Why I Joined Chingona Ventures
I am ecstatic to join the team! It took an interesting turn of events for me to finally land in venture capital. Before joining the team, I was actually working in data analytics. I ended up studying sociology and statistics because of my interest in analytics — I wanted to be able to demystify the truth from the numbers, especially when it comes to making better decisions. Naturally I dabbled in management consulting and worked on the analytical side of business under e-commerce and finance teams. It took a lot along the way to make me realize how my skills and experience could be useful in the investment world. Interestingly, I truly believe VC is more of an art rather than a science since we don’t always have all the information to make a decision; we must take a lot of risks to bet on some great people and ideas.
Introduction to Venture Capital
My first introduction to venture capital was not through the popular tv shows like Silicon Valley or Shark Tank. Actually, my first introduction to venture capital was through watching my friends, who are Latino and Black, break into VC or become entrepreneurs themselves. It was through a non-traditional lens (in the sense that we typically think of the Peter Thiel’s or the Marc Andreessen’s when it comes to VC), that I was first exposed to the breadth of knowledge it takes to invest and the impact those first VC checks can make on an early-stage startup.
I was also incredibly lucky and grateful to have a scholarship to be able to join VC University online. There I was able to meet other incredible aspiring venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and more. While VC University taught me the nuts and bolts of basic venture finance, the Colorwave fellowship was able to teach me about the startup + innovation economy and how important it is to cultivate DEI within the VC backed ecosystem (read more about how culture is created starting with your first 10 employees).
Why Chingona Ventures
As I started to create my own thesis on what trends and movements will dominate the future of the economy, I noticed how certain founders and markets had been heavily overlooked. For instance, femtech is often overlooked due to the stigma and unnecessary shame surrounding women’s health issues. Founders of color and women may also struggle to raise funds due to the unfortunate bias — whether unconscious or not — from investors and systems.
I believe that Chingona Ventures embodies what I had been looking for all along in the VC world. It was the acknowledgment that only 2.6% percent of VC funds go to Black and Latinx founders and Macy and while female founders only received 2.3%. It was the fact that Chingona Ventures is only one out of the 55 venture funds in the US founded by a person of color. It was the incredible and diverse portfolio of companies that are pushing through, thriving, and being scrappy in order to succeed. While Chingona Ventures doesn’t just exclusively invest in diverse founders, the success of our portfolio companies speaks for itself, and can encourage other investors to follow suit in diversifying their cap table and deal flow.
When I think of Chingona Ventures, I think of entrepreneurs paving their own way and building their own seat at the table — rather than waiting for others to follow suit. To me, being “Chingona” is to be fearlessly ambitious and authentic to yourself in your journey. I’m thankful my journey brought me to this incredible team.
