FounderFamilia

Drum roll, please! ?? We are so excited to announce Hamet Watt as our keynote speaker for DALE! ?? Here’s why we’re thrilled: Hamet’s story is more than impressive—it’s inspiring. He started his investing career at the New Africa Opportunity Fund, helping drive change in post-apartheid South Africa. Since then, he’s worn many hats, from guiding top CEOs at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to co-founding companies like MoviePass that have completely changed industries. Today, as the Founder of Share Ventures (backed by Google and Amazon), Hamet is leading the future of innovation, blending tech with human potential. He’s not just an investor. He’s an entrepreneur who’s been in the trenches, building companies from the ground up. At DALE!, Hamet will share his incredible journey with us, and trust us—you don’t want to miss it! His passion for pushing boundaries is a perfect match for our Latine community’s unstoppable drive. ?

In just two days, we’re kicking off the DALE! Startup Summit and Pitch Competition at Oracle’s Santa Monica Hub. We’re thrilled to have Fernanda Baker from JP Morgan moderating a stellar panel featuring Austin Worrell, Co-founder of Kino Studios; Sergio Suarez Jr., Founder and CEO of TackleAI; Alex Ruiz, former founder of 3Go; and Pavan Sampath, COO at Ascend Now. With diverse backgrounds in entrepreneurship and leadership, each panelist has successfully raised over $2M in venture capital, and they’ll share their personal journeys, giving us a real, relatable look into the ups and downs of fundraising. We’re looking forward to an inspiring and honest discussion—can’t wait for this impactful session!

We are thrilled to announce that Fredo Silva, Partner at Morrison Foerster, will join us as one of the judges at the DALE! 2024 Startup Summit and Pitch Competition – happening TOMORROW! Fredo brings an incredible depth of expertise in venture capital, corporate finance, and impact investing, having represented companies like SoftBank, Visa Ventures, and Temasek in major transactions. His work spans life sciences, agtech, fintech, and ESG strategy, making him an invaluable voice for evaluating the game-changing Latine startups competing at DALE! In addition to his professional achievements, Fredo is a dedicated champion of the Latine community, hosting Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations with LaFamilia Foundation in San Francisco, Austin, and LA — a record-setting commitment that showcases his passion for uplifting our culture and values. We can’t wait to see the insights and wisdom he’ll share with our participants! #LATechWeek2024 #LATech #Startups #VCCommunity #Innovation #TechEntrepreneurs #VCs #LosAngelesStartups #FundingFuture #TechInnovation #PitchCompetition #LAStartups

Meet Veronica Juarez, judge at Dale! 2024 ? We are so excited to announce that Veronica Juarez, Managing Partner of Dahlia VC, will be joining the judging panel for Dale! 2024. Veronica's journey is characterized by resilience and a steadfast dedication to empowering Latine tech founders. As a proud Latina from Houston, she has made significant strides in the tech, government, and business sectors. Before founding Dahlia VC, Veronica made a significant impact as VP of Social Enterprise at Lyft, where she built the public policy team and led initiatives that partnered with government and nonprofit organizations. Her dedication to driving change has earned her recognition as one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business and as a Game Changer in VC by L’ATTITUDE Ventures. With Dahlia VC, she continues to pave the way for the next generation of Latine trailblazers, tackling barriers to accessing capital and building a legacy of inclusion. We couldn’t be more excited to have her insights and leadership at Dale! 2024! RSVP: www.dalesummit.com #Dale2024 #DahliaVC #LatineLeadership #LatinxTech #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #VentureCapital #LATECHWEEK2024 #LATechWeek

?? Excited to be counting down to ?DALE! 2024! I’ll be joining as a pitch judge for some amazing early-stage Latine startups. Come by on?October 15th?at Oracle Water Gardens in Santa Monica—let's celebrate innovation and cheer on the next wave of Latine entrepreneurs together. See you there!? #DALE2024 #LatineLeadership #TechInnovation #LATechWeek FounderFamilia LaFamilia Foundation

Exciting news! I'm thrilled to announce that I've advanced to the finals of the ?DALE! Pitch Competition! ?? Join me on October 15th at 4 PM PT as I present Earnest Agriculture at Oracle Water Gardens in Santa Monica. #DALEPitchCompetition #Innovation #Entrepreneurship" Thanks FounderFamilia and LaFamilia Foundation for this amazing opportunity!

