A Long-Awaited Update: Embracing Change and Growth
Hello World! It’s been a while and a lot has changed.
Since my last post, my life has undergone significant changes. I’ve graduated with my MBA from Columbia Business School (Yay!), embarked on my SECOND venture capital investment role, and made a life-changing move to San Francisco, a vibrant hub of startups and VCs.
Twelve months ago, if you had asked me to envision my life, this would have been far from what I could have anticipated.
So instead of fighting the change, I’m going to trust the process. I have a feeling the universe is conspiring something I couldn’t have dreamt of…even in my wildest dreams.
There is an alignment, a focus, and drive that I’ve never felt before and I’m deeply excited for this chapter in my life.
You might be wondering what I’ve been up to lately — let me fill you in!
Investing:
I’m now working for San Francisco Bay Area firm that invests in venture capital funds, LP and direct secondaries, and direct investments. I ended up at an exceptional firm surrounded by brilliant people who are not only intelligent but also remarkably kind. In my next post, I’m excited to dive into the world of secondary and growth investments, where I spend my time as an investor. Stay tuned for more insights!
Community:
In the last year, I’ve also worked with my co-founder, Tanvi Lal and our leadership team to continue to build VC Unleashed, a community focused on increasing representation in venture capital. Since our inception, we have trained over 1,500 emerging investors and hosted our second annual Shift VC Conference. The conference was held at the end of June in NYC, and we had over 350 investors attend the 3-day event.
Oh yeah, in the last 6 months we became a 501(c)3! And we also brought in our next VC Unleashed President, Jossy Rodriguez and our new board members, Saaya Nath, Partner at Jump Capital and Charles Hudson, Partner at Precursor Ventures and Chair of the National Venture Capital Association.
My co-founder and I will be publishing a piece that shares more about the future of VC Unleashed soon!
San Francisco Living:
I am really enjoying living in San Francisco. I feel values aligned with the city. It’s also still the center of startups and venture capital. While it’s essential to acknowledge the presence of incredibly successful and thriving VC ecosystems around the US and the world, I must emphasize that the level of access I’ve encountered here is truly mind-boggling.
I do feel there is a massive opportunity to build community in the city. The pandemic, coupled with a shift towards remote work, led to a significant exodus of people from the area. However, slowly and surely people are returning to the Bay, and I feel there is a real hunger for vibrant and genuine community gatherings.
My long-time homie and Padrino (Godfather) of Latinx Startups, Tiq Chapa and I have hosted two events in the area and the turnout has been strong (65+ people). Additionally, the folks that attend have been diverse investors and start up builders.
It’s possible that our audience is influenced by our networks, but I hold the hope that as people begin to return to the Bay area, this next wave will be more representative of the rich diversity found within our country.
Stay tuned for more events coming out of this squad!
Thank you for following my journey and being part of my life! Until next time when I dive into the world of secondary and growth investing.
