VCChat: Secrets of Funding Success! 500Startups and Kapor Capital

Monique Woodard Venture Partner 500 Startups investing in black and Latino entrepreneurs. She is the co-founder of Black Founders — a national community of entrepreneurs whose mission is to increase the number of successful black entrepreneurs in tech. Previously, she was one of the first Innovation Fellows for the City of San Francisco and has helped cities use technology to innovate workforce and other civic services. She has more than 15 years of entrepreneur and operating experience in consumer, e-commerce, and civic tech. She likes art, fashion, and fly things.

Brian Dixon, Partner Kapor Capital, focuses on identifying and evaluating early-stage investments along with helping portfolio companies grow effectively. Brian joined Kapor Capital in and was promoted to partner in November 2015. He is committed to making sure entrepreneurs of all backgrounds have access to advice and capital in order to make their business succeed.

MODERATOR: Martha Hernandez has a successful track record delivering critical human capital programs in both the nonprofit and private sector. Martha has served in several leadership roles for organizations such as Coro, Give Something Back, Mi Pueblo Food Centers, Inner City Advisors’ Talent Management Initiative and most recently, she was Save Mart Supermarkets’ Director of Talent Acquisition.  Martha is passionate about access to opportunity, diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and has put into practice all of her learnings into developing madeBOS, a mobile web app that empowers Retail workers to plan and drive their careers and thus reducing the growing Retail turnover rate. In addition, Martha is Adjunct Faculty for the Coro AdelanTECH Leadership Program and a member of the Coro Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Planing Workgroup.  Martha received her Bachelors in Sociology and Spanish Literature from Occidental College, is a graduate of the Mills College Institute for Civic Leadership Program, Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs, Management Leadership for Tomorrow and Avion Ventures.