7 VCs and Organizations Helping Latino Entrepreneurs
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In 2021, only 2 percent of all US venture capital (VC) funding was directed toward Latino startups. As a Latina entrepreneur, I always find this statistic surprising. On any given day, I meet at least one other Latina or Latino entrepreneur who would be a strong candidate for funding.
This was the case at SXSW’s inaugural LatinX Innovation Hub in 2023, where nearly eight hundred of us gathered to listen to Latino leaders discuss the entrepreneurship journey, particularly access to capital and networks. What struck me, even after a career spanning two decades of driving Latino engagement, was how panelists and attendees echoed similar sentiments: we’re here, we’re ready for funding, but we need some support on the journey.
That is why as a founder focused on empowering Latino innovators, I wanted to do my part to give visibility to the work of a few of the numerous organizations, VCs, and leaders supporting Latino entrepreneurship.
Here are seven VCs and organizations investing in Latino entrepreneurs:
Cofounded by Aniyia Williams and Deldelp Medina, as part of the founding members, Black & Brown Founders is a nonprofit that offers community, education, and access to resources for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. Their focus is on building tech-enabled businesses with limited resources, prioritizing profitability over fundability. To achieve this, they provide a self-paced, action-oriented virtual course called Bootstrapping Bootcamp.
Founded by Staci LaToison, Dream Big Ventures is a platform dedicated to empowering women and underrepresented founders, professionals, and students. Through consulting, speaking engagements, events, workshops, podcasts, media, books, and merchandise, they provide education on leadership, board service, financial wealth, wellness, and investment opportunities. Additionally, LaToison is launching the first Latina-led VC fund in Texas, aiming to invest in women and underrepresented startups.
Cofounded by Gary Acosta and Sol Trujillo, L’ATTITUDE Ventures is purpose-led venture fund exclusively invests in early-stage US businesses led and owned by Latinos, with significant growth potential achievable through technology. It aims to unlock revenue growth while enabling entrepreneurs to reach their full potential. In addition, once a year, the fund hosts a highly competitive pitch competition and venture capital conference that curates the top Latina and Latino entrepreneurs who are creating the next generation of transformational companies. Finalists compete for the coveted Latino Startup of the Year and receive up to $1 million in non-dilutive capital, exclusive press coverage, introductions to top coinvestors, and the accelerated opportunity to join their portfolio.
Founded by Jerry Porras and in partnership with Stanford University, the Latino Business Action Network (LBAN) empowers Latino entrepreneurship by leveraging research and education to support Latino business owners. Its strategy focuses on foundational research, a transformative Business Scaling Program with over one thousand Latino graduates, and building an empowering ecosystem for Latino entrepreneurship.
Founded by David Olivencia and Adela Cepeda, alongside a group of Hispanic and Latinx angel investors and venture capitalists in Chicago, Angeles Investors is on a mission to grow the angel investing community. The organization is putting the collective financial capacity of our community by supporting new ventures, influencing other angel investors, and creating opportunities that didn’t exist. They are also recognizing and giving visibility to Latino founders and investors through their pitch nights and the annual Angeles 100 awards.
Founded by Christian Narvaez, Rayo Capital is a new Web3 innovation platform that focuses on accelerating, funding, and providing long-term support to the best early-stage Web3 founders globally. It invests in founders from all backgrounds and have a commitment to use venture capital to drive change and have an emphasis on backing underestimated founders in the US and Latin America. Additionally, Rayo Capital invests in early-stage, pre-seed, and seed Web3 startups, and offers a comprehensive accelerator program to guide and mentor participants.
Founded by Shashi Jain, Techqueria aims to provide Latino and Latina professionals with the resources and support they need to excel in the tech industry. Its vision extends beyond the US, striving to become the most influential and community-driven professional network for Latino and Latina individuals worldwide. Techeria offers resources such as a robust Slack community with over fifteen thousand members, providing support, mentorship, and job opportunities for startup founders and entry-level developers alike. The organization is currently searching for its first executive director.
Monica Talan is the founder of CryptoConexión, a Spanish-language platform to drive awareness and engagement in the decentralized economy. Today her platform is attracting users in Latin America who are new to blockchain, crypto, Web3, NFTs and the Metaverse. Her team is located in Argentina, Mexico, Spain and the United States.
