Serrano Ventures (Est. 2036)
Hello! My name is Mario Augustine Avila and I am a venture capital (VC) enthusiast. Full disclosure: Serrano Ventures is a not a venture capital firm… yet. Hopefully less than twenty years from now, I will be writing as the managing director of Serrano Ventures with a venture fund looking at new technology startups that will impact the world positively. Before I speak about my background, please allow me to shed light on the name: Serrano Ventures.
Back in 2005, I was a student at Claremont McKenna College. Within the first month of school, one of the upperclassmen approached me with the idea of starting a Mariachi musical group on campus. In February of 2006, we performed three songs for a small audience on Pomona College’s campus. When asked about the name of our group, we didn’t have one; it was merely “The Claremont Colleges Mariachi Club”.
After some discussion and thought, we named the group “Mariachi Serrano de Claremont” after the Serrano Indians, the first inhabitants of the Claremont area. Being one of the first members of Mariachi Serrano has been one of the greatest experiences of my lifetime and in some ways, prepared me for my path into entrepreneurship and hopefully venture capital.
We started out small: white shirts, black slacks, and red moños. Eleven college students with an instrument and a passion for mariachi music. Progress felt slow at times, but we kept playing to anyone who would listen. We added financing to our group with the assistance of the Claremont Colleges, and started building our brand by selling T-shirts.
In 2007 we started “Noche de Amor”, a four hour trek on Valentine’s Day performing romantic ballads for various students across the Claremont Colleges. Word started to spread about our group and the music we played. Our grassroots efforts influenced two Claremont College alumni to purchase three-piece trajes (Mariachi suits) for Mariachi Serrano, an inflection point in our history as both our brand and demand for our product began to grow exponentially.
What started small had grown into a full fledged Mariachi ensemble. During my time with Mariachi Serrano, we played throughout different parts of California including one live radio broadcast in Fresno. Ten years later, the group is still in existence.
I learned a great deal about entrepreneurship during my time as part of Mariachi Serrano: “embracing the grind”, marketing a brand, business development, teamwork, selling a vision, and being a leader. I cannot claim the original idea, but this college experience is the inspiration behind this future venture firm. In this spirit, Serrano Ventures will look for bold entrepreneurs to “make music with”: team up and turn an idea into a bustling business.
Since Mariachi Serrano, my entrepreneurial experience has continued to bloom. I have had internships with organizations investing through both private and government-sponsored funds. I have worked in three startups and raised money with one. I’ve gained practical experience in product/project management, sales, product marketing, presenting, and market research. When I am not working as an M&A analyst (my current full-time job), I spend my time reading, listening, and keeping a pulse on technology and market trends.
Now that I have been out of graduate school for almost four years, I wonder what kind of impact I will have on the world. While my 20s felt like a time of search and discovery, my early 30s have greeted me with strong conviction and determination.
I want to work in venture capital with other individuals who are passionate about technology, teamwork, and investing in people with ideas.
As Robert F. Kennedy had famously said, “The future is not a gift. It is an achievement.” Venture capitalists have not only a responsibility to their investors, but the social privilege of developing businesses that have the potential to impact millions for years to come. While the world is always changing, venture capitalists try to stay a few steps ahead, seeing the world as it could be, not as it is. Venture capital has been at the cornerstone of change, funding companies that have altered the way we shop, share, search, travel, conduct business, negotiate, etc.
One podcast I listen to asks VCs about their background and how they entered the venture capital business. Their responses are as unique as the individuals themselves: engineers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, journalists, etc. While many VCs end up “accidentally” in the business, I purposely want to work in this field.
I have thought of multiple ideas to boost my credentials and show VCs that I can add value starting on Day One, which is why I am starting The Mariachi VC. I once dreamed about working in venture capital, and now I am working to make it happen.
“The Mariachi VC” will be dedicated to venture ideas, business models, technology trends, and start-ups I have personally explored.
My goal one day is to be a fresh face in the VC industry. Eric Thomas, the Hip Hop Preacher, speaks about living “in the forward”; the idea of seeing things before they actually happen. The concept of stepping into a reality that may only exist currently in one’s mind. One day Serrano Ventures will be no longer be an idea. It’s already real in my head, now I need to put the pieces together to make it happen.
¹Musical Credits: “Te Quise Olivar” by Los Camperos; “Mi Cascabel” by Mariachi Mujer 2000, “La Negra” by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán
