Dreamers Ventures Launches Platform to Empower Minority Entrepreneurs across the U.S. and Latin America

Dreamers Ventures kicks off its empowerment tour with a masterclass
and reception in New York City bringing together entrepreneurs,
investors and experts to help minorities turn their dreams into reality.

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dreamers Ventures kicks off its empowerment platform and multi-city tour
with an event bringing together entrepreneurs, investors and experts in
New York City on November 13th, 2017, in partnership with
Accelerate with Google.

The Dreamers Ventures platform seeks to leverage an alliance of experts
and existing networks by offering culturally relevant events, content
and connections to empower America’s fastest growing entrepreneurial
segments: minorities and primarily Hispanics.

“At Google we believe in leveling the playing field for communities with
unequal access to technology and economic opportunity,” says Aisha
Taylor, Strategic Partnerships & Program Lead at Google. “We are
committed to empowering diverse communities and are excited to team up
with Dreamers Ventures to integrate Google’s knowledge and resources to
support entrepreneurs across the U.S. and Latin America, and have a
deeper, more-focused impact in these communities.”

According to the SBA,
small businesses have created 66 percent of net new jobs since the
1970s, which is critical for the health of the economy. At the center of
that growth are minority businesses representing 100 percent of all new
firm creation according to the Minority
Business Development Agency
. Hispanic-owned companies have doubled
in count in the last decade, yet report a concerning annual revenue gap
of .25 cents to the dollar versus non-minority firms. Overall,
minority-owned firms earn average revenues of .31 cents to the dollar
versus non-minority firms, which translates into a $3.1 trillion gap in
the economy.

“As an immigrant and entrepreneur, I have experienced first-hand the
challenges we face as business owners, which inspired me to create a way
to democratize access to the resources and contacts we need to
accelerate growth,” says Lili Gil Valletta, creator of the platform and
co-founder and CEO of CIEN+ and CulturIntel. “If the segments driving
new business growth are not achieving their full potential, everyone’s
economy is handicapped,” highlights Gil Valletta.

In its second year after reaching over 5,000 people through live events
and generating over 600 million impressions, the Dreamers Ventures tour
will take place at selected Google and sponsored locations throughout
the U.S. and Latin America. The tour will visit New York City, Chicago,
Los Angeles, Miami, Mexico City and Bogotá, Colombia.

During the event, attendees will participate in a masterclass followed
by a networking reception where they will have the opportunity to speak
with investors and entrepreneurs, and present their products to sell on
TV at HSN’s American Dreams. The event is free; however, participants
must apply to attend and secure their seat.

The kick-off event will feature experts including former Goya Foods COO
Andy Unanue who will share about the inspirational legacy of his family
as founders of Goya and his role today as an investor supporting
Hispanic-focused and family-owned businesses as Managing Partner at AUA
Private Equity Partners. Other experts include, Dara Trujillo, Vice
President, Merchandising and New Business Development for HSN who
appears as a judge on the show “Hatched” and leads HSN’s American Dreams
platform.

A panel of investors including Steven Lucero, Co-founder and Principal
at Perpetua Partners and Erica Duignan Minnihan, Founder and Managing
Partner at Reign Ventures and Managing Partner at 1000 Angels, will help
demystify the process of raising capital. They will be joined by Maria
Luisa Pineda, CEO Envisagenics, Victoria Flores, CEO Luxe Beauty Club
and Julian Rodriguez, CEO of Bazaar, who collectively have raised over
$5 million dollars for their ventures. All are graduates of Stanford
Business School programs, including the Stanford Latino Entrepreneur
Leaders Program, an initiative supported by Dreamers Ventures offering
scholarships to qualified candidates. In 2017, Victoria Flores was the
recipient of a scholarship sponsored by U.S. Bank.

To support its scale and impact, Dreamers Ventures has secured a group
of advisors and supporters including Tony Lopez, CEO Azzure Group, Andy
Unanue, Managing Partner at AUA Private Equity Partners, Monika
Mantilla, CEO of Altura Capital and SBCC Fund, Jesse Martinez CEO of The
Latino Startup Alliance, Manny Fernandez, CEO Dreamfunded/ Founder SJ
Angels Group, James Perez Foster, Principal at Bainbridge Advisors, Mark
Madrid Executive Director, Latino Business Action Network at Stanford
University, Alejandra Luzardo, Co-founder Demand Solutions, Head
Innovation and Strategy at the Inter-American Development Bank, Sergio
Fernandez de Cordova, Chairman at PVBLIC Foundation, SDG-FUND at United
Nations, Manny Ruiz, Founder/ Chairman Hispanicize Media Group,
award-winning global diversity advocate Claudia Romo Edelman, Gail
Smith, CEO Impacto Latin News and three-time Emmy-award winning media
entrepreneur Gaby Natale, among others.

To learn more, participate and/or sponsor this empowerment platform
please visit: www.dreamersventures.com.
You can also follow the hashtag #DreamersVentures for updates and follow
us on twitter @DreamersVenture @Liligil and Facebook at www.facebook.com/DreamersVentures.
To inquire about 2018 sponsorships please contact info@dreamersventures.com.

About Dreamers Ventures

Dreamers Ventures is an empowerment platform and multi-city tour
designed to provide minority entrepreneurs with access to knowledge,
capital and opportunities to help turn their dreams into reality. The
platform, created by award-winning entrepreneurs and CIEN+ founders Lili
Gil Valletta and Enrique Arbelaez, leverages an alliance of experts,
companies and advisors to offer culturally relevant online and offline
experiences, learning events, content and access to networks throughout
the U.S. and Latin America. Dreamers Ventures in uniquely positioned to
offer educational and commercial opportunities to its participants,
including scholarships to the Stanford Latino Entrepreneur Leaders
Program and the opportunity to pitch and fast-track the launch of
products airing on HSN’s American Dreams, where Gil Valletta appears as
a guest host. For more information, visit www.DreamersVentures.com.

About Accelerate with Google

At Google, we’re developing innovative, internal “start up” programs
aimed at leveling the playing field for communities with unequal access
to technology and economic opportunity. To accelerate their
participation in the digital economy, Accelerate with Google provide
success stories, resources, and free, open-to-the-public workshops on
digital marketing with a curriculum focusing on the unique needs of
Black and Latino entrepreneurs, developed with business owners from
these communities. To date, we have held more than 300 events and
reached tens of thousands of people worldwide through this program. For
more information visit accelerate.withgoogle.com/

About HSN’s American Dreams

For 40 years, HSN – the original TV retailer – has been dedicated to finding
and supporting innovators, inventors and entrepreneurs. HSN helps
entrepreneurs bring their products to life by giving them the HSN
platform to share their product and their story. Today, more than ever,
HSN believes in the powerful role small businesses play in building
communities and local economies, and is passionate about helping to
build the economy one entrepreneur at a time. HSN has developed
strategic partnerships with Good Housekeeping, The Stable, SCORE, The
United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Comcast Xfinity, ABC’s Shark
Tank
, CBS’ HATCHED and more to further discover and elevate
entrepreneurs across the country.

Contacts

For Dreamers Ventures
Giselle Chollett, 347-265-4850
PR and
Communications Director
Giselle@cien.plus
or
Marlena
Fitzpatrick, 347-514-2379
PR Coordinator
Marlena@cien.plus

Recibe gratis las noticias más importantes y más leídas diariamente en tu email

Este sitio está protegido por reCAPTCHA y Google Política de privacidad y Se aplican las Condiciones de servicio.

¡Muchas gracias!

Más sobre este tema
Contenido Patrocinado
Enlaces patrocinados por Outbrain