with over 125 guests in attendance! Onstage, members celebrated their victories, and offstage, the embraces between those who hadn’t seen each other in some time seemed endless. Witnessing such an outpouring of love and support in one room was truly a beautiful experience.
A special thanks to our hosts Juan Manuel Barrero, Wifredo “Wifi” Fernandez, and Renata Aráuz-DeStefano as well as the Lift Labs Team: Isaiah Marcus Jenkins, and our friend at Techstars Miami: Andres Barreto for all their support! 💛
Chicago HHM Event @ Leña Brava 10/03
Leandro’s LinkedIn post speaks volumes, and the heartfelt comments from the community only amplify the support and gratitude for our hosts — Carlos Covarrubias, Leandro Bedolla, and Ricardo Regalado — and the awesome event they pulled off. Let’s give them a resounding round of applause and an even louder one for the Chicago Latine founder and investor ecosystem, who exemplify a tight-knit and mutually supportive community that consistently stands by one another.
A special thanks to our hosts Carlos Covarrubias, Leandro Bedolla, and Ricardo Regalado as well as the SVB Team: Josh Grollman, Michael Hatch, and Nicholas Jones and the Cleveland Avenue Team: Andrea Zopp, Fernando Carranza, and Jason Mercer for all their support! 💛
Boston HHM Event @ MIT 10/04
Describing the impact of our hosts, Ignacio Castro (GP at 128VC) and Jose J. Pacheco (Co-Director of the MIT ADMP Program), on the Boston ecosystem last night as merely reigniting it would be an understatement. The event at MIT boasted beautiful views of the Boston skyline and welcomed over 35 local founders and investors- more than double our HHM event last year! We can’t wait to harness this momentum in Boston and nurture the continued growth of our community there.
Watch out Boston, LaFamilia is coming for you!
Special thanks to the sponsor of the event 1200VC and their team: Adriana Tortajada & Jose Miguel Cortes for all their support and MIT for hosting the event! 💛
LA HHM Event @ Loreto 10/05
LaFamilia, in partnership with Comcast Lift Labs and J.P. Morgan, hosted our HHM event in Los Angeles at Loreto, a trendy new restaurant in downtown LA. It’s difficult to determine what stole the show that evening — the company or the food… Everyone in attendance will remember the crispy rice tuna appetizer making its rounds, you just had to be there!
Amidst the lively exchanges and new connections, our sponsors delivered heartfelt speeches about their collaboration with LaFamilia and their support for the Latine investor and founder ecosystem. The event emphasized the importance of these partnerships and the promising future ahead for our community.
A special thanks to our hosts Andres Izquieta and Carolina Galdiz as well as the the Lift Labs Team: Isaiah Marcus Jenkins and the J.P. Morgan Team: Macielle Osterling, Ricardo M. Mexia, and Vanessa Torres for all their support! 💛
Mexico City HHM Event @ Botanico 10/10
Our Mexico familia made a significant impact at the HHM event held at Botanico in Condesa. The feedback we’ve received confirms that it was a fantastic gathering of humble yet accomplished individuals who came together, and the networking opportunities were truly unparalleled compared to other events. We could not be more thrilled with the turnout and are looking forward to growing this ecosystem.
None of this would’ve been possible without our LaFamilia hosts Andrea Paz Araneda Gutiérrez, Carlos Torres de la Cuba, and Marinella Piñate- a special thanks to them as well as the Talipot Team: Victoria Angulo for all their support! 💛
SF HHM Event @ LinkedIn 10/11
Our final event in SF was incredible and the location even more so. Our grand finale was grand indeed as our largest hub of founders and investors flooded LinkedIn’s lobby and rode the elevator up to the 17th floor- the famous LinkedIn rooftop!
To end our 3rd annual HHM celebration in the city where it all started was truly special, as it was a direct reflection of just how far we’ve come and how much this community has grown. We are now a community of over 800 members, but it all started with a small group of people looking for a place to call home. Because after all, home isn’t a place but the people who make it what it is. Thank you, familia.
A special thanks to our hosts Af Hernandez, Alex Ruiz, Carlos Castellanos, Cheryl Campos, and Renée Rosillo.
We would also like to thank the LinkedIn Team: Miguel Damato Vasquez & Yesenia Morales Siu as well as our partners for all their support💛:
- The Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Team: Isaiah Marcus Jenkins
- The Carta Team: Marisabel Agosto
- The GV (Google Ventures) Team: Kristen Brillantes
- The Morrison Foerster Team: Vishal Singh
- The JPMorgan Chase & Co. Team: Juan Gutierrez & Ricky Boun Khamphoumy
- The Zendesk Team: Fernanda Baker & Kayla Ryan
VCF’s 3rd Annual Pitch Competition
We were honored to have Jeremy Liew, Lauren Kolodony, and Rachel Ten Brink judge our 3rd annual pitch competition of $25k. Our eight finalists were incredible talent: ClinicBox (Techstars Miami ‘22), Daybird, Fonda , Keep Company, Keybe, Monadd, Route, and Vecino (formerly Pickups).
