Ilse Calderon

Overview

Ilse Calderon is an angel investor and managing director at Vamos Ventures, a Los Angeles-based venture capital firm dedicated to supporting diverse founders leading early-stage, technology-enabled companies in the United States. Vamos Ventures focuses on sectors such as Health & Wellness, Future of Work, FinTech, and Sustainability, aiming to generate financial returns while delivering meaningful impact through wealth creation, social mobility, and self-determination. The firm has raised two investment funds to date, reflecting its commitment to fostering diversity in entrepreneurship. Prior to her role at Vamos Ventures, Calderon served as Chief of Staff to the CTO at Forge Global, a position she has held since June 2024. She also holds the position of Principal at OVO Fund, contributing since December 2017, where the focus is on investing in early-stage, non-capital intensive start-ups. At OVO Fund, Calderon sources and diligences new investments across consumer fintech, healthcare, and edtech. As a first-generation Latina, she coined a term around her thesis of "the rise of the Hypercultural Latinx" and has sourced investments such as Suma Wealth, Lelu, Habit, and MiSalud. She and partner Eric Chen have made three investments out of a $52 million third fund raised in spring 2022, including WellTheory. Internally, she created OVO's Summer Fellow program, its IP Create program targeting PhD students, and its campus ambassador program. Calderon also launched and is the sole manager of a $2 million angel fund (AKA Angel) that has made 15 investments in its first year. Calderon earned a Bachelor of Science in Science, Technology, and Society from Stanford University. She has been recognized in Forbes' 30 Under 30 in Venture Capital and has contributed to various publications, including Forbes and TechCrunch, sharing insights on topics such as mental health in Hispanic communities and investing in the hidden generation. In her free time, she is part of the Silicon Valley LLS (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) Adult committee and has been a mentor to several high school girls interested in learning more about the venture capital ecosystem.