Learn AI For Investors is a monthly working group I co-lead with Ibrahim Rashid, focused on helping venture operators adopt AI tools thoughtfully and practically.
We started this community in 2025 because we saw a gap: lots of hype around AI, but not enough honest conversation about what actually works in real VC workflows. We wanted a space where operators could experiment together, share what breaks, and build practical systems without the pressure to pretend everything is seamless.
Every first Thursday of the month, we host 90-minute working sessions where we demo real workflows, troubleshoot live problems, and share what we're building.
Topics have included:
We operate under Chatham House rules. Cameras on, ideas flowing. This is a space for collaboration, not lurking.
Join us for live working sessions on the first Thursday of every month, 4:00–5:30 PM CT. Sign up to get access to the calendar invite and session recaps.
Sign up →Workflow templates, session recaps, and practical guides from our community. Freely available for any venture operator to use and adapt.
Browse resources →Connect with venture operators building practical AI workflows. Sessions run on the first Thursday of every month.
Register hereI was born and raised between Chicago and Aguascalientes, which has shaped how I think about building in both places. Chicago is my professional home base, and I’m deeply invested in its venture ecosystem, not just as an operator but as someone who has spent years tracking its evolution and understanding its constraints. I also serve on the Alumni Board of Chicago:Blend, a local nonprofit organization that seeks to understand, promote, and increase diversity in venture capital.
Over the past few years, I've been analyzing deal flow data to better understand where Chicago's venture ecosystem actually stands.
Data insights and analysis on Chicago's venture ecosystem — deal count, deal value trends, and how Chicago compares to other metros — are being compiled. Check back soon.
This matters because understanding the actual size and trajectory of the ecosystem changes how investors should think about deployment, how founders should think about raising capital, and how ecosystem builders should allocate resources.
I'm actively involved in building Chicago's venture community:
I spent several years in government before moving into venture, working at the Illinois State Treasurer's Office on a $1B impact investment program. That experience shaped how I think about capital deployment, stakeholder alignment, and the relationship between economic and civic infrastructure.
I remain interested in urban policy and civic systems. Chicago's future depends on both its economic and civic ecosystems functioning well and working together toward shared goals.