Congratulations to the whole Keep Company team and Claudia Naim-Burt, Co-Founder and COO of Keep Company! It caught the attention of our judges thanks to their rock-star team, lived experience, clarity of thinking, and business model that addresses some of the core needs of our time: caregiving and loneliness.
Special thank you to Carlo, Jonathan, Renata, & Renée for leading this and all the reviewer volunteers that helped: Alex Luce, Ali Perez, Amber Quiñones, Carlos Torres, Cristian Raygoza, Elisa Sepulveda, Francisca Gilmore, Francisco Schuler, Itzel Moncada, Jesús Salas, Jonathan Chavez, Juan Manuel Giner, Julian Fainzaig, Leandro Bedolla, Lolita Taub, Maya Trujillo, Ramiro Armando, Zegarra Rivera, Renata Aráuz-DeStefano, Sebastian Molina, and Tiq Chapa.
ALZAR
ALZAR kicked off HHM being featured in Forbes- shoutout to Noise PR for their dedication to this initiative and making sure ALZAR got the publicity it deserved. It launched as an equity program to lower barriers of entry for our Latine fund managers, unlocking Silicon Valley to the next generation of Latine entrepreneurs.
The program is designed to do two things:
- Alleviate financial burden by reducing the operational costs associated with fund management; and
- Help jumpstart Latine GPs across industries, geographies, and theses, enabling them to be assessed based on their investment talent and experience rather than their personal wealth
Thanks to the Sorenson Impact Foundation, ALZAR offers $25k grants to eight Latine emerging fund managers for operational capital needed to launch a fund. The grants can be used for hiring, legal, admin, operational software, or any other operating items needed to get a fund off the ground.
Our LPAC consists of Cambridge Associates, Fairview, Impact Assets, the Sorenson Impact Foundation and other partners that will decide on the winners. While this capital isn’t sufficient to level the playing field entirely, it’s a crucial step in easing the financial challenges faced by emerging fund managers. Our community deserves the opportunity to showcase its investment prowess, deliver exceptional returns, and set an inspiring example of what fund managers can achieve. By growing the ranks of Latine fund managers, we aim to create a more equitable investment landscape for Latine founders and drive reinvestment in our community. ALZAR is not only a grant but a commitment from our community.
White House
We are so lucky to have LaFamilia, once again, representing at the White House for their Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. The agenda included a tour and reception with leading Latines like Gloria & Emilio Estefan, Dolores Huerta, and more. See Renata Arauz-DeStefano’s post for more details!
Keynotes
We are so excited to have Santi & Tom join us as our Keynotes. Unfortunately, we had to postpone their talks for a later date but we’re honored to have them as part of LaFamilia.
Our Impact
Words about intention and purpose are great, but impact truly measures the difference we are making. At the HHM events, in the spirit of “Elevar,” attendees had the opportunity to take the stage and share a major win they had from this year.
I’m very grateful to both VC Familia and Founder Familia.” — Cuco Vega, VCF Member
To hear our community’s achievements and witness the support and pride of all those listening was nothing short of remarkable, especially the wins attributed to the LFF ecosystem we work so hard to build.
To finish off this recap, we are proud to share feedback that reaffirms the value of our mission and motivates us to continue our efforts. See below for some inspiring testimonials that highlight the impact of our work.
- Miami-based founder was just passing through NYC and came to our HHM event. He ended up extending his stay because he was able to set up meetings with 4 investors and 2 founders from networking at the event. He came back just in time for the HHM event in Miami where he shared this NYC success story, thanked us, and requested we thank our sponsors for the curated environment we created at the NYC event.
Great event — very humble yet accomplished individuals coming together. Don’t think I would have made such good contacts at any other event. Please repeat and let us participants know if you need any help hosting future events.
- Mexico City Founder
I had a fantastic time at the Hispanic Heritage Month Celebración by LaFamilia in Austin. Kudos to Alejandro Lozano, Ivan Huerta, and Alonso Mujica for hosting such an engaging event. The atmosphere was lively, and I not only made some valuable connections but also bonded with a few new friends. Eagerly waiting for the next event! Gracias!
- Austin Founder
I attended the event and had an amazing time meeting a multitude of wonderful individuals. There is one aspect I would like to emphasize. The event was impeccably organized, and the flow and networking felt incredibly natural. Not to say that previous events lacked the same, but last night it was simply flawless.
- NYC Investor
