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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 with a side of Latine sass. Along with other 2,300+ 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 golden networking opportunities, and meet the incredible people making waves in our vibrant community.

🚨 Major Updates 🚨

Meet the inaugural VCFamilia Award Winners!

Maria Lopez Rosas – Maria is making a big impact at Illumen Capital, uplifting underrepresented voices and creating opportunities for those facing systemic barriers. From mentoring Indigenous entrepreneurs to supporting entrepreneurs through the W.E. Build Tulsa Accelerator, Maria’s dedication to empowering others has earned her this year’s Rising Star Award. Check her full story here.

Alejandro Guerrero— As Co-Founder and General Partner at Act One Ventures, he’s built a fund that invests in startups founded by women and minorities. With initiatives like the Diversity Rider, Alejandro is driving real change in the industry. We’re proud to honor him with the Catalyst Award. Read more about his inspiring journey here.

Cyril Meduña—After surviving a dictatorship and launching one of the first VC firms in the 1980s, Cyril has been a pivotal force in putting Puerto Rico on the venture capital map. His incredible journey and contributions have largely flown under the radar, but his impact is undeniable. VCFamilia proudly honors him with the Legacy Award. Learn more about this unsung leader here.

On October 14, we’ll come together to celebrate these incredible Latine leaders for their contributions to our community. Join us at the VCFamilia Awards as we honor their achievements and impact. RSVP now to be part of this special event (limited tickets available).

🎟️ Event Hub 🎟️

¡DALE! is just around the corner, and with hundreds of RSVPs already in, our community is coming together stronger than ever. We will soon announce the startups competing in the pitch competition. The grand prize is $25,000, runner up $10,000.

This year’s event is made possible by the incredible support of sponsors like Oracle NetSuite, Comcast, JPMorgan Chase, Annenberg Foundation, PledgeLA, Morrison Foerster, Google Cloud, Crescent, and Liquid Death—huge names backing an even bigger event!

We have 20 free tickets available exclusively for our newsletter subscribers. Apply here.

Our New York HHM Celebration is just 7 days away!

On October 10th, join us as we come together to honor and celebrate the vibrant Latine community of founders, investors, and ecosystem pros in New York. This year, our city leads, Ed Cravo and Mercedes Zhang have planned a wonderful evening filled with gratitude, connections, and culture in partnership with ALPFA.

RSVP now to secure your spot: RSVP. We’d love to see you there!

Bay Area’s HHM Celebration with BLCK VC!

Join us on October 11th as we gather to celebrate the incredible Latine founders, investors, and ecosystem in the Bay Area. This event, organized by our city leads Tiq Chapa, Francisca Gilmore-Yulee, and Auni Mirabrishami from LaFamilia, along with Ayanna Kerrison from BLCK VC, will be a fantastic evening filled with gratitude and meaningful connections.

RSVP here to secure your spot: RSVP. We’re excited to see you there!

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🗞️ Ecosystem Scoop 🗞️

🔎 Familia Focus 🔍

Have you seen the beautiful gratitude notes from our Mexico and Chicago HHM celebrations?

Check out our Instagram and LinkedIn to read the heartfelt gratitude notes that attendees shared during the Mexico and Chicago HHM celebrations. These beautiful messages highlight the appreciation for one another—the support, the contributions, and those who offered a helping hand when it mattered most.

Big congratulations to Samay for making the finals of MedTech Innovator! This is the first time a Latine-founded company has reached the top 5 (out of 65), and they’re now competing for a $350K prize. Despite the challenges for pre-FDA startups, Samay’s hard work and resilience have brought them to this amazing milestone. Check out their inspiring journey and support them in the finals! 💪🏽 Read more here.

Leadsales, a proud Founder Familia member, has been recognized as one of LinkedIn's Top Startups of 2024 in Mexico! One of our very own FounderFamilia members has made it to LinkedIn’s Top Startups of 2024 in Mexico! This is a huge milestone for Leadsales, showcasing their innovation and growth in the startup ecosystem. A big congratulations to the team—it's wonderful to see their hard work being recognized! Learn more here.

Noramay Cadena shines at Show Her The Money—A celebration of women in VC: Huge shoutout to Noramay Cadena for her inspiring contributions during the Show Her The Money event hosted by Illumen Capital. Noramay, a powerhouse in the venture capital space, shared her invaluable insights on overcoming gender bias in the industry. We’re so proud of leaders like Noramay, who are making a difference and paving the way for the next generation of women entrepreneurs! 💖 Check more here.

Kuali takes the stage and wins third at Houston’s LatinTech pitch competition!
Kuali took third place at Houston’s 2024 LatinTech Pitch Competition after competing with over 100 startups. We are happy to see Kuali shine on stage alongside incredible founders, including fellow Peruvians Jorge A. Rodriguez and Mateo Suarez Stewart. Arriba Perú! 🏆

Celebrating the close of the second Audaz Capital inaugural fund! Big congratulations to VCFamilia member Beto Pallares, founder and managing partner at Audaz Capital! His El Paso-based venture firm recently celebrated the second close of its inaugural fund. Learn more here.

📚 Resource Corner 📚

💼 Open Positions - VC

• Associate, Impact Fund Operations at Angel City Advisors

• Principal for Pre-Seed Accelerator Fund at XRC Ventures

• Senior Analyst at Thrive Venture Fund

• Investment Analyst at Asylum Ventures

• Venture Solutions Manager at Honda

• Venture Studio Director at Boyd Street Ventures (BSV)

• Senior Director, Venture Capital and Impact Investing at Sorenson Impact

🔗 Useful Links

• VCF Public Directory

• FF Public Directory

• 6 months free! Notion for Startups

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