Latino Founder Hour

Luis Vargas is the founder of Modern Adventure, the first experimental travel startup that empower Brands to capture the hearts and minds of customers. Luis is a San Diego native of mexican roots that followed his passion for exploration as an early age. He is a pioneering executive in the adventure travel industry having worked for REI, Disney and the Clymb. His Recent TEDx Portland talk "Travel More, Buy Less" has already raked in more than a million views with his passionate and inspirational approach to life and exploration.

Luis Vargas es el fundador de Modern Adventure, la primer startup de turismo experimental que empodera a Marcas globales a captivar los corazones y mentes de sus consumidores. Luis es un nativo de San Diego y de origen mexicano que ha seguido su pasion for la exploracion desde muy temprana edad. El es un ejecutivo pionero en la industria de viajes exploratorios pasando por empresas como REI, Disney y The Clymb. Su reciente charla en el TEDx Portland "Viaja Mas, Compra Menos" ya ha recibido mas de un millon de visitas con su apasionada e inspiracional punto de vista a la vida y la exploracion.

Andres Garcia-Amaya is the founder of ZoeFin, a Fintech startup that matches consumers with independent fee-only financial advisors. Andres is a Colombian native that comes from a family of successful serial entrepreneurs. He was a global financial market strategist that was frequent on CNBC and the Wall Street Journal that realized he could make an impact in the industry by helping thousands of people with over a billion dollar in savings choose a trusted financial advisor.

Andres Garcia-Amaya es el fundador de ZoeFin, una startup de FinTech que conecta a consumidores con asesores financieros independientes. Andres es de origen colombiano y viene de una familia de exitosos emprendedores seriales. Alejandro viene del mundo financiero como estratega en mercados globales y frecuentado por CNBC y el Wall Street Journal pero se dio cuenta que podia hacer un impacto masio en la industria al poder ayudar a conectar miles de clientes con mas de un billon de dolares en ahorros, con asesosres financieros independientes y de confianza.

Maricarmen Palacio is the founder of Cachito de Cielo, a Portland based small business bakery turning into a startup. Maricarmen story begins in Guadalajara Mexico as a young student that migrated to San Francisco where she met her husband. Years later she moved her family to Portland where she started her cookie factory out of her kitchen and rapidly gaining notoriety for her delicious product, amazing designs and a feature interview in the Food Network.

Maricarmen Palacio es la fundadora de Cachito de Cielo, una reposteria basada en Portland con miras a ser una startup. La historia de Maricarmen inicia en Guadalajara coo una joven estudiante que migra a San Francisco donde conoce a su esposo. Tiempo despues se muda a Portland donde inicia su fabrica de galletas desde su cocina y de inmediato comienza a tener aceptacion por su delicioso producto, increibles disenos y una entrevista en TV para el Food Network.

Leo Ochoa is the founder of Dorsum Tech, a hardware startup working on solving the back pain for emergency responders and everyday heroes. Leo is the son of mexican migrants in Hood River who left rural Oregon in pursuit of a dream and at a young age has already been awarded with a couple of scholarships and design awards. After experiencing back pain during his experience as a volunteer firefighter, Leo decided to design a back support solution that helps first responders alleviate back pains.

Leo Ochoa es el fundador de Dorsum Tech, una startup de hardware produciendo soportes lumbares para rescatistas y heroes comunes. Leo es el hijo de inmigrantes mexicanos en Hood River que dejo el paisaje rural de Oregon persiguiendo una mete y a su joven edad ya ha sido conmemorado con becas y premios en diseno. Despues de tener una experiencia con dolor de espalda como voluntario en el cuerpo de bomberos, Leo empezo a disenar un producto que ayude a los rescatistas a minimizar el dolor de espalda sin quitarles agilidad.

Dr. Nyah Zarate is the co-founder of Continuous Solutions, a Portland based startup working on R+D in the area of electric motors, drives and conversion systems for sustainable power and energy.

La Dra. Nyah Zarate es la cofundadora de Continous Solutions, una startup basada en Portland que esta enfocada en I+D en el area de motores electricos, drives y sistemas de conversion para energias sustentables.

Marcelino Alvarez is the founder of Uncorked Studios, a product design agency focused on the intersection between people and the physical environments in which they use products. Marcelino strongly believes in a world where innovation applies to entrepreneurs, non-profits, and the world's largest brands in equal measure.

Marcelino Alvarez es el fundador de Uncorked Studios, una agencia creativa enfocada en la interseccion entre gente y el entorno fisico en donde usan sus productos. Marcelino tiene la conviccion de un mundo en donde la innovacion es igualmente necesaria para emprendedores, organizaciones no lucrativas y las marcas mas grandes del mundo.

Don Pedro Rivera is one of the most recognized figures in Mexican music and is the founder of Cintas Acuario Music Label, based in California and producer of many Grammy winners including his daughter the late Jenni Rivera. Don Pedro's story is truly inspirational as he tells us his struggles as a young immigrant in the U.S., trying to make a living for his young family and following his passion: music for the people.

Don Pedro Rivera es una de las figuras mas reconocidas en la industria de la musica mexicana y es el fundador de Cintas Acuario Musica, una disquera basada en California que ha producido multiples ganadores de Grammys incluyendo a su propia hija Jenni Rivera. Don Pedro nos cuenta su inspiradora historia como joven migrante en EE.UU. tratando de sustentar a su joven familia y siguiendo su pasion por la musica.

Alexandra Zatarain is the co-founder of Eight Sleep, a hardware startup making the first bed engineered to improve sleep through dynamic cooling and heating using data and science to develop a bed that is designed to boost your performance.

Alexandra Zatarain es la cofundadora de Eight Sleep, una startup que ha disenado la primera cama que mejora el sueno del usuario usando tecnologia de calentamiento y enfriamiento dinamico usando data y ciencia para que la cama ayude a mejorar el rendimiento del usuario.

Lili Yeo is the founder of Goumi Kids, a global brand of garments for premature babies based in Beaverton, Oregon. Lili is a seasoned marketing executive (ex-Nike) who wanted to solve a basic problem with the boots and mittens for small and preemie babies, which led her to start her own company Goumi Kids, just a mile away from Nike campus.

Lili Yeo es la fundadora de Goumi Kids, una marca global de ropa para bebes prematuros basada en Beaverton, Oregon. Lili es una ejecutiva de marketing (ex-Nike)que decidio resolver un problema muy basico con los guantes y botines para bebes prematuros, lo que la llevo a crear su propia linea y empresa Goumi Kids muy cerca de su antiguo campus en Nike.

Cat Perez is the founder of Health Sherpa, the fastest and easiest portal to enroll in ACA. Born and raised in New Jersey from Puerto Rican and Korean roots, Cat is a self proclaimed Queer Korican (award for most original term ever) who found her way to San Francisco where she won the Salesforce $1M hackathon and led to the beginning of her startup career. Since then her company has helped over 1.5 million people obtain healthcare under the ACA.

Cat Perez es la fundadora de Health Sherpa, el portal de suscripcion al ACA con mayor crecimiento en el pais. Nacida y criada en Nueva Jersey de descendencia Boricua y Coreana, Cat es una autoproclamada "Queer Korican" que llego a San Francisco donde gano el premio de $1Millon del Hackaton de Salesforce. Con esto inicio su carrera en los startups y desde entonces su portal es responsable de haber ayudado a mas de 1.5 millones de usuarios a obtener seguro de salud dentro del ACA.