Suggestions
Carmen Palafox
Investing at day zero in technology startups.
Carmen Palafox is a prominent venture capitalist with over 20 years of experience in finance. She currently serves as a Venture Partner at How Women Invest, an organization focused on supporting female founders and promoting diversity in venture capital. In addition to her role at How Women Invest, she is the Founding Partner at 2045 Ventures and a partner at MiLA Capital, where she invests in early-stage technology companies, particularly in sectors like climate tech, fintech, and health tech.124
Palafox is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business, where she teaches a course on venture capital. Her career began at Dimensional Fund Advisors, where she significantly scaled investment operations.124 She has been recognized for her contributions to the industry, receiving awards such as the Rising Star Award from the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce and being featured as one of LA's powerful women by LA Magazine.23
Her work emphasizes addressing the funding imbalance faced by underrepresented founders, and she actively participates in initiatives aimed at increasing diversity within the venture capital landscape.123
Highlights
Fall semester at USC Marshall School of Business is kicking off, and I am thrilled to meet our new MBA students.
Looking back at Spring with gratitude to all our amazing speakers that came to campus to share their knowledge. We heard from Alejandro Guerrero (GP Act One Ventures), fresh off closing a $75 million seed fund. Alejandro offered his unique perspective on the seed stage funding landscape. Scott Stanford (ACME Capital Ventures), a seasoned investor with investments including Palantir, Square, Uber, and Rent the Runway, shared his wisdom on spotting winning founders. Katie Quilligan (BankTech Ventures) representing the world of community bank investments, Katie gave our students a glimpse into a unique LP base. Zécca Lehn (GP Responsibly Ventures, shared his strategy tied to the UNSDGs. Trojan alum, Aileen Kim (Slauson & Co.) talked about the key role Platform plays in VC. Jay Estefani C. touched on incubating and building companies and gave live feedback to Playbook (thanks for pitching Skylar Thomas and Jean-Daniel LeRoy!) Ruffin Mitchener shared her experience angel investing and building a TikTok empire. Dave Whelan shared his journey as a founder, and why SoCal rules in biotech. And we rounded out the line up with a fascinating talk from Israel Niezen, Co-founder of Factored. Israel offered a fascinating glimpse into the current and future state of AI.
Congratulations to all the SC graduates- the future is bright! Fight on.
What a night! Earlier this month some of the most inspiring executive women in LA came together for an evening of poker, networking, and giving back.
All-in-Queens was all about strategic thinking, calculated risks, and "betting on change". Together we rocked the tables and raised $$ for DIY Girls to fuel their STEAM programs!
A special shoutout to my incredible co-host Sylvia Kim Rebel For Good and our sponsors, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Dealer Dolls, and Terra Talent. You're the aces up our sleeves – we couldn't have done it without you!
