Latino Founders names inaugural Executive Director

This falls into the “big news” category. But it also may fall into the “saw that one coming” category if you’ve been at all paying attention to the Latine startup community here in the Pacific Northwest. Because when it comes to that community, in particular, easily the hardest working man in startups is Juan Barraza. And now, Juan has a role that perfectly matches that undeniable passion with a regular paycheck. Juan has been named the inaugural Executive Director of Latino Founders.

Latino Founders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the growth and success of underserved businesses, proudly announces the appointment of Juan Barraza as their first Executive Director. Juan brings over two decades of experience working with startups and creating collaborations with public and private entities.

In his new role, Juan will lead Latino Founder’s mission to provide support, resources, and opportunities to empower underrepresented entrepreneurs and contribute to the overall economic development of our region. His appointment comes as a result of consolidating the programmatic efforts that led to the creation of Startup Weekend Latino and Pitch Latino during the last nine years.

“Oregon’s Latino community is growing. With Latino Founders, we are carving out a space where the entrepreneurial community can come together and find culturally specific support that enhances the vision of makers, doers, and founders” said Edgar Navas, treasurer and founding member of Latino Founders. “Having Juan as our first Executive Director will allow us the opportunity to serve more entrepreneurs across the region with innovative programming to scale their ventures.”

Juan begins his new role on July 1, 2024.

While we’re talking Latine startups… This is also a good opportunity to remind you that the first cohort of the Latino Founders Accelerator is still seeking applications. Latine-led businesses can apply to be part of the accelerator until June 30, 2024.

For more information, visit Latino Founder.

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