Welcome to the Jefes community! Jefes is a new networking and content platform for Latinx leaders. (For anyone wondering, “Jefe” means BOSS in Spanish). In starting Jefes I set out to create a community platform in response to what I saw as a major lack. It is no secret that despite being a youthful, energetic, diverse, vibrant, and growing force, there is a scarcity of representation of the Latinx community in the media, the arts, in tech and in the C-suite of major corporations. You’ve probably heard the statistics tossed around. According to Fortune magazine, Latinas received only .4$% of the $400Billion in venture funding between 2009 and 2017, and only 58 (yes, you read correctly, 58) have raised over $1M in funding (and one of those is Jessica Alba!). According to a study by DiversityVC only 1.8% of venture backed startups had a Latinx founder. The same disparities appear in the media, with Remezcla reporting in 2016, only 5.8 percent of speaking roles were said by a Latino in film and television. This has got to change!

The good news is that there are heroes and leaders in the Latinx community across all sectors that are leaving their mark and making an impact everyday — their stories deserve to be told and their talents and advice need to be shared. Jefes wants to be a part of creating this change. Our mission is to celebrate more leaders in the community, and give our users the tools to start their own companies, access venture funding, meet mentors and collaborators and see a reflection of themselves.

Stay tuned for the beta launch of our inaugural tech enabled platform and app and podcast later this summer! You will be able to read stories, start conversations, ask career questions, meet new friends and mentors and join a diverse and inclusive community.