Ignite VC: Samara Hernandez on Building a $60M Fund from Scratch and Leading with Conviction | Ep175

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital, Tech, Future, and Society

Samara Hernandez is the founding partner of Chingona Ventures, a trailblazing venture capital firm dedicated to backing overlooked and underestimated founders. With experience at Goldman Sachs, Math Venture Partners, and a mission deeply rooted in her heritage, Samara brings a fresh and authentic perspective to VC. She's helped grow Chingona Ventures into a $60M firm by rethinking who gets funded—and why.

With a thesis focused on early-stage companies, unconventional founder backgrounds, and unsexy but vital industries, Samara offers sharp insights into how value is created at the earliest stages of innovation. In this episode, she discusses the power of leading with authenticity, the evolution of her investment thesis, how ownership and fund structure shape strategy, and why staying in the game is essential for long-term success in venture.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:

00:01 – The Meaning Behind “Chingona”

03:12 – Leading with Authenticity in Venture

05:10 – From Goldman Sachs to Venture Capital

07:32 – The Entrepreneurial Thread

08:26 – Crafting a Unique Investment Thesis

09:08 – Finding Her First LP and Launching Fund I

11:08 – Chingona’s Role as a Lead Investor

12:55 – Rethinking “Overlooked” Founders

14:50 – Founder-Market Fit and Lived Experience

17:13 – The Five P’s Framework

21:05 – Applying the Five P’s to Real Deals

24:56 – Navigating Niche Markets and Scale

26:15 – Betting on AgTech, NIL, and Pivots

29:20 – Lessons from Fund I to Fund II

31:35 – The Importance of Ownership and Access

34:12 – Evolving into a Lead Investor Role

37:53 – Fund Math and Ownership Strategy

41:05 – Managing Liquidity and Secondaries

44:03 – Understanding LP Behavior and Expectations

46:20 – Knowing When to Trim vs. Hold

49:27 – Aligning Liquidity Strategy with Founders

52:44 – The Reality of Fundraising and Staying in the Game

55:24 – Fundraising in a Post-2020 Landscape

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Follow Samara Hernandez on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samaramejia/

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