Introducing The VamosVentures 2021 Scout Cohort!
Our VamosVentures team just got a little bit bigger!
We’re thrilled to announce our first VamosVentures Scout Cohort.
The fund’s mission is not only to back innovative and driven entrepreneurs, but to create and support a pipeline of diverse investors in venture. Last month, we launched our inaugural Scout Program to achieve this goal, and received an overwhelming response from all over the country.
Making the decision to select only a few candidates from hundreds of competitive applicants was an equally wonderful and challenging feat, and we’re delighted to have seen such a diverse group of candidates — 81% of applicants identified as Latinx, 10% as Black, 22% as women, and 3% as LGBTQA+.
We’re excited to announce our first Scout Cohort, and deep dive into the fundamentals of early-stage investing, from networking to post-investment support — say hello to our 2021 Scouts!
Adam Kiki-Charles
Adam Kiki-Charles started his career as an Implementation Consultant at Epic Systems, a leading electronic medical record (EMR) software company. He has a total of seven years of Healthcare IT Consulting experience and has supported major healthcare systems, including the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Most recently, Adam interned as a Venture Architect at BCG Digital Ventures, the corporate investment and incubation arm of the Boston Consulting Group, where he contributed to the build of a digital health venture that supports patients living with Epilepsy. Adam is currently pursuing his MBA at MIT Sloan and holds a B.A. from Brown University.
Adriana Embus-Figueroa
Adriana Embus-Figueroa is a first-generation Afro-Latina working at the intersection of business, policy, and technology. Currently, Adriana is a Fund Management Analyst at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI). In this role, she manages the LACI Impact and Debt Funds and supports entrepreneurs in accessing and securing capital from investors across the world. Prior to LACI, Adriana served as a Financial Analyst at Samuel A. Ramirez & Co Inc., the largest Latino investment banking firm in the country, and as a Development Analyst for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Outside of work, Adriana is a member of the National Gender Justice Task Force through her sorority, Omega Phi Beta Sorority, a delegate for the National Alumnae Strategy Task Force for Girls Incorporated, and an active young alumna of the Yale Latino Alumni Association. She holds a B.A. from Yale University.
Andrea Bogarin
Andrea Bogarin started her career as an operator at early-stage companies. She worked as a product manager at a healthcare tech company, which was acquired by Tufts Health Plan, and eventually a senior PM at a retail tech company backed by B Capital. Since then, she has served on the Ventures Team at Samsung NEXT, specifically providing diverse founders in the digital health and consumer spaces access to capital. Andrea completed her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University. She is committed to disproving the tech industry’s view that there is a pipeline problem.
Arturo Ramos
Arturo Ramos is a Senior Product Manager in Wayfair’s Pricing Algorithms group. In this capacity, he coordinates and shapes the vision for a team of engineers and economists that leverages big data, machine learning, and economic theory to develop algorithms that optimize and manage profit. Prior to this role, he was the Vice President of Quantitative Research at CargoMetrics, where he was responsible for the development of the company’s proprietary signals for commodity price movements. Arturo has also served as the Director of Business Intelligence and an Economist at Dewey & LeBouf LLP, where he focused on building the firm’s business intelligence systems and leading economic analyses germane to international trade policy and litigation.Mr. Ramos has over 10 years experience in leading the development of products that exploit big data to create value. Mr. Ramos earned a B.A. from Yale University and a M.A.L.D. degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He is a native of California and has lived in Mexico, Hong Kong, and Japan.
Camila Ramirez
Camila has over 10 years of startup experience, as a founder, operator, and manager. After living in eight countries, she started her professional career in Florida, where she led operations and business development for an agripreneurial venture focused on Wagyu beef and olive oil. She later transitioned to hyper-growth corporate settings at WeWork and Snowflake where she managed two high-achieving sales teams. Since then, she has successfully built and operated Overland Discovery, a travel and recreation company based in Denver, Colorado.Passionate about diversity in business, Camila is a member of the Female Founders Collective and Bunker Labs, a veterans entrepreneurship organization. She will be pursuing her MBA in the fall and is a graduate of Les Roches International School of Hospitality Management.
