--- title: Philanthropic Venturing — Valiente Fund's Maria Rodriguez description: During this episode of the VentureFuel Visionaries podcast, Philanthropic Venturing, we speak with Valiente Fund Executive Director Maria Rodriguez. image: https://blog.venturefuel.net/hubfs/Philanthropic%20Venturing%20-%20Valiente%20Fund%20Executive%20Director%20Maria%20Rodriguez-1.png --- ![](https://blog.venturefuel.net/hubfs/Philanthropic%20Venturing%20-%20Valiente%20Fund%20Executive%20Director%20Maria%20Rodriguez-1.png) # Philanthropic Venturing — Valiente Fund's Maria Rodriguez Published by [Vanessa Rosado](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/author/vanessa-rosado) on Feb 28, 2024 10:04:20 AM ![Philanthropic Venturing — Valiente Fund Executive Director Maria Rodriguez](https://blog.venturefuel.net/hs-fs/hubfs/Philanthropic%20Venturing%20%E2%80%94%20Valiente%20Fund%20Executive%20Director%20Maria%20Rodriguez.webp?width=760&height=427&name=Philanthropic%20Venturing%20%E2%80%94%20Valiente%20Fund%20Executive%20Director%20Maria%20Rodriguez.webp) This week’s VentureFuel Visionary is Maria Rodriquez, Executive Director of the Valiente Fund. It is a donor and funder collaborative addressing the lack of investment of philanthropic funds for Latine leaders, organizations, and communities. They just launched the Valiente Accelerator to support emerging Latin groups with grants and operational capacity to accelerate their growth. In the episode, we talk about why critical moments demand innovation, the need to scale bold solutions, and the power of microecosystems. We also discuss the value of starting before you are ready and how to change systems through collaboration.   VentureFuel builds and accelerates innovation programs for industry leaders by helping them unlock the power of External Innovation via startup collaborations.  [ CONTACT US ](https://www.venturefuel.net/contactus) Tags: [Innovation](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/innovation), [podcasts](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/podcasts), [Accelerator](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/accelerator), [Ventures](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/ventures), [VentureFuel Visionaries](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/venturefuel-visionaries), [Latine](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/tag/latine) [Back to Blog](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov) ## Related Articles ## [Re-Release: Philanthropic Venturing — Valiente Fund's Maria Rodriguez](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/re-release-philanthropic-venturing-valiente-fund-maria-rodriguez) In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are re-releasing this episode featuring Maria Rodriguez,... [Read More ](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/re-release-philanthropic-venturing-valiente-fund-maria-rodriguez) ## [Leap Venture Studio — Rachel Sheppard](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/leap-venture-studio-rachel-sheppard) This week’s VentureFuel Visionary is Rachel Sheppard, Director of Ventures at Mars Petcare &... [Read More ](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/leap-venture-studio-rachel-sheppard) ## [NFL to Venture — Champion Venture Partners Founder Marques Colston](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/nfl-to-venture-champion-venture-partners-founder-marques-colston) This week's VentureFuel Visionary is Marques Colston, former NFL star, entrepreneur, and founder... [Read More ](https://blog.venturefuel.net/pov/nfl-to-venture-champion-venture-partners-founder-marques-colston)