👋 Hola Familia!

Welcome to the 3rd edition of ¡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 2,300+ subscribers and 13,000+ social media followers, get ready to learn about the world of Latine investors and founders, discover can't-miss events and golden networking opportunities, and meet the incredible people making waves in our vibrant community.

🚨 Major Updates 🚨

👥 Meet LaFamilia’s Team

We wanted to make sure post-Labor Day that you learn more about the people making it all happen!​ Meet the incredible team behind LaFamilia—in our latest Medium article, we’re excited to introduce the passionate individuals driving our mission forward. From intern to CEO, our diverse team is dedicated to supporting Latine entrepreneurs and reshaping the startup ecosystem.

📸 LaFamilia’s Instagram Launch!

Getting ready to flex your outfits and wave your flag for Hispanic Heritage Month? Tag us and we’ll feature you in our new Instagram, now officially up and running! We are following back our first 150 followers, so make sure you check out our account and be part of our journey @LaFamilia.Foundation!

🗞️ Ecosystem Scoop 🗞️

• 👨‍💻👩‍💻 LA and SF Tech Week Calendars Out Now: The LA and SF Tech Week calendars are officially out, and we’re excited to share that two of our major events, the ¡DALE! 2024 Summit and the VCFamilia Awards Reception, are featured! Get ready to join us and an incredible group of investors, founders, and innovators for an unforgettable experience of networking and celebration. Learn more about these events in our Event Hub section below!

• 💰 Babson Latinx Startup Hub Tour Pitch Competition: Apply now for the Babson Latinx Startup Hub Tour 2024 Pitch Competition! If you're a pre-seed or seed-stage startup (less than $1M revenue in 2023, under $500K raised), this is your chance to showcase your innovation. Whether you're based in the US or LatAm, all disruptive ideas are welcome!

  • 📅 Deadline: Friday, September 13th

  • 📋 Requirements: Pitch deck, Executive Summary, Founding Team info, and a 2-min video

  • 🌐 Ready to apply? Learn more and submit here!

• 🎉 Linker Secures $3.7M Seed Round: Linker Finance has just secured a $3.7M seed round! This major milestone marks a significant step forward in their mission to revolutionize financial connectivity across borders. Led by visionary founder and FounderFamilia member Jorge Garcia, Linker Finance is set to transform the fintech landscape with its innovative platform. See Linker’s full announcement here.

Sponsored:

Seeking impartial news? Meet 1440.

Every day, 3.5 million readers turn to 1440 for their factual news. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you a complete summary of politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a brief 5-minute email. Enjoy an impartial news experience.

Join for free today!

Want to be featured on our newsletter as well? Learn how to sponsor us!

🎟️ Event Hub 🎟️

• 🪅 ¡DALE! Summit Tickets & Pitch Competition: Our Early Bird Tickets for ¡DALE! 2024 are already on sale! These will only be available until September 15th, after which the regular sale begins, so get your tickets now before prices increase! Also, the application deadline for our Annual National Pitch Competition has been extended, so don’t miss the chance to be one of the top 8 finalists who will pitch live at the ¡DALE! Summit for a shot at a $35K non-dilutive cash prize!

  • 💸 New Pitch Comp Deadline: September 15th at 11:59 PM PT

  • 💃 ¡DALE! 2024 Startup Summit:

    • 🗓️ October 15th

    • 📍West Hollywood, Los Angeles

Stay tuned to our social media to meet our panelists, speakers, and judges!

• 🎉 Hispanic Heritage Month City Celebraciones: Hispanic Heritage Month is just around the corner, and we’re kicking things off with the theme: “Gratitud: Celebrating the People that Support Us”! Our Chicago Familia has just announced its date, and there are so many more exciting news coming soon! Keep an eye on our LinkedIn to meet all your hosts. 🤩

  • 🗓️ Save the Dates:

    • Austin: September 19th, RSVP here!

    • Mexico City: September 19th, RSVP here!

    • Chicago: September 25th, RSVP here!

    • New York City: October 10th, RSVP here!

    • Stay tuned for more dates to come! 👀

• 🌟 Inaugural VCFamilia Awards Reception: We’re thrilled to invite you to this black-tie celebration of Latine excellence in venture capital with support from Pivotal Ventures and JP Morgan. This dinner will take place during LA Tech Week, just as we wrap up Hispanic Heritage Month. Expect amazing food, stunning venue, dancing, and of course, our incredible community. Specifics below:

  • 🗓️ October 14th at 6 PM

  • 🤝 Consider becoming a sponsor! Contact our Partnerships Lead at [email protected].

  • 💌 If ticket costs are a barrier, email us at [email protected], and we’ll do our best to accommodate.

  • 🫶 Can’t make it? You can still support our mission by donating here.

🔎 Familia Focus 🔍

• 📈 Kontigo Launches on Y Combinator: We’re excited to celebrate FounderFamilia member Jesús Castillo and the Kontigo team for their launch on Y Combinator! Kontigo is building a game-changing USDC-enabled and Bitcoin-backed wallet, tackling the issue of currency volatility, especially for the Latino community. Show them your support on YC’s post!

• 🤑 Slauson & Co. Raises $100M Fund II: Huge congratulations to Slauson & Co on the launch of their $100M Fund II! Since 2021, they've been driving economic inclusion by backing Pre-Seed and Seed companies across the nation. Let’s help spread the word by showing them our love on their Medium post, Techcrunch’s article, and across LinkedIn, X, and Instagram!

• ✨ Orbis42 Joins Google AI Competition: FounderFamilia member Sergio Martell, Co-founder and CEO of Orbis42, has submitted an incredible project to Google's AI competition. Their startup is building essential infrastructure for investments in natural assets, crucial for LatAm and the world. Let’s support them by voting for them here!

📚 Resource Corner 📚

💼 Open Positions

• Principal at CVS Health Ventures (Boston or New York)

• VC Analyst and Springbank (New York, NY)

• Sr. Associate/Principal at top-tier VC firm (New York, NY)

• VC Analyst Intern at DRW (Chicago, Ill)

• Operations Manager at Primary Venture Partners (New York, NY)

• Venture Fellow at Palm Ventures Studios (Austin, TX)

• Associate at Accion (Washington DC, WA)

• Investor at Offline Ventures (San Francisco, CA)

• Investment Associate at Octopus Ventures (London, UK)

• Investor at Will Ventures

• Intern at Azolla Ventures (Cambridge, MA)

🔗 Useful Links

• VCF Public Directory

• FF Public Directory

• Reading Recs for Sales Professionals by Alonso Mujica (FF)

Love our newsletter and want to support it? Looking to be featured in the next edition? Sponsor us!