We believe education is one of the fastest and most effective pathways to level the playing field. Access to quality education and human capital development programs strongly correlate with social mobility.
To overcome the complex and systemic challenges Latin America faces we need strong and efficient democratic institutions. We believe a critical mass of effective and principled public leaders, able to work together and across divides, can pave the way for a future of opportunities for all.
At VélezReyes+ we invest in different ways:
Grants in nonprofit organizations
Early-stage equity checks in for-profit organizations
Venture Building, either for or nonprofit
We don´t take proposals
When making an investment, the team evaluates 4 fundamental criteria:
What's the degree of change in the outcome level (access to opportunities) experienced by the organizations’ beneficiaries?
Does the organization's solution have the potential to scale significantly?
Can the founders execute on their vision to scale up the organization’s impact? Do they share a vision of increasing access to opportunities in Latin America?
Can VélezReyes+ add transformative value to the organization?
We seek innovative and scalable Parenting, Childcare, and Preschool solutions to close Latin America's early childhood development and learning gap.
BHAG | Who | What | How | Connection with R2
We seek innovative and scalable Parenting, Childcare, and Preschool solutions to close Latin America's early childhood development and learning gap.
BHAG
Close the development and learning gap between children from low and high income backgrounds.
Who
Low-income Latin American children from birth to six years old either directly or through their caregivers and teachers.
What
Childcare, preschool, and parenting solutions.
How
Fund or incubate organizations in Brazil, Colombia and Perú that (1) deliver tech- or data-based solutions, (2) deliver interventions that complement the public sector or that can become a public policy, or (3) advocate for early childhood.
Connection to R2
Participation in quality early childhood programs is connected to an increase in income in the future(read).
We seek to invest in and incubate solutions that improve the learning outcomes of low-income youth studying in primary and secondary educational institutions in Latin America.
BHAG | Who | What | How | Connection with R2
We seek to invest in and incubate solutions that improve the learning outcomes of low-income youth studying in primary and secondary educational institutions in Latin America.
BHAG
Students achieve grade-appropriate proficiency levels in language, mathematics, computational thinking, and social-emotional skills.
Who
Low-income Latin American students between the ages of 7 and 18, either directly or through their families and schools.
What
Technology solutions and innovative school models (e.g. concession schools).
How
By funding for-profit and non-profit organizations, favoring those at earlier stages of maturity.
Connection to R2
Evidence shows that an increase in student's learning is connected to an increase in years of schooling (read), which correlates with an increase in future earnings (read).
We seek solutions for Latin Americans to find relevant, flexible, and affordable training opportunities that enable them to access and thrive in the jobs of the new economy.
BHAG | Who | What | How | Connection with R2
We seek solutions for Latin Americans to find relevant, flexible, and affordable training opportunities that enable them to access and thrive in the jobs of the new economy.
BHAG
Connecting every young Latin American to educational opportunities that will accelerate their careers and enable them to achieve economic self-sufficiency.
Who
Low-income Latin Americans, from high school to recently employed.
What
Organizations working at the intersection of economic opportunity, technology and human potential. These include for-profit and non-profit educational institutions, and EdTech startups.
How
(1) Bringing successful solutions from outside Latin America to the region, (2) Incubating new or promising solutions in Latin America, (3) investing in for-profit and non-profit organizations, ranging from early stage organizations with promising evidence, to mature organizations looking to scale evidence-based solutions in the region.
Connection to R2
Previous research has suggested that countries with more workers with ICT (information and communications technology) skills will have higher economic growth through productivity gains. Evidence also shows that quality employment after graduation puts a young professional entering the labor market on the path to socioeconomic mobility.
We look for the most impactful and scalable nonprofit and nonpartisan solutions to (1) strengthen democracy and (2) help governments deliver better
BHAG | Who | What | How | Connection with R2
We look for the most impactful and scalable nonprofit and nonpartisan solutions to (1) strengthen democracy and (2) help governments deliver better
BHAG
Reverse the 8-year-long democratic recession in Latin America, helping governments deliver better for the people and restoring trust in democracy, and governments
Who
Democracy entrepreneurs fostering a generation of effective and representative public and political leaders across the ideological spectrum and collaborating with elected officials to help improve governments’ ability to meet citizens’ needs.
What
In 2024, we are specifically focused on political leadership development through Democracia+ and on connecting public leadership learning more closely between academia and practice.
How
(1) we provide grants or incubate initiatives aligned with the Unifying Principles of Democracia+, (2) we provide grants to promising early-stage nonprofits and to research initiatives on political leadership, (3) we support mature organizations to scale up and regionalize proven solutions
Connection to R2
Only in democracies can equal access to opportunities exist. Democratic governments are made of public leaders who create and implement public policies, which directly impact access to opportunities.
At VélezReyes+ we are convinced that we must help our partners scale their impact through financial and non-financial support, that is why we have 3 areas of support that complement the financial support we offer:
Why we do it
Knowing whether a solution is actually causing its intended impact is just as important as delivering it.
How we support our partners
We provide advice on the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning process, including how to build a robust Theory of Change, define KPIs to monitor the work and coordinate outcome and impact evaluations.
Why we do it
Technology is frequently a powerful and necessary tool for effectively and sustainably addressing complex regional challenges.
How we support our partners
We provide specialized consulting for technology strategy and implementation.
Why we do it
Effective communication increases visibility and stakeholder engagement, driving greater impact.
How we support our partners
We offer strategic guidance, tools and resources to amplify their message and improve their communication strategies, as well as visibility in our own channels.
