What Latino Founders does

Latino Founders is a Portland, Oregon-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates a vertically integrated accelerator ecosystem serving Latino entrepreneurs across the Pacific Northwest. Founded around 2015 through the launch of Startup Weekend Latino and the Pitch Latino live pitch competition, the organization has since expanded to include a 10-week Pre-Accelerator for early-stage founders, a 10-week intensive Business Accelerator with sector-specific tracks (Technology, Climate Tech, Consumer Packaged Goods, Athletics & Outdoor, and Health), the Next Wave Climate program in partnership with VertueLab, and a 17,000-square-foot Founders Hub co-working space at 2105 SE 7th Ave in Southeast Portland housing podcast and photography studios. All programs are free to participants, with 12 months of post-program mentorship included.

The organization's business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating from participants. Major institutional sponsors include Oregon Community Foundation, Prosper Portland, US Bank, City of Bend, and Deschutes Public Library, with the organization deploying over $200,000 in grants directly to founders cumulatively. The go-to-market motion is community-driven and event-based, acquiring founders through applications, community outreach, and multi-city Pitch Latino events in Portland, Bend, Seattle, Tri-Cities, and Phoenix, with live audience voting on pitch winners. Under the leadership of its first Executive Director Juan Barraza (appointed July 2024), the organization operates with 1-10 paid staff supported by a volunteer Board of Directors chaired by Gabriel Flores.

Latino Founders addresses structural inequities in accelerator access for Latino entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest, where the spirit of innovation is geographically distributed but access to capital, mentorship networks, and institutional introductions historically have not been. The organization explicitly aims to help 100 Latino businesses reach $1 million in annual revenue within five years, framing success around generational wealth and community reinvestment rather than traditional startup exits.

Name

Latino Founders

Legal name

Latino Founders

Website

https://latinofounder.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Latino Founders is a Portland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit accelerator providing free Pre-Accelerator, Business Accelerator, Pitch Latino competitions, and a co-working Founders Hub to Latino entrepreneurs across the Pacific Northwest, funded by donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Support / Nonprofit Business Accelerator

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Nonprofit business accelerator
• Entrepreneur support programs
• Pitch competition events
• Co-working community space
• Startup mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Latino Founders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that funds its operations through donations and grants. The organization deploys grant funding directly to founders through programs like Pitch Latino competitions, where winners receive monetary prizes. More than $200,000 in grants has been deployed directly to founders across program years.
2. Founders Hub Membership: The Founders Hub co-working space is currently offered free of charge until the end of March 2026, suggesting potential future membership fees or continued free access as a nonprofit benefit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Latino Founders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free accelerator programs, pitch competitions, and a co-working hub to help Latino entrepreneurs scale their businesses in the Pacific Northwest. Its flagship offerings are the 10-week Business Accelerator, the 10-week Pre-Accelerator, the Pitch Latino live pitch events, the Next Wave Climate track, and the Founders Hub co-working space. All programs are free to participants and include 12 months of post-program mentorship.

Product overview

Latino Founders operates as a nonprofit ecosystem providing a portfolio of interconnected programs for Latino entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest. The core offerings include the Business Accelerator (an intensive 10-week program for entrepreneurs ready to scale across Technology, Climate, Consumer Packaged Goods, and Athletics & Outdoors sectors), the Pre-Accelerator (a 10-week self-guided fundamentals program), Pitch Latino (a live pitch competition with audience voting and mentorship), and the Founders Hub (a co-working space with podcast and photography studios). The Next Wave Climate program provides sector-specific support for climate tech entrepreneurs. All programs are free to participants and include 12 months of post-program mentorship. The organization also maintains a Blog for educational content and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pitch Latino: An empowering celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship featuring live pitches, audience voting, mentorship, and networking events.
• Business Accelerator
• Pre-Accelerator
• Founders Hub
• Next Wave Climate

