Chingona Ventures
Chingona Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm located in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2019 by Samara Mejia Hernandez. The firm focuses on investing in pre-seed companies led by overlooked and diverse founders, particularly emphasizing Latina-founded and Latina-led startups. Chingona Ventures aims to bridge the funding gap for Latina entrepreneurs and other underrepresented founders, supporting businesses in rapidly changing and often neglected growth markets. The firm has raised two funds, with Fund II closing at $52 million in capital commitments, managing over $100 million in as
Investing activity
Chingona Ventures appears in 2 AI deals tracked by the AI Lounge deals desk, and led 2 of them. The rounds are mostly Seed and Pre-seed, with a median round size of $6M. The most recent are Dapta (Seed, $6M, Oct 2026) and Beagle Labs (Pre-seed, $4.1M, Sep 2026).
Chingona Ventures most often invests alongside Fen Ventures, 500 Emerging Europe (500 Global), Broom Ventures and Cometa, and the companies it backs on AI Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Chingona Ventures
What AI companies has Chingona Ventures invested in?
Chingona Ventures's AI investments include Dapta and Beagle Labs. The 2 rounds on AI Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is Chingona Ventures based?
Chingona Ventures is based in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
What stage does Chingona Ventures invest at?
In the rounds tracked on AI Lounge, Chingona Ventures has invested at Seed and Pre-seed, with a median round of $6M. Chingona Ventures led 2 of those rounds.
Who does Chingona Ventures co-invest with?
Chingona Ventures's most frequent co-investors on AI Lounge are Fen Ventures (1 deal), 500 Emerging Europe (500 Global) (1 deal), Broom Ventures (1 deal), Cometa (1 deal) and Crew Capital (1 deal).
How can founders reach Chingona Ventures?
Founders on AI Lounge can see Chingona Ventures's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add Chingona Ventures to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.