Elevar Network
Cooley’s Elevar Network brings together a purposefully curated group of Latinx C-level executives, investors and founders from a broad range of sectors.
elevar
verb
to raise up, to elevate
heighten [verb] to make or become higher
The Elevar Network is designed to build a sense of community while harnessing the power of diversity to yield high-impact relationships, collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
We want you to be part of growing this ecosystem of leaders. If you know other dynamic executives we should include in this network, please reach out to us.
Elevándonos juntos!
Our partnerships
We are committed to driving impactful change and partnering with like-minded organizations to design programs, define success and recruit allies from across our networks. These are just a few of the organizations and initiatives we work with to drive equitable opportunity for all:
- Diversity VC is a nonprofit partnership promoting diversity in venture capital. Cooley is a sponsor and supports the organization’s four key initiatives: building a diverse network of VC professionals, helping VC firms hire from diverse backgrounds, connecting the VC community to a broader network and analyzing data on diversity in the VC industry.
- Entrepreneurs Access Network is EY's immersive program elevating scalable Black- and Latinx-owned companies through exposure to resources, networks and capital delivered via a planned curriculum – and team of equally committed companies and organizations.
- The Diversity Term Sheet Rider, launched by Act One Ventures and eight venture funds, calls on VC firms to bring in Black and other underrepresented groups – including women and people who identify as Latinx and/or LGBTQ+ – as co-investors on deals to immediately increase diversity at the core of the dealmaking process. Cooley is committed to raising awareness within our networks with the intent of helping the rider become an industry standard.
- Angeles Investors is dedicated to finding, funding, and growing the most promising Hispanic and Latinx ventures.
- Latino Business Action Network partners with Stanford University to leverage world-class business research methods and business teachings – and apply them to the growing number of Latinx entrepreneurs across the US.
We are proud to work alongside and represent these outstanding leaders, who are members of Cooley’s Elevar Network. They have shared with us reflections on their careers and perspectives on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Creating generational wealth in our Latinx and BIPOC communities is what motivates me every single day to find and invest in the next generation of outstanding diverse founders that are constantly being overlooked. Their success, combined with D&I efforts like the Diversity Rider initiative for representation at the cap table we created at Act One Ventures, will be the foundation that will change the face of investing to more closely resemble the outstanding diversity that makes America so beautiful.
Alejandro Guerrero
As a leader, my job is not to shape or influence my team on how to think about issues, but to empower them to express themselves. Inclusive leadership is acceptance of and appreciation for what others bring.
Ximena Hartsock
Mentors who believed in inclusive leadership have been unbelievably important to my personal and professional development. These mentors took an interest in me, believed in me, encouraged me to always take on more responsibility, and apply for promotions and roles that I assumed were beyond my reach. Now, thanks to those champions, I am fortunate to be in a position at Opt Health to practice inclusive leadership, hire diverse talent, and serve as a champion for others.
Camilo Isaza
As a Latino pioneer in tech, arriving in Silicon Valley in 1997, it has been my personal mission as the Founder of Latinx Startup Alliance, to ensure that Latinx are represented and supported in their work whether they are a founder, an investor, tech worker, or youth seeking a career path into tech, thus allowing us to create the next generation of Latinx role models. Nada is impossible!
Jesse Martinez
As a political refugee from Cuba whose family acclimated and persevered in its adopted country, I would counsel Hispanic professionals to cast aside frustration and impatience with any lack of progress in their own professions and organizations. Rather, chose to be the solution – the more effective and impactful you are, the easier it becomes for others like you to succeed. Simply put, be an asset, not a liability and change will soon follow.
Claudio Morfe
At Encellin we embrace challenges to provide novel therapies for patients. We celebrate our diversity, and use it to help empower innovation.
Crystal Nyitray
Success doesn’t happen in a void. All of us need mentors and sponsors. Mentoring outside our ‘bubble’ helps amplify collaborative thinking and facilitates sharing diverse ideas. Now that I manage a diverse team of attorneys, I have realized that my own growth and professional success depends on managing with a heart and mentoring. I wouldn’t be the attorney I am today without the mentors and sponsors who have inspired and driven me to succeed.
Alex Ponce de Leon
Speak your accent. Wear your skin. Be you. Be proud. And always ask yourself how you can help your profession or organization do better. Even small things, like mentoring a friend or stranger for thirty minutes over coffee, counts.
Ariel Ruiz
