The Career Experience of an Emerging Fund Manager

Staci LaToison, founding Partner of Dream Big Ventures, is a venture capitalist and leader in innovation and strategy. Staci leverages her 22-year energy industry experience with Chevron, which includes expatriate assignments in China and Angola. This experience has enabled her to shape and influence energy transition goals and fuel her passion for empowering others. 

As a native Houstonian and first-generation college graduate, Staci earned her Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Houston through the Bill and Melinda Gates Scholarship by way of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. She earned her MBA from the University of St. Thomas in International Business. Staci established venture capital firm Dream Big Ventures in 2022 after completing Columbia Business School’s Venture Capital and Private Equity program, where she serves as a Global Ambassador.

By demonstrating excellence in her industry and community, she was bestowed the Houston Business Journal 2022 Women Who Mean Business award. Staci received the L’ATTITUDE Ventures 2023 Game Changers award at SXSW in recognition as an investor and her dedication to changing the financial landscape for more inclusion. She was selected for the American Jewish Committee’s Emerging Latino Leaders cohort. Additionally, Staci was named Entrepreneur in Residence for DivInc’s “Women in Tech” accelerator, where she directly mentored ten women-led startups. 

Staci is a Limited Partner in Mendoza Ventures, Portfolia, Softeq and Urban Capital Network and an accredited investor member of Angeles Investors which finds, funds and grows Hispanic and Latinx ventures.  Additional investments in her portfolio include Agility Bank, a women and minority-owned bank in Houston, SpecsX AI Optometry pop-up clinics, and real estate. Furthermore, she has tapped into the emerging Houston innovation ecosystem and is a sought-after speaker, moderator, and judge for pitch showcases and tech summits at the Ion, Rice University and the Greater Houston Partnership where she serves on the Digital Tech Attraction Committee. She hosts free seminars and workshops to educate the community and raise awareness about access to capital, angel investing, and venture capital in order to close the generational wealth gap. She is a motivational speaker at leadership conferences and has been a guest on various podcasts to inspire others to achieve their full potential.

She has been named on the Dean’s Advisory Board at the UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and serves on the Houston Hospice Executive Board of Directors. Staci also serves as a Board Advisor for the Softeq Venture Fund, an early-stage fund investing in technology companies. 

Staci is a proud Puerto Rican and Cuban-leading Latina with a steadfast commitment to increasing awareness and opportunities for women, Latinos, and other underestimated groups in our diverse community.