Christian Soares
Christian has largely worked in emerging technologies with a focus on digital health. Throughout his career, Christian has helped scale and mobilize solutions, first with early stage startups and then with Stanford Medicine. He has most recently worked in strategy and health technology M&A and served as a Fellow for Rock Health. Christian completed a Masters in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke University after earning a B.S. from the University of Kentucky.
Juan Barraza
Juan Barraza is the founder of a Digital Health startup, lead organizer Portland Startup Weekend Latino, and Founder of Latino Founders, a professional organization empowering the next generation of Latino entrepreneurs. Juan leads all Center for Entrepreneurship Student Innovation programming efforts and communications, weaving entrepreneurship into the fabric of the daily activities of students and faculty at PSU, specifically the signature PSU Cleantech Challenge and InventOR. He brings in-depth knowledge of strategic planning and implementation of product and services rollouts and has a track record of building and leading diverse, collaborative teams. Juan believes that entrepreneurship is a great equalizer in society and any individual with an idea or concept and strong work ethic can create a great venture with a direct economic impact on family and community. Juan holds a degree from The National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico.
Julia Zuroff
Julia is a current MBA student at Columbia University, with a focus on impact investing within the venture capital space. Her career began in consulting, and she was previously at CB Insights as an Account Manager with a focus on the consumer sector. Julia is originally from Sharon, MA and a University of Delaware graduate.
Luis Flores
Luis started his career at PepsiCo in Revenue Management, helping to grow and develop one of the company’s most prominent brands. He then spent time working in Supply Chain, Sales Finance, and Global Business Services. Passionate about developing and mentoring others, Luis serves as the Founder and CEO of Latinxedu, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works with underserved Latinx youth in North Texas. He holds a B.S. and B.B.A. from Southern Methodist University.
Mario Augustine Avila
Mario Avila is a financial analyst with four years of experience working alongside a team of private equity advisors. His specialties include cost modeling and risk assessment with a focus on health insurance. Before beginning a career in the industry, Mario worked in product management, sales, and engineering. He recently finished a two-year fellowship with the venture investment firm Alumni Ventures Group and gained first-hand experience writing investment memos and learning about the venture investing process. He has a strong interest in fintech, especially in the area of financial empowerment. Mario holds degrees from Claremont McKenna College, Columbia University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Mauricio Alexander Cruz
Mauricio is a former founder and current angel investor, focused on discovering emerging founders in consumer tech, fintech, and decentralized tech across the U.S. and LATAM. Mauricio began his career at Goldman Sachs and later worked in sports analytics at Major League Soccer before founding Vanza Media, a media tech company focused on connecting companies with the U.S. Latino market. He currently works as an idea developer and innovation strategist at Fahrenheit-212 in NYC. Mauricio, a proud Cuban/Honduran American, grew up in Hudson County, NJ and is a Harvard College graduate.
Raul Rosas
Raul Rosas is a Chicago based, serial entrepreneur, founder, investor, and ecosystem builder with over a decade of experience as an operator in the small and medium-sized business, tech, and nonprofit space. Raul serves as Director of the Latinx Incubator (a partnership between the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and 1871 Chicago), is a Venture Partner with Republic, and heads Finance and Operations for Mycocycle. Raul is driven by legacy and impact, advising various small and medium-sized businesses and startups on financial viability, growth, and entrepreneurial business management. Raul is a University of Illinois at Chicago graduate.
We’re thrilled to have had such a diverse and talented pool to select from, and thank you to everyone who applied and for sharing your stories, interests, and passions with our team.
Our team is working on a process and platform to facilitate access to VC for all applicants in this incredible pipeline of talented and mission-driven emerging managers/VCs — stay tuned!
The VamosVentures Team
