Meet our Cohort 7 VC Fellows!

Welcoming the Spring '25 Cohort: Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship Kicks Off with 10 New Fellows

By: Salvador Dueñas, Senior Director of Programs, Chicago:Blend

At Chicago:Blend, we’re bidding farewell to winter and getting a head start on spring by introducing the 10 newest members of our Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship. These talented individuals are ready to dive deep into the world of venture capital, expand their networks, and gain hands-on experience over the next four months. Each fellow brings a wealth of unique backgrounds, sector expertise, and a compelling vision to help shape the future of the venture community.

Click the image below to meet the new fellows and learn more about their backgrounds—whether you’re looking to connect or simply be inspired by their stories!

A Growing Community of Diverse VC Leaders

Launched in 2022 with support from a coalition of Chicago’s tech community partners, the Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship was designed to increase the participation of historically marginalized groups in the VC industry. Now, as our Spring ‘25 cohort gets underway, we are thrilled to announce that we have surpassed 70 fellows—and we’re only getting started!

This year, the applicant pool for Cohort 7 was the most competitive we’ve ever seen. We want to extend a special thank you to our team of VC Fellowship alumni, who played a crucial role in evaluating and interviewing the candidates. Your dedication ensures that we continue to select the brightest and most promising individuals to join our program.

Spotlighting Our New Fellows: Follow Along

Throughout the month of February, we’ll be introducing each of our new VC fellows individually. Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn to get the latest updates and get to know the incredible talent that makes up this cohort.

Meet the Fellows in Person on March 26!

If you're a VC investor, don’t miss our Chicago VC Happy Hour on March 26, hosted at Drive Capital and sponsored by Formidium. This exclusive, investor-only event will provide a great opportunity to network with our fellows and other members of the Chicago:Blend community. The event is free, but registration and approval are required. (Please note: Founders, service providers, and pitching are not permitted.)

Thank You to Our Sponsors and Community Partners

We’d like to express our sincere gratitude to our Cohort 7 program sponsors: CDW, BLCK VC, IVCA Foundation, and Origin Ventures, as well as our invaluable community partners: 1871, MATTER, mHUB, TeamWorking by TechNexus, VITALIZE Angels, and World Business Chicago. Your support helps us continue to empower the next generation of diverse leaders in venture capital.

Stay tuned for more updates and thank you for being a part of the Chicago:Blend journey!