Laura Moreno
written BY KELLY COSTELLO
Welcome back to another SHACK15 Member Spotlight, where we highlight the exciting work being done by members of our community.
Laura Moreno Lucas is a Latina entrepreneur and founder of Pandocap, a media company that demystifies the capital markets and provides top-line financial intelligence and education for underrepresented communities through quick clips and easy-to-understand bilingual content. Originally born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Laura is a veteran of major financial firms including TD Ameritrade and Sungard and was a Managing Director at Nasdaq, where she helped companies and entrepreneurs navigate from private to public markets. Fueled by her expertise in the capital markets and her passion for building a resilient world, she founded Pandocap with the mission of broadening access to economic parity for women and minorities.
We spoke to Laura about her mission and inspiration behind creating Pandocap and and how she sees the future of Latinx entrepreneurs and investors.
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What was your inspiration behind founding Pandocap?
No one could have predicted how COVID-19 would completely alter the landscape of the financial world. With my experience in the financial industry, the travails of being an entrepreneur, and guiding private companies to access the public markets, I thought it was a good time to take a calculated risk and develop Pandocap. My mission behind developing Pandocap is providing financial education to diverse communities, and highlighting the leadership of diverse voices usually not heard in the business world. We provide access to all with a free weekly newsletter and work with companies to help them create strategies to fit their own goals and missions.
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Why are you passionate about focusing on capital markets as a way to increase financial inclusion?
I think we need to start by understanding what the capital markets are. Simply put, the “capital markets” are venues where savings and investments are channeled between suppliers who have capital and those who are in need of capital. When we look at the amount of capital being deployed over the last decade, it’s notable that U.S. venture capital investments quadrupled, the number of businesses started by women grew to 40 percent, and we’ve seen growth in the number of entrepreneurs of color grew as well. However, the percentage of venture capital dollars going to women-founded companies has barely budged since 2012, and the numbers are even worse for Black and Latinx founders. Only 1 percent of VC-backed founders are Black, and less than 2 percent are Latinx.
Some may ask, why does this matter? Today, diverse communities are generating over $400 billion and employing millions of people, and yet we are doing it without the support of investors or backing of the investment community! At Pandocap, we highlight leaders from diverse backgrounds and share knowledge around these communities to understand where diversity exists and how someone can participate as an investor or founder, or simply drive awareness. It all starts with education!
Why do you use the word “demystifying” when describing your work in capital markets?
In the past, the investment industry and Wall Street were intimidating because of how much information was kept among the few who understood the complex terminology and constant oversight of financial structures, changes, and legislation. This insular group most certainly did not reach out to or include black and brown communities. Throughout my years working in the financial industry, l learned exactly how and why these terms are not common knowledge. The existing market structure and all of the terms and pieces that make it up are set up to benefit the groups who traditionally have the capital. My mission is to “demystify” this area to share information and education, with those who don’t have the same privilege or access to financial resources.
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What do you see as the role of community and knowledge-sharing in promoting entrepreneurship and financial success Latinx communities?
Education and participation are the keys, especially for the next generation who are participating more in capital markets through platforms like Schwab Stock Slices and Sofi. Building these communities builds wealth and long-term reinvestment for their benefit. That is how we can strengthen and change underserved communities.
But I think the more significant change is made through consumers and employees demanding that more people of color are put in positions of power in the c-suite and on boards. We can’t let the narrative that “there’s a lack of diverse talent in the pipeline" detract from this because it’s not about the pipeline, it’s about understanding how to reach the talent that is clearly there and ready to serve.
How do you bridge investors and entrepreneurs in the US with developments in the LATAM markets?
Pandocap highlights key companies that are rising in the LATAM markets and empowers them by identifying, supporting, and creating visibility for talent and potential early-stage companies. We know that we are truly in a global economy, and identifying talent and emerging growth companies will help drive opportunity. Supporting diverse leaders will create more capital and prosperity internationally which we need to support stability in the markets.
What’s next for Pandocap?
We just launched our newsletter and will be continuing to highlight our mission and grow our audience. We hope by the end of this year we will have created a broader awareness and audience to help create change in Latinx communities and in access to capital markets. And perhaps most critical to diverse representation is that we all need to participate in voting and vote with empathy. Check out votewithlove.org.
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Thanks so much Laura! Be sure to follow Pandocap on social (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and check out their website to stay up to date on their amazing bilingual content covering the financial markets, diversity and inclusion, and the next wave of Latinx leaders and innovators.