Cheryl Campos is passionate about the intersection of finance, technology, and social impact.
Despite the fact that Latine-owned businesses account for $2.7 trillion in U.S. economic output, access to capital has historically been constrained. Specifically within the tech & venture capital (VC) industry, Latine founders receive only ~2% of total VC funding and, on the other side, Latine investors account for <2% of the U.S. VC industry and decreased from '18-'21. While there are many contributing systemic factors, there is a clear need to close the capital & access gap on both sides, which Cheryl co-created La Familia, a 501c3 movement. It unites the largest communities in the world of Latine founders & VCs, VCFamilia (VCF) & Founder Familia (FF), to create a unique & thriving ecosystem with direct and meaningful impact. Backed by leading institutions like Silicon Valley Bank, Techstars, Comcast, Samsung Next and more, La Familia is committed to creating new pipelines and access to capital, network and resources for Latine founders and funders to thrive.
She was the Head of Venture Growth and Partnerships at Republic, an investment platform that democratizes access to private markets. As full-time employee #10, she started on the investment team in 2018 before finding her passion in venture partnerships and brand growth. Over the last two years, she has been instrumental in Republic’s growth to unicorn status ($1 billion valuation).
Cheryl built the first full-stack investor ecosystem in the venture to build a community for the next crop of diverse investors. Through Republic’s Venture Partner program for mission-aligned investors, she increased deal flow by 600% YoY, brought in a third of all new business to the retail platform, and built a strong pipeline of diverse founders. She also created the Venture Fellows & Associates Program to educate aspiring VCs and catalyze a path for them to network with seasoned veterans, carve a space for themselves in the investing world, and eventually become Venture Partners.
Doubling down on the power of community, she joined The Community Fund as the youngest investment partner and has co-led 13 investments to date. Having both created and managed communities, she knows which startups put their community first. She is also a scout for Lightspeed where she has led 8 deals focused on femtech, silver tech, and web3. In total, she has deployed $1M as a check-writing VC.
Previously, she worked as an analyst in a Connecticut-based private debt & equity firm emphasizing minority and women entrepreneurs. She started her career in Investment Banking at Barclays, working in the Financial Institutions Group and Structured Finance. She supported $8Bn in transactions, including the flagship $2.5bn whole business securitization of Yum! Brands.
Cheryl is a signed model/actress, working for brands such as Tom Ford, Christian Louboutin, Cole Haan, Smirnoff, and more. She is part of the Screen Actors Guild through her work on HBO and other TV shows.
Cheryl has been a recognized speaker in over 100 events, with speaking engagements at corporates such as Jopwell, Google, Blackstone Venture Fellowship, and conferences such as 3686.
She holds a BA in Economics with honors from Harvard University and is an incoming MBA candidate at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Class of 2024.
Speaking Topics:
Diversity in Venture
Despite concerted efforts to increase diversity in venture, the stats for funding both founders and GPs have stayed the same, if not worsened. Learn in-depth where the roadblocks are and what changes you can be a part of to shift the paradigm for a world you want to see.
Grappling with Identity
We constantly find ourselves with several sides of our story. How do I reconcile being 40% of venture as a Harvard graduate but also 1% of venture as a Latina? How do we remain analytical as finance professionals and checkwriters while embracing your creative side? Cheryl relays her learnings through personal anecdotes and key takeaways.
Being Latina in Tech and Venture
2% of tech are Latinas and 1% of venture are Latinas. Persevering and defying the odds has always been in Latinx DNA. Cheryl shares her experience over the past 4 years as employee #10 in a unicorn, a scout for Lightspeed, and an investment partner at the Community Fund.
All Things Finance: Traditional Finance, FinTech, and Defi
The world is constantly evolving with new financial applications and blockchain use cases. Through her experience in banking and fintech, Cheryl breaks down how fintech and defi relate to traditional finance and what they portend.
First-Gen in the Ivy League and Beyond
Representation matters. In her talk, Cheryl shares her story as a first-gen Latina Harvard graduate, rising to leadership in a unicorn startup and starting at Stanford Business School.
“Community” is Reckless
The term has been relentlessly used over the years, without true definition of what encompasses a community and how to start one. Cheryl has created several communities, including the Venture Partner Program at Republic and VCFamilia, the largest community for Latinx venture capitalists. To fully benefit from the power of community, Cheryl lays out the playbook to ensure long-lasting, real change.
