Cheryl Campos is passionate about the intersection of finance, technology, and social impact.
Despite the fact that Latine-owned businesses account for $2.7 trillion in U.S. economic output, access to capital has historically been constrained. Specifically within the tech & venture capital (VC) industry, Latine founders receive only ~2% of total VC funding and, on the other side, Latine investors account for <2% of the U.S. VC industry and decreased from '18-'21. While there are many contributing systemic factors, there is a clear need to close the capital & access gap on both sides, which Cheryl co-created La Familia, a 501c3 movement. It unites the largest communities in the world of Latine founders & VCs, VCFamilia (VCF) & Founder Familia (FF), to create a unique & thriving ecosystem with direct and meaningful impact. Backed by leading institutions like Silicon Valley Bank, Techstars, Comcast, Samsung Next and more, La Familia is committed to creating new pipelines and access to capital, network and resources for Latine founders and funders to thrive.
She was the Head of Venture Growth and Partnerships at Republic, an investment platform that democratizes access to private markets. As full-time employee #10, she started on the investment team in 2018 before finding her passion in venture partnerships and brand growth. Over the last two years, she has been instrumental in Republic’s growth to unicorn status ($1 billion valuation).
Cheryl built the first full-stack investor ecosystem in the venture to build a community for the next crop of diverse investors. Through Republic’s Venture Partner program for mission-aligned investors, she increased deal flow by 600% YoY, brought in a third of all new business to the retail platform, and built a strong pipeline of diverse founders. She also created the Venture Fellows & Associates Program to educate aspiring VCs and catalyze a path for them to network with seasoned veterans, carve a space for themselves in the investing world, and eventually become Venture Partners.
Doubling down on the power of community, she joined The Community Fund as the youngest investment partner and has co-led 13 investments to date. Having both created and managed communities, she knows which startups put their community first. She is also a scout for Lightspeed where she has led 8 deals focused on femtech, silver tech, and web3. In total, she has deployed $1M as a check-writing VC.
Previously, she worked as an analyst in a Connecticut-based private debt & equity firm emphasizing minority and women entrepreneurs. She started her career in Investment Banking at Barclays, working in the Financial Institutions Group and Structured Finance. She supported $8Bn in transactions, including the flagship $2.5bn whole business securitization of Yum! Brands.
Cheryl is a signed model/actress, working for brands such as Tom Ford, Christian Louboutin, Cole Haan, Smirnoff, and more. She is part of the Screen Actors Guild through her work on HBO and other TV shows.
Cheryl has been a recognized speaker in over 100 events, with speaking engagements at corporates such as Jopwell, Google, Blackstone Venture Fellowship, and conferences such as 3686.
She holds a BA in Economics with honors from Harvard University and is an incoming MBA candidate at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Class of 2024.
