The Partners

Rising America Funds are the only venture capital funds to be founded and led by five African American and Hispanic/Latina women partners, all of whom are pioneers in the VC industry with an exceptional average of 16.4 years of investment experience. Their diverse expertise spans multiple industries, all stages of investment, and offering unique insights into underserved markets. 

The Fund Partners—Juliana Garaizar, Sheila Collins, Lorine Pendleton, Noramay Cadena, Daphne Dufresne, and Dr. Karen Kerr—are not just investors but also influential thought leaders, drawing from their networks to drive exceptional deal flow. They bring an expert skill-set including sourcing, diligence, deal negotiation, executive recruitment, & strategy. In Rising America Fund III, Partners Dr. Karen Kerr and Daphne Dufresne, with 30 and 25 years of experience respectively, move to Senior Advisors.

 

  • Houston

    Investments:
    Goalsetter, Health Hero, Kanarys, Maven Clinic, Schola, Scout, Suma Wealth

    • Partner: Rising Tide, Consumer

    • Houston Angel Network

    • TX Medical Ventures

    • London Business School; Berkeley

  • Washinton, DC/New York

    An innovation leader in fintech, health tech, and aging innovation, Sheila has experience at Fortune 100 firms and as a founder of Capital Curator, helping high-growth startups shape the future of finance, healthcare, and economic mobility. She helped launch Small Business Saturday, built a tech accelerator for 500+ AgeTech startups, and integrates financial empathy into her work.

 

  • New York

    Investments:
    Curastory, Goalsetter, Madison Reed, Maven Clinic, MoCaFi, ShearShare

    • Chair – Tiger 21

    • Pipeline Angels

    • Angel Capital Association Board of Directors

    • Brown, JD; NYLS

  • Los Angeles

    Investments:
    Caban Systems, Canela Media, Encantos, Goalsetter, Innovare, Kanarys, Maven Clinic, Parfait, Suma Wealth, Whetstone Media

    • Co-Founder – Supply Change Capital

    • Co-Founder – Latinas in STEM

    • Commissioner – HACLA

    • Mechanical Engineer, MIT

 

  • Chicago/San Francisco

    Investments:
    Schola, Zero Point Five Therapeutics, Innovare, Rebundle, Mentor Spaces, YourChoice, MoCaFi

    • MD – GE Ventures

    • Intellectual Ventures

    • MD Arch Ventures

    • Univ of Chicago, PhD

  • Washington/NYC

    Investments:
    4D Healthware, Ceek, NasaClip, Oralucent

    • MD – GenNx 360 Cap Partners

    • MD – RLJ Equity Partners

    • Penn; Harvard Business