Episode #215 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Senofer Mendoza, Founder & General Partner of Mendoza Ventures.
You hear about lots of venture firms who are working hard to build a strategy and network that will yield more investments with diverse founders. But for a firm like Mendoza Ventures, it’s rooted in their DNA… like literally, as it is both minority & woman owned and it’s the first LatinX founded venture fund on the east coast.
As you would think, their portfolio has impressive diversity numbers. As of the beginning of this year, 67% of the portfolio included investments in minority, female, and immigrant founders. Needless to say, we were able to talk in detail about the venture industry and what other investors can do to back more diverse founders.
Mendoza Ventures was launched five years ago by Senofer and her husband, Adrian. The firm is focused on making pre-seed investments in FinTech, AI, and Cybersecurity.
In this episode of our podcast, we cover:
- Senofer’s background in interior design and what she learned as an operator.
- How Senofer and Adrian got involved in tech investing.
- All of the details on Mendoza Ventures and the types of companies they are backing.
- Advice on how to build a career path into the VC industry.
- And so much more.
Keith Cline is the Founder of VentureFizz. Follow him on Twitter: @kcline6.