Chingona Ventures
VC · (United States)
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About
Chingona Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2019 by Samara Mejia Hernandez. The firm focuses on investing in pre-seed companies led by founders whose unique backgrounds position them to create businesses in rapidly changing and often overlooked growth markets. Chingona Ventures primarily targets industries such as financial technology, future of work, future of learning, food technology, and health technology. The firm's investment strategy involves writing the first and largest check into a company's initial institutional round, with typical investments ranging from $250,000 to $1 million. Chingona Ventures aims to support founders who are intelligent, fearless, and capable of executing their vision, embodying the term "Chingona," which translates to "Boss" or "Badass." Since its inception, Chingona Ventures has raised two funds: Fund I in 2019 and Fund II in 2022, which closed at $52 million. Notable investors in Fund II include the Office of the Illinois State Treasurer's Illinois Growth and Innovation Fund, Melinda Gates' Pivotal Ventures, PayPal Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Insight Venture Partners, Foundry Group, Synchrony Ventures, The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Wellington Asset Management, and 50 South Capital. The firm's portfolio includes 39 companies across sectors such as FinTech, Health/Wellness, EdTech, and B2B software. Notable portfolio companies include Career Karma, EarlyBird, SumaWealth, and Certiverse. Chingona Ventures has a strong commitment to diversity, with 48% of CEOs across its portfolio being women, 66% people of color, and 30% immigrants, surpassing national averages within venture capital.
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