By Christine Bolaños
In California, Latina-owned businesses grew to 433,000 in 2016,
an increase of 111 percent since 2007. About one-quarter of
these businesses are in California according to most recent data
compiled by Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) in the
Economic Status of Latinas Report. This points to the potential impact
of Latina entrepreneurs in California and there are no signs of the
trend slowing down.
Gabriela Dow
Owner,
Mora Dow Consulting
One city where Latinas are making
their entrepreneurial mark is in San
Diego, a city rich in Latino presence
and home to a variety of businesses.
“It’s almost like the floodgates have
opened where one person charts the
path and shows their success for others
to follow,” says Gabriela Dow, owner of
Mora Dow Consulting.
Dow is a San Diego-based entrepreneur
and consultant who works with government
agencies, global corporations, national
firms and tech startups. The Latina
Entrepreneur of the Year’s mission is to
connect technology and government
for maximum results.
She notes a lack of Latina entrepreneurs
in industries such as engineering and
construction but sees an increasingly
dominant presence in virtually every
other field.
She points to her second cousin
Marcela Valladolid Rodriguez who is
also based in San Diego and serves
as founder and CEO of Casa Marcela.
“At first glance it may seem more of
a traditional home-focused business
but once the tech and business acumen
are applied, then you see this is a digital
media company,” Dow says.
Valery Belloso
Chief Strategy Ofcer,
Acción
Soar in San Diego
LATINA Entrepreneurs
20 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 24, No. 1, 2018
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