Carmen Palafox brings a rare macro, institutional-investor perspective to early-stage venture from her time at PIMCO, where she advised central banks and sovereign wealth funds while helping grow assets under management from ~$300B to ~$2T. She combines hands-on hardware investing at MiLA Capital with impact-oriented software investing through 2045 Ventures, while explicitly using her experience as one of the few Latina women to rise from a nontraditional background in global asset management to open doors for other underrepresented founders.

• Deep commitment to the Los Angeles tech ecosystem, frequently championing local organizations, universities, and peer investors. She actively promotes opportunities for LA-based entrepreneurs, such as highlighting open spots for networking walks for female founders or encouraging applications to local programs like the USC Viterbi Startup Garage.
• Strong advocacy for underrepresented groups in venture capital and entrepreneurship, specifically Latinx and female founders. She consistently amplifies organizations that support diverse talent and celebrates policy changes that clear paths for immigrant founders to build companies and create jobs.
• Values grit and perseverance in the entrepreneurial journey. She shares sentiments about taking bruises but staying in the ring, suggesting she appreciates founders who demonstrate high resilience and determination when facing the inevitable challenges of building a startup.
• Focus on ethical standards and human connection within technology and finance. She has expressed a desire to invest alongside peers who honor strict ethical standards in finance and celebrates portfolio companies that aim to bring physical touch and genuine emotion to emerging technologies like the metaverse.