Chingona Ventures

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Overview

Chingona Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2019, specializing in pre-seed investments in fintech, future of work, future of learning, and health technology. It targets founders from underrepresented backgrounds in overlooked growth markets and is noted as one of the few Latina-led, institutionally backed pre-seed firms in the U.S.¹²³

History

Chingona Ventures was founded in 2019 by Samara Hernandez, a Founding Partner, and is based in Chicago.¹² The firm closed Chingona Ventures Fund II in May 2022 and has Chingona Ventures Fund III open since June 2025.¹ It focuses on pre-seed stage companies raising their first institutional round.³

Notable Products

Chingona Ventures Fund II - Closed in May 2022, pre-seed strategy.
Chingona Ventures Fund III - Opened June 2025, pre-seed strategy.

Reputation

Perceived as a pioneering Latina-led VC firm investing in underrepresented founders and emerging sectors like fintech and health tech.²³ Professionals note its focus on pre-seed stages with check sizes of $100K-$1M in the U.S. market.² No specific criticisms identified in available sources.¹²

Sources (4)