Chingona Ventures

We’re incredibly proud to have Chingona Ventures as one of our Investors and were thrilled to see our very own CEO, Jorge Garcia, sharing his insights on the panel at their Annual LP Meeting in Chicago. Being part of such a vibrant community of leaders, founders, and visionaries reminds us why we do what we do. Thank you, Chingona Ventures, for bringing us together to connect, share, and celebrate! Here’s to continuing this journey together and making an even bigger impact in the years to come! 🎉 👏

In November, we hosted our second Annual LP Meeting in downtown Chicago. Over fifty Chingona Ventures’ limited partners (LPs) and founders joined us from across the country for a day of engaging conversation, connection, and celebration. We were excited to host a fireside chat featuring Elias Torres, CEO of Agency AI, and panels discussing FinTech, AI, and "Going from Zero to One" including portfolio company founders Stella Garber, Iba Masood, Dominik Mazur, Michael Haddix Jr, Beatriz Acevedo, Jorge Garcia, Vegim B., Jill Burroughs, and Arian Razzaghi- Fernandez. Thank you to all of our LPs and founders that were able to join us, and to our team for making this day possible! We look forward to bringing our community together again in 2025. More highlights from the day: https://lnkd.in/g7dA_H4T

Our December Newsletter is live! This month's highlights: 🌿 Leaf Trade Gets Acquired by LeafLink 🙌 Recapping Our Second Annual LP Meeting 💸 The Future of Getting Paid in the U.S. written by Daniel Parra Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/dsevmPNs

🎙️ I spilled all the beans in this Fashion & Founders podcast episode—sharing the journey, the challenges, and the incredible people behind Beni. 💫 I also couldn’t help but gush about some of the badass women I’m lucky to call friends: 💡 Sarah Pinner - Without Sarah, there would be no Beni. ✍️ Celine Lightfoot - Who turned Beni from an idea on a page into reality. 💸 Amy Francetic, Lyndsey Boucherle, Chauncey Kerr Hamilton, and Samara Mejia Hernandez - Our amazing investors who took the first bet and continue to champion us. And some incredible women redefining their spaces: ✨ Julia O'Mara - Cofounder of Pickle (go check it out!) 👗 Mary Korlin-Downs - A guru on fashion tech (don’t miss her Substack!) ♻️ Rachel Sterling & Nancy Rhodes - Founders of Alternew, changing the game in sustainable fashion. Let me know what you think! 🙌 Listen here: Spotify: https://lnkd.in/edckz3WK Apple: https://lnkd.in/e7rruW2U

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🔥 Great article in Sports Illustrated featuring our portfolio company Scout (Techstars '23)! "Scout empowers college athletes at schools like Auburn, Iowa, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M with financial tools, while assisting institutions in managing NIL earnings and revenue-sharing payouts." Athletic Directors and Conference Commissioners - if you're looking for help navigating this new era of NIL, check out Scout today! 🏀 🏈 🎾 https://lnkd.in/gvxuyQvv

Thank you to James Loftus and the PayPal Ventures team for their continued support!

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Chingona Ventures AGM (Annual General Meeting)—and let me tell you, the energy, progress, and innovation in that room were truly inspiring! 💡I’m a proud Limited Partner in Chingona Ventures, led by the incredible Samara Mejia Hernandez. During the AGM, I heard from trailblazing founders like Jorge Garcia, Elias Torres, Beatriz Acevedo, SANDRA LAPLANTE, Adrian J. (AJ) DeLeón, M.Ed., and many others. Their bold ideas and remarkable progress reminded me why I’m so passionate about this space. We also had the honor of hearing from Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, who shared his commitment to startups and funds like Chingona Ventures—highlighting the significant impact they’re making across Illinois and beyond. Investing in startups isn’t just about financial returns—it’s about driving innovation, supporting bold ideas, and being part of transformative change. If you’re not investing in startups yet, let me encourage you to TAKE THE LEAP. Here are just a couple of ways to get started: ✨ Become an LP in Chingona Ventures ✨ Join Angeles Investors (Samara is a co-founder and advisor) Membership in Angeles Investors offers you the opportunity to: ⭐ Network with world-class members to achieve mutual goals faster. ⭐ Grow your wealth by investing in top curated Hispanic and Latino ventures in the U.S. ⭐ Build your skills in innovation, business, and investing. ⭐ Access board seat opportunities and senior executive roles at startups. ⭐ Attend exclusive events and experiences worth 4x the value of membership. Learn more and join us here: https://bit.ly/3CP2ZFH To the Future! 🚀 #StartupInvesting #AngelInvesting #LatinoInnovation #NetworkingExcellence #ChingonaVentures #AngelesInvestors

🏭 Calling on operators in the manufacturing space; we've got a prototype module tracking production output, uptime, etc. Would need 30 minutes of your expertise to refine it... your efforts will be rewarded with a ~very~ limited edition Tendrel Yeti. Drop a comment or DM if you're open to a feedback session -- and feel free to tag someone who might be interested 🙏🏽

We are excited to announce that Leaf Trade - a Chingona Ventures portfolio company - has been acquired by LeafLink, the nation’s leading cannabis wholesale platform. This acquisition will allow LeafLink to provide comprehensive marketplace solutions and tools to cannabis businesses ranging from small retailers to multi-state operators (MSOs). Congratulations to James Yi, Brian Ward, and the entire Leaf Trade team! Check out the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/gRMGJ79A