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  • ¡Dale! Pitch Winners 🎤, VCFamilia Awards Highlights✨, and Big Moves in Our Community!💖

¡Dale! Pitch Winners 🎤, VCFamilia Awards Highlights✨, and Big Moves in Our Community!💖

Spectrum News coverage + Congrats to Rifcare for taking the top prize!

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LaFamilia Newsletter
17 Oct • Read in: 10 minutes

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👋 Hola Familia!

Welcome to ¡Levántate! by LaFamilia, your bi-weekly dose of community buzz, where we serve up the freshest updates and insights with a side of Latine sass. Along with other 2,400+ subscribers and 14,000+ social media followers, get ready to learn about the world of Latine investors and founders, discover can't-miss events and networking opps, and meet incredible people making waves in our vibrant community. Follow us on Linkedin (VCFamilia + FounderFamilia) and Instagram.

🚨 Major Updates 🚨

VCFamilia Awards Night - An Unforgettable Evening

On October 14th, we came together at the Milken Institute for what felt like more than just an awards night—it was a celebration of our shared journey, our roots, and the dreams we’re building together. The night was magical, filled with heartfelt speeches, deep connection, and a sense of family. See photos here!

María’s recognition was a powerful tribute to her journey, which began with her mother—a trailblazing woman who encouraged her daughters to defy traditional Latin American norms. Coming from a low-income family, María’s mother became a fierce advocate for women’s economic independence. Her story serves as a reminder of resilience and the strength of breaking free from tradition. This award wasn’t just for María; it was a celebration of every woman who dares to rewrite the rules.

Alejandro’s words hit home for so many of us. His lessons—leaving ego at the door, being radically transparent, recognizing that no matter how strong you think you are, it's important to see a therapist, and showing love to those who support you on your journey—served as powerful reminders of the importance of authenticity and community. He encouraged us to never take our loved ones for granted, to show love to our community, and to be present. His speech felt like a personal conversation with each of us, inspiring us to lead with heart and humility.

And then there was Cyril, who called on all of us to keep empowering the next generation. His dedication of the award to the entrepreneurs he’s funded wasn’t just a nod to their hard work—it was a call to action. Cyril reminded us that creating wealth goes beyond money; it’s about building something lasting, something that lifts up our entire community.

We danced, we laughed, and we celebrated like a familia. It was a night that touched our hearts, reminding us why we’re here: to support each other, to dream big, and to celebrate every win along the way!

Thank you so much once again to our sponsors, Pivotal Ventures, JPMorgan, Baker Botts, Carta, L’ATTITUDE Ventures, DhaliaVC, Sabio, and Morrison Foerster.

Val Emanuel of Rifcare Wins $25K, Ody De La Paz Shines as $10K Runner-Up at ¡DALE! Summit!

We’re beyond excited to celebrate Val Emanuel, who took home the $25K prize for her incredible startup, Rifcare.com. Val’s company is all about creating sustainable, non-toxic products for women rooted in science and safety. Her pitch was powerful—not only because of her compelling mission but also because she, as a mother of a young girl, was driven by the desire to create a safer world for women. Ashley Graham is one of her early investors and the traction she’s built were undeniable. Our judges were deeply moved by her vision! (Buy products here 15% off with code LAFAMILIA)

A special shoutout to our $10K runner-up, Ody De La Paz, founder of Sensytec, who is revolutionizing the concrete industry with advanced sensing technology. His pitch showcased the future of smart infrastructure, and his dedication to innovation impressed our judges.

Our panel of esteemed judges—Tom Chavez, Laura Plunkett, Fredo Silva, and Veronica Juarez—had an incredibly tough time choosing between such talented founders. Congratulations to Val, Ody, and all the incredible founders who participated—you’ve inspired us all!

This pitch competition was part of FounderFamilia’s inaugural ¡DALE! Summit in partnership with Techqueria. We are grateful for all of the sponsors that helped turn it into reality: Annenberg Foundation, Comcast Lift Labs, Oracle, JPMorgan, Crescent, Google Cloud, California Healthcare Foundation, Morrison Foerster, and Liquid Death.

Get your news where Silicon Valley gets its news 📰

The best investors need the information that matters, fast.

That’s why a lot of them (including investors from a16z, Bessemer, Founders Fund, and Sequoia) trust this free newsletter.

It’s a five minute-read every morning, and it gives readers the information they need ASAP so they can spend less time scrolling and more time doing.

🎟️ Event Hub 🎟️

The MIT AI Conference 2024 will debut in New York City, co-organized by Adriana Vazquez, a member of FounderFamilia. This event will bring together prominent leaders such as Ethan Mollick (Wharton), Brad Porter (Collaborative Robotics), and executives from Spotify, Google Cloud, and Databricks. October 26, 2024 - Convene, New York, NY. For more details, visit: https://lu.ma/mitai2024

We at LaFamilia did so many events this Hispanic Heritage Month. Proud of all that we’ve accomplished and now taking a well-deserved break!

🔎Familia Focus 🔍

  • Congratulations to Maria Artunduaga at FounderFamilia who won $350k from MedTech Innovator! The first Latina to ever win the grand prize - read more.

  • Congrats to Vamos Ventures for their participation in Form Energy’s impressive $405M Series F funding round! 🎉 Learn more

  • $7M Seed round - Big congratulations to Beatriz Acevedo, one of our FounderFamilia members, for Suma Wealth's seed round with backing from ResilienceVC, Acumen, Commerce Ventures, Ascendo Venture Capital, and Cooley. This funding will help Suma Wealth further enhance its AI-driven financial tools, including the recent acquisition of Mooch, an AI-powered personal finance app that brings even more personalized financial management solutions to the community. Learn more

  • A huge shoutout to our FounderFamilia member, James Silva, who just joined Gaingels as an active investor! From founding The Fhitting Room to now supporting diverse startups, we’re so proud of his continued success. Learn more about his journey.

📚 Resource Corner 📚

💰Funding Opportunities

  • Panasonic Well-Being Solution Challenge - Focuses on creating innovative solutions in areas like healthy eating, emotional wellness, sleep, and daily routines, with an emphasis on technology that improves the overall quality of life.

  • NYCEDC Founder Fellowship Program - Open to underrepresented founders in NYC with early-stage tech-enabled startups. Must be based in NYC and demonstrate a commitment to scaling their businesses.

  • Versalie Innovation Challenge - Invites startups and entrepreneurs with innovative digital health solutions focused on menopause and women’s holistic health. Winners can receive up to $25,000 in prizes and the chance to present their ideas to industry leaders.

  • ERA Winter 2025 Program - Offers up to $150,000 in seed funding, hands-on mentorship, and access to a vast network of investors and industry experts to help startups scale and grow

💼 Open Positions in VC & Startups

Get your news where Silicon Valley gets its news 📰

The best investors need the information that matters, fast.

That’s why a lot of them (including investors from a16z, Bessemer, Founders Fund, and Sequoia) trust this free newsletter.

It’s a five minute-read every morning, and it gives readers the information they need ASAP so they can spend less time scrolling and more time doing.

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