Samara Hernandez is the founding partner of Chingona Ventures, a trailblazing venture capital firm dedicated to backing overlooked and underestimated founders. With experience at Goldman Sachs, Math Venture Partners, and a mission deeply rooted in her heritage, Samara brings a fresh and authentic perspective to VC. She's helped grow Chingona Ventures into a $60M firm by rethinking who gets funded—and why.
With a thesis focused on early-stage companies, unconventional founder backgrounds, and unsexy but vital industries, Samara offers sharp insights into how value is created at the earliest stages of innovation. In this episode, she discusses the power of leading with authenticity, the evolution of her investment thesis, how ownership and fund structure shape strategy, and why staying in the game is essential for long-term success in venture.
In Today’s Episode We Discuss:
00:01 – The Meaning Behind “Chingona”
03:12 – Leading with Authenticity in Venture
05:10 – From Goldman Sachs to Venture Capital
07:32 – The Entrepreneurial Thread
08:26 – Crafting a Unique Investment Thesis
09:08 – Finding Her First LP and Launching Fund I
11:08 – Chingona’s Role as a Lead Investor
12:55 – Rethinking “Overlooked” Founders
14:50 – Founder-Market Fit and Lived Experience
17:13 – The Five P’s Framework
21:05 – Applying the Five P’s to Real Deals
24:56 – Navigating Niche Markets and Scale
26:15 – Betting on AgTech, NIL, and Pivots
29:20 – Lessons from Fund I to Fund II
31:35 – The Importance of Ownership and Access
34:12 – Evolving into a Lead Investor Role
37:53 – Fund Math and Ownership Strategy
41:05 – Managing Liquidity and Secondaries
44:03 – Understanding LP Behavior and Expectations
46:20 – Knowing When to Trim vs. Hold
49:27 – Aligning Liquidity Strategy with Founders
52:44 – The Reality of Fundraising and Staying in the Game
55:24 – Fundraising in a Post-2020 Landscape
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