Happy Women’s History Month
We at Chingona Ventures are continuously inspired by the accomplishments of women leaders in venture capital, entrepreneurship, and business and we wanted to make it a special note to honor and highlight the women founders in our portfolio. Our founders are making waves in their respective fields by pushing for technological innovation, leading great teams, and successfully raising venture capital rounds. According to PitchBook, “women-founded startups raised just 1.9% of all VC funds in 2022, a drop from 2021. Last year, U.S. startups with all-women teams received 1.9% (or around $4.5 billion) out of around the $238.3 billion in venture capital allocated.”
The following women founders are making impressive moves in the industry with their startups. Read below to hear what our portfolio company founders are spearheading:
Manuela Seve, CEO of Alpha’a and Alphaa.io
Manuela Seve is the co-founder and CEO of Alpha’a & Alphaa.io through which she connects the physical and digital worlds and reimagines asset ownership via blockchain certification, licensing, and dropshipping. Alpha’a also works with luxury brands to create resale perks and NFTs for physical objects and experiences. Manuela has been in the tech and art sector for the past 8 years and has been named on the 33 under 33 entrepreneurs in 2018 in New York City and most recently as one of the 100 most influential Latinos by Bloomberg Línea. She has been a thought leader in the blockchain industry since 2017 and has moderated and led panels on the subject.
Sarah Pinner (CEO) and Celine Mol (CTO) of Beni
CEO Sarah Pinner, who has a sustainability background from previous work at companies like Imperfect Foods, launched Beni with CTO Celine Mol In 2021. The idea for the company stemmed from a conversation with friends who told her that they wanted to buy more secondhand items — among 93% of shoppers who also are interested in secondhand items — but found the experience of online, second-hand shopping difficult. These conversations led to the creation of Beni, the free browser extension that instantly shows you the best resale listings while you shop for your favorite brands online. At the click of a button, Beni immediately curates a list of secondhand options for shoppers.
Alexandra Fine got her Masters in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University in 2011, focusing on her lifelong interest: sexuality. From volunteering with the Red Cross to hosting a sex talk radio show, she’s always pursued opportunities to learn more about sexual health. Her experience at other consumer packaged goods startups gave her the know-how to start her own company. Dame Products was founded for women by women.
Susie Jaramillo, CEO of Encantos
As a graduate of the Pratt Institute, she took her creativity and formed Vox Profero, an advertising agency. Susie recognized that as a “Latina mom exposed to songs and traditions from both the US and native Venezuela” she found it hard to find books that reminded her of the nursery rhymes she grew up with. She then went on to co-found Encantos with her husband, Steven Wolfe Pereira. Encantos PBC is an award-winning children’s entertainment company. Named by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, Encantos focuses on diverse stories and characters and brings them to life through apps, books, content, consumer products, and more. Its properties include the #1 bilingual preschool brand Canticos, the award-winning Tiny Travelers series, and the newly launched Skeletina.
Nathalie Walton, CEO of Expectful
Nathalie is a certified meditation teacher, with a background in digital product design, and has experience in building digital health and wellness experiences. She helped co-found Expectful, a health and wellness company that provides guided meditations and mindfulness programs for pregnant women, new mothers, and families. Expectful’s mission is to help families find peace and connection during life’s most transformative moments. It was recently acquired by Babylist!
Sandra LaPlante, CEO of Papaya
Sandra LaPlante’s early goal of working as a consultant led her to pursue a degree in industrial engineering at the University of Central Florida. Struggling to pass her programming class and not being able to afford a private tutor in the US, she had to “go back to her roots” and find help in Peru, where tutoring was more affordable. That’s when she had the idea to start her current business, Papaya Tutor. Papaya Tutor is an online tutoring service nurtured by the meaning of their very name “papaya”, which in Peru means “piece of cake; easy”. Their bilingual tutors specialize in breaking down complex topics by using their emotional intelligence to build rapport and create high engagement with their students.
Daniela Corrente, CEO of Reel
Daniela believes that “financial independence starts with seeing the potential of your cash flow and [this is] what we focus on at Reel.” She hopes that Reel shows “people that they have the power, with their cash flow, to make their aspirations a reality.” Before Reel, Daniela was a marketer working for some of the top global ad agencies and focused mainly on consumer products. Her fascination for consumer behavior led her to a marketing career and ultimately to starting Reel — a platform that makes it simple for people to start a savings plan for anything they want, so they can own what they love debt-free. Reel was recently acquired by Suma Wealth!
Cindy Zeng, CTO of Scout
Scout’s CEO and co-founder, Michael Haddix joined On Deck as a fellow and it was there he met co-founder and CTO Cindy Zeng. The pair teamed up in 2020 to build Scout — an alternative to what Haddix described as retail investing apps that offer “no guidance,” or old-school large institutions with a “set it and forget it” mentality. Scout is an investing platform that allows you to build risk-managed investment portfolios aligned with your interests.
Jade Kearny, CEO of She Matters & Marguerite L. Pierce, COO of She Matters
Jade Kearney, founded She Matters after battling postpartum anxiety and depression. Through her challenges with family and navigating the healthcare system, she realized that Black mamas’ interactions within the Black community and the healthcare system negate their mental health. Marguerite Pierce joined She Matters after experiencing postpartum depression and anxiety struggles. What stood out the most was the shame of not feeling well and the overwhelming discomfort about sharing her experience with her family and even her best friend of 15 years, Jade Kearney. Marguerite brings over 15 years of operational and client service experience. She Matters is a digital health platform designed to support Black mothers who experience postpartum comorbidities by providing access to community, culturally competent healthcare providers, and culturally relevant resources. Additionally, She Matters trains healthcare providers on culturally appropriate healthcare via our culturally competent coaching program. Their training is tailored to the specific nuances and challenges related to being a Black woman.
Beatriz Acevedo, CEO of SUMA Wealth
Beatriz began her career as a young radio and television host. Her work has earned her three Emmy Awards, an MTV Music Video Award, two Streamy Awards, and a Media Correspondent Award, among others. She has also created a variety of branded content and marketing campaigns targeting millennial and GenZ youth for numerous blue-chip brands. Beatriz was the co-founder and President of mitú, the leading digital media brand for young Latinos in the U.S. Under her leadership, she went on to raise $52M in funding, led by some of the most successful venture capital groups in California. Her latest fintech start-up, Suma Wealth, focuses on empowering Latinos via in-culture financial content, fintech products, and experiences to gain control of their economic power and build wealth.
Sophia Laurell (CEO) and Carolyn Batyske (COO) of Tiny Organics
Sofia Laurell, co-CEO and co-founder of Tiny Organics, built Tiny Organics with her co-founders, Betsy Fore, and Carolyn Batyske. Tiny Organics provides healthy baby food that introduces youngsters to different flavors and textures. “The majority of the products that are on the market are shelf-stable,” Laurell explains. “Most of them are pureed or strained. And most of them are very sweet because even if you don’t add added sugars if you’ve pureed fruit, it’s inherently sweet…So what we’re trying to do is introduce different flavors and textures, as many different flavors and textures as we can before the age of two. Research shows that your baby’s more of an adventurous eater, the more flavors and textures you introduce.” The company’s mission is to support parents in providing the healthiest and most nutritious food options for their little ones.
Morgan Mercer, CEO of Vantage Point
Morgan is a speaker and an advocate for creating inclusive, respectful, and safe environments in the workplace. Morgan’s technology is teaching “soft” skills like kindness and empathy through a live 360-degree virtual reality experience where users watch harassment unfold before them and have to decide how to respond. The company aims to help organizations create safer and more inclusive work environments through its training programs.
