The Louisville Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (LHCC) is teaming up with one of the largest Latin/Hispanic angel investment groups in the country to promote entrepreneurship during Derby Diversity Week.
LHCC and Chicago, Illinois-based Angeles Investors will present “LHCC X Angeles Investors Derby Pitch” on Wednesday, May 1, 3 p.m.-9 p.m., at the newly opened Story Louisville building, located in the heart of the NULU district.
The half-day event will feature workshops on entrepreneurship, networking opportunities with Hispanic/Latinx leaders, the start-up business pitch session, a recognition ceremony for Hispanic/Latinx jockeys and an after-party at the Black Jockey Lounge.
LHCC was founded in 2014 to create a support network for the Latin/Hispanic business community. The organization held a press conference on Tuesday morning in the Story Louisville building to discuss its Derby Diversity Week event.
LHCC Board Chair David Lopez said the Latin/Hispanic community in Kentucky has grown by 247% since the year 2000, and it is important to provide resources for this increasingly important pool of entrepreneurs.
“As much as we contribute in terms of culture, economy and spirit, we are still not getting nearly the spotlight that we deserve as an entrepreneurial community,” Lopez added. “That’s why we’re doing this event. It is to actually put a spotlight on the Latin/Hispanic community and also change the narrative a bit about what people think about when they hear Latin/Hispanic.”
Local business leaders like Jesus and Izmene Martinez, owners of Con Huevos; Natalia Bishop, founder of Story Louisville; and Carlos Sanchez, president of AT&T Kentucky, will attend and share lessons learned in business and entrepreneurship during the event.
"It is an incredible opportunity to showcase our community in a brand new way," Bishop said. "We're startups, we're innovation and we're entrepreneurs by default just by being here."
General Electric Appliances, Norton Healthcare, and Amplify Louisville are among the sponsors of the LHCC event.
David Olivencia, Angeles Investors CEO will be the keynote speaker at the pitch competition, which will feature six entrepreneurs from around the country and one from Louisville.
“We are excited to showcase some of the top startups from across the country at this Angeles Derby Pitch 2024 and we believe this event will become larger and more impactful every year. We look forward to contributing to its ongoing success,” said Olivencia.
Derby Diversity Week was founded by Tawana Bain, who also founded Louisville-based TBain & Co., as a multi-day showcase of the contributions of Louisville’s minority communities.
This year’s celebration kicked off on Sunday, April 28 with a tennis carnival featuring USTA Kentucky, the West Louisville Tennis Association and Louisville 10 and Under.
At Tuesday’s press conference, Bain said members of different ethnic groups sometimes exist in their own silos, but they should always be able to come together for the betterment of the whole community.
"We are all in the same ecosystem of entrepreneurship. Right? You might have a silo, but at the end of the day it is still a transaction that can take place regardless of your cultural background," Bain added. "When you band together and you go after business together, there is bigger opportunities for scale and to build capacity."
For event information and tickets, go to Angeles Derby PItch 2024 Registration. For information about Derby Diversity Week, visit https://www.derbydiversity.com.
