hi everyone! I was wondering if there will be a livestream option for tonight’s TLS Pitch Party?

I had a goal of getting my coaching YouTube channel to 100 subscribers. Just crossed 105 and honestly, I’m really happy about the progress. BUT… A few months ago, I decided to start a second channel focused on something much more personal to me: Latino culture, masculinity, vulnerability, emotions, and the stuff many of us were never allowed to talk about growing up. Now I technically have “double the work.” - One channel helps educate and attract potential coaching clients. - The other doesn’t really fit neatly into a business strategy at all. It just feels meaningful. And honestly, that second channel has taught me something important: Sometimes the things that feel most aligned won’t immediately look like the most scalable or profitable decision. But they still matter. anyone else here has experienced this tension between building what grows… vs building what feels deeply connected to your mission? Heres the link if anyone is interested in checking it out (feedback welcome!): https://www.youtube.com/@wakinguphispanic

To everyone who has ever had the role to human, fur, plant, and any baby! 👶 🐶 💐

Hey everyone — Armando here (agbexar), solo founder based out of Nevada. Glad to be in the room. Quick truth up front: I’m a truck driver. I’m also a complete novice when it comes to building software. Everything I’ve built so far has come from my own pain points on the road — and from partnering with Claude (Anthropic’s AI) to turn those pain points into real products. I’m building Giga-Sphere OS — a compliance and financial-ops platform for gig workers and the companies that work with them. The mantra I’m building around, for myself and every other 1099 contractor out there: Profit. Protect. Retire. First product is Giga-Books — a tax and expense tracker built specifically for 1099 folks (rideshare, delivery, trucking). I run the personal version in production every day. Every mile, every receipt, every edge case I hit on the road is teaching the public version what it needs to be before launch. In parallel, I’m heads-down building a dynamic, intuitive chatbot — stage one of a customizable fleet management platform. A trucking/expediting partner I drive with is in active conversations to be the first paying client. I’m here to learn from founders who’ve walked this road, and to share what I’ve figured out along the way. Gracias for having me.

It has been a high-velocity week for The Latino Startup community. From high-level strategic partnerships to immediate capital opportunities and AI implementation, the ecosystem is buzzing. Here is your Week Wrap (March 23 – March 30, 2026), categorized by what matters most to your growth. 💰 Immediate Capital & Opportunities - Verizon $5,000 Grant (Due Tomorrow!): The deadline for the California Small Business Digital Ready grant is March 31 at 11:59 PM PT. You must complete one Digital Ready course to unlock the application. - Virtual Working Session: @Hilda Soto hosted a session today to help members use AI to craft their grant responses. - Free SD Biz Program: A 6-week SBA program is available for San Diego residents, featuring a $5K pitch competition at the end. 🤝 Strategic Partnerships & The "Scale" Vision - The San Diego Foundation (El Camino Fund): @David Favela met with Hector Borjas to align on a major insight: Mindset is the primary barrier to scaling. - Focus on Trades: There is a massive opportunity to help Latino-owned trade businesses (construction, plumbing, etc.) move from "founder-dependent" to "generational wealth" through systematization and exit strategies. - Subteam Formation: @David Favela is looking for a small working group to build tools specifically for scaling these trade businesses. 🛠️ Member-Led Workshops & AI Wins - Marblism AI Agents (March 31): @Hilda Soto is hosting a session tomorrow from 3–5 PM on how to hire and set up 6 AI agents (Executive Assistant, Sales Rep, etc.) for your business. - The 2-Minute AI Win: A simple prompt was shared to help founders reclaim 30 minutes a day by summarizing long email threads and identifying action items instantly. - Founder Clarity: @Chris Bustos challenged the community to stop "busy-ness" and start filtering projects by asking: What problem do I actually want to solve?