Go Carolyn! ?? We are excited to share that our CEO Carolyn Trevi?o Jenkins will be presenting next Tuesday at the finals of the ?DALE! Pitch Competition!??? Join her October 15th, at 4pm PT at the Oracle Water Gardens in Santa Monica, California. Carolyn will be highlighting We Are Here's mission and how our solution closes gaps for patients and providers alike. If you are in the LA area and want to learn more about our mission, this event is not to be missed! We are looking forward to re-connecting with peers and mentors from our Techstars Healthcare Accelerator cohort! Hope to see you there! #DALEPitchCompetition #Innovation #Entrepreneurship FounderFamilia, LaFamilia Foundation

From Colombia to Silicon Valley: Meet Alex Ruiz, Speaker at DALE! ?? ? Alex Ruiz’s story is about heart, hustle, and never forgetting his roots. As a Colombian immigrant growing up in the fast-paced environment of New York City, he learned early on that resilience is in the DNA of Latine entrepreneurs. Those values carried him through a career built from the ground up—from creating fintech tools for small businesses to leading global Android customer success at Google. ? He founded a cybersecurity startup that uses AI to protect small businesses like the ones he grew up around. For him, it wasn’t just about tech; it was about making a real impact. Alex built partnerships with governments, NGOs, and industry leaders to change the game in cybersecurity. His company’s success attracted millions in venture capital, but for Alex, it's always been about more than just business—it’s about opening doors for others. ? He is also part of our team! Through his work with LaFamilia Foundation, he’s helping Latine founders access the capital, connections, and support they need to thrive. He knows the hustle, the risks, and the ambition behind the startup dream. ? Come hear Alex share his journey with honesty and heart —because he’s been there, faced the struggles, and continues to push forward. This is your chance to connect with someone who truly understands what it takes to make things happen. ???? Thanks to all our sponsors, you can still apply for complimentary tickets for Dale here: https://tally.so/r/wADMGB #LATechWeek #DALE2024 #LaFamiliaCommunity #LatinesInTech #StartupsLA #LATechScene #LatineFounders #TechForGood #LatinxEntrepreneurs #SiliconBeach

Can you believe it? We're only 6 days (and a few hours ??) away from ?DALE! Can’t wait to see you at Oracle Santa Monica for some awesome, real conversations about founders' and investors' journeys. And, of course, we’ll have mouth-watering Latine food—empanadas, tacos, you know, the kind of deliciousness you can’t miss. Plus, we’ll wrap it all up with our pitch competition and an epic after-party! ?? Pssst... Thanks to our awesome sponsors, we’ve got the green light to give out more FREE tickets! So, don’t wait—RSVP now before they’re all gone! Here is the link: https://tally.so/r/wADMGB ?????????? #DALESummit #LatineEntrepreneurs #PitchParty"

Let's give a big shoutout to all of our amazing ?Dale! Pitch Competition finalists! ?? Corinne Vargas (mysmartcharts.com), Val Emanuel (rifcare.com), Ody De La Paz (sensytec.com), Eddy Mejia (growearnest.webflow.io), Carolyn Trevi?o Jenkins (wearehere.com), Marco Vallejo Jr (aizenflow.com), Cathleen Turner (autaly.co), Francisco Javier Román Roig (tugerente.com), Helena Jaramillo (pampam.city), Juan Giraldo (livewaku.com). We can't wait to see them rock the stage at Oracle's LA offices on October 15. They'll be competing for the $25K grand prize and $10K for the runner-up. Our team is beyond excited to celebrate their success in this competition, which recognizes Latine founders' incredible talent, determination, and strength. Join us at Dale for a day filled with exciting live pitches, insightful panels, and genuine conversations about founders' and investors' journeys. Thanks to our sponsors, you can still apply for free tickets here: https://tally.so/r/wADMGB. See you there! A big thank you to our amazing co-hosts,?Techqueria?and?PledgeLA, as well as all our sponsors, for making this event possible! ?? JPMorganChase - Oracle - Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs - Annenberg Foundation - Morrison Foerster - Crescent - Google Cloud - Liquid Death ? #LATechWeek #LosAngelesStartups #PitchCompetition #LatineFounders #VentureCapital #Startups #LatineEntrepreneurs #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #TechCommunity #Founders #InclusiveTech #LatineTech #DiversityInTech #VCCommunity