Products and services

• Business Accelerator An industry-agnostic, intensive 10-week program for Latino entrepreneurs ready to scale, connecting them with mentorship, expert-led training, and community resources across sectors including Technology, Climate, Consumer Packaged Goods, and Athletics & Outdoors. Free to participate, with 12 months of continued mentorship post-program.
• Pre-Accelerator A 10-week self-guided program designed to help early-stage Latino entrepreneurs learn the fundamentals of scaling their business before joining the full Business Accelerator cohort. Free to participants.
• Pitch Latino A live pitch competition and community event that connects Latino founders to mentorship, visibility, networking, and grant funding across the Pacific Northwest. Winners are selected by audience vote and receive monetary prizes (e.g., $8,000 grand prize in 2024). Free to attend with tickets via Eventbrite.
• Founders Hub A vibrant, inclusive co-working space at the Portland headquarters designed to uplift Latino entrepreneurs, creatives, and changemakers, offering desks, shared workspaces, a private office, podcast and photography studios, and community events. Free to registered entrepreneurs until March 2026.
• Next Wave Climate A climate-focused program track supporting Latino entrepreneurs working on renewable energy, carbon reduction, and eco-friendly innovations within the accelerator framework, providing connections to climate-specific resources and non-dilutive federal funding.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90+ startups supported across the Pacific Northwest
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Continuous SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2024Continuous Solutions, led by founder Nyah Zarate, co-houses its operations with Latino Founders at the Portland headquarters. This collaboration creates a thriving ecosystem for Latino entrepreneurs, with Continuous Solutions leasing part of its facility to Latino Founders and both organizations sharing space at the 17,000-square-foot hub.
• Skip TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2024Skip Technologies partnered with Latino Founders and Continuous Solutions to create the Power and Energy Center of the Pacific Northwest, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advancing technologies in Clean Energy, Power Distribution, and Energy Conversion and storage. Skip Technologies works to solve big problems in the power grid.
• VertueLabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMary Phillips from VertueLab presented at the accelerator on federal SBIR/STTR funding opportunities, connecting climate tech innovators with non-dilutive federal funding pathways. Executive Director Juan Barraza previously led innovation efforts at VertueLab.
• Delta AirlinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSteven Zielke from Delta Airlines presented the SkyMiles for Business program to accelerator cohort, offering free membership with tiers for small and medium enterprises to earn miles for free tickets and upgrades.
• Loza & Loza LLPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDan Castro, a registered patent attorney from Loza & Loza LLP, provided intellectual property educational sessions to accelerator participants covering patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
• Dunn Carney LLPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJulie Preciado, Associate Attorney at Dunn Carney LLP, presented on legal considerations for startups including business formation, insurance, contracts, NDAs, and risk mitigation.
• The Shades of EntrepreneurshipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPodcast hosted by Board President Gabriel Flores that interviews founders from around the world for business education. Recording takes place at the Latino Founders soundproof podcast studio.
• Business for a Better PortlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStephen Green, now executive director of Business for a Better Portland, launched Pitch Black for Black-owned businesses in 2015. Pitch Latino is modeled after Pitch Black as a sister event for Latino entrepreneurs.
• City of BendminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCity of Bend is a sponsor and supporter of Pitch Latino - Bend 2024, recognizing the importance of supporting Latino entrepreneurs in Central Oregon.
• Deschutes Public LibraryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDeschutes Public Library is a sponsor of Pitch Latino - Bend 2024, supporting the Latino entrepreneurial ecosystem in Central Oregon.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Regional players

• BUILD: National nonprofit running youth entrepreneurship programs at high schools across multiple U.S. cities. Shares the mission of empowering underrepresented founders through structured educational programming, though BUILD focuses specifically on youth rather than adult founders.

Broad incumbents

• Y Combinator: The largest and most well-known global startup accelerator. Like Latino Founders, YC runs cohort-based programs culminating in demo days and provides ongoing alumni support, though YC is much larger and serves all founder demographics.
• MassChallenge: Large global nonprofit accelerator supporting early-stage startups across multiple sectors and geographies. Operates a similar nonprofit-funded cohort model and is broadly comparable as a non-equity accelerator for diverse founders.

Direct peers

• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused incubators and co-working spaces. Both Impact Hub and Latino Founders operate physical co-working spaces (Founders Hub), run programs for mission-driven entrepreneurs, and offer sector-specific acceleration tracks.
• Techstars: One of the world's largest accelerator networks operating 50+ programs globally. While Techstars is much larger and general-purpose, both run cohort-based accelerator programs with mentorship, demo days, and investor connections, making the operating model directly comparable.
• Village Capital: Impact-focused accelerator supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs worldwide through cohort programs and peer-selected investment. Comparable to Latino Founders in its mission-driven, community-centered model targeting underserved founders.
• La Cocina: San Francisco-based nonprofit food business incubator specifically supporting women and immigrant entrepreneurs of color. Operates a kitchen-rental and cohort-based program for low-income food entrepreneurs, structurally analogous to Latino Founders' cohort support model.
• DreamSpring: CDFI providing capital and education to underserved entrepreneurs including minorities, women, and rural founders. Similar mission of providing non-traditional pathways to capital and business education to underrepresented business owners.
• Opportunity Fund: CDFI (now part of DreamSpring) historically focused on providing capital and small-business education to women and minority entrepreneurs. Compares directly to Latino Founders' mission of closing capital and education gaps for underserved founders.
• Working Solutions: San Francisco-based CDFI providing microloans and accelerator-style business support to underserved entrepreneurs. Comparable as a nonprofit delivering community-driven capital, mentorship, and education to minority and immigrant founders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Latino_Founders
• Facebookfacebook.com/latinofounders
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/latino-founders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Latino Founders