Pitch Latino is returning this year with an event Oct. 24 at the Redd on Salmon.
The group behind the event is taking applications from founders interested in pitching. The deadline to apply is Oct. 12.
The event is organized by the nonprofit Latino Founder. That group has coalesced over the last four years into a formalized nonprofit after a series of ad hoc events over the years including Startup Weekend Latino and several past Pitch Latino events.
This year’s Pitch Latino has room for 10 companies that will compete for prizes totaling at least $15,000 in grant funding. The prize is funded through a grant from Oregon Community Foundation and ticket sales to the event.
The winners will be selected by audience vote.
“We are really excited about the opportunity to work with OCF and the other sponsors like OnPoint Credit Union to support the mission to broaden the view of Latino entrepreneurship in Oregon, but more importantly it provides opportunity to engage with each other and create mentors and improve the success rate (of businesses),” said Gabriel Flores, chair of the Latino Founder board of directors.
The Pitch Latino event is based on the popular Pitch Black event that was created by Portland small business advocate Stephen Green. Like its predecessor, this event is aimed at a specific group of entrepreneurs to hold up and celebrate the work of the community.
This year, the group launched its own 10-week accelerator aimed at Latino founders. Participants are halfway through the program, which includes group education as well as one-on-one work designed to help founders tackle specific problems, said Latino Founder co-founder Edgar Navas.
Seven companies are in the accelerator and several will be pitching at the event. The accelerator participants are:
- Yoli Rabadan Barragán, Barro, a Mexican baking company.
- Eddie Mazariegos, Future Gen, a career exploration platform aimed at Gen Z high schoolers.
- Laura Melgarejo-Silva and Thomas Angel, Altitude Beverage, a functional beverage manufacturer.
- Christian Zavala, Millennial Reach Agency, a digital marketing agency.
- Sam Para, Parra Wine Co., a winemaker.
- Fernando Rojas - Ballroom
- Saúl Maldonado - Pro One Fitness
The group is now in the process of identifying mentors to pair with founders. They are not only pairing people based on industry but more specifically based on the problems founders are trying to solve. Navas said they want to pair a mentor who has been through the same challenge an accelerator company is trying to work through.
Initially, the accelerator was funded by OCF with $25,000 from its Thriving Entrepreneurs program, but Latino Founders was also able to secure a $200,000 one-time grant from OCF’s Latino Partnership Program.
“With the funding it’s a vote of confidence in what Edgar and Juan (Barraza, co-founder of Latino Founders) put together and what we are trying to create,” said Flores, who also hosts the podcast "The Shades of Entrepreneurship." “We are trying to create something sustainable for the community. This is us trying to build a legacy for the Latino community.”
Barraza and Navas started putting together what would become Latino Founders since at least 2019, but the two have been working on events as far back as 2015 when the first Startup Weekend Latino was held.
The organization now includes an eight member board. In addition to Flores, Barraza and Navas members are: Yesenia Gallardo Avila, Nancy Ayala, Veronica Yanhs, Julie Preciado and Wendy Ayala.
