The Main Event: ALPFA x The Latino Startup Party: The biggest buzz this week is centered around the upcoming collaboration on April 16th in Old Town. This is being framed as a pivotal moment for the community, moving beyond standard networking toward a "build-it-ourselves" ecosystem. - Date: Thursday, April 16 - Location: Old Town HQ - The Vibe: This is described as a high-stakes gathering where "ambition meets opportunity." The focus is on turning ideas into action and building a self-sustaining community infrastructure. - The Goal: To connect founders with their next partners and investors. The community mantra for the week: "We’re not waiting for doors to open... we’re building our own." Community & Growth Updates (Last 7 Days) - Tactical "High-Value" Posting: Following the completion of previous challenges, the focus has shifted to maintaining a "Live Environment." Members are currently focused on sharing specific frameworks and templates to establish authority within the group. - Strategic Engagement: Leadership is emphasizing the "Trust-and-Result Cycle," pushing members to move away from vanity metrics (member counts) and toward deep engagement. The goal this week is to ensure every member obstacle posted receives a peer or leader solution. - Resource Unlocks: New "Classroom" content has been released specifically for those reaching higher engagement tiers this week, focusing on 2026 Funnel Frameworks and organic traffic seeding. - SD-LA Synergy: There is an increased push for San Diego members to collaborate with the Los Angeles chapter, using the April 16th event as the primary physical bridge between the two digital hubs. Action Item: If you are in the San Diego area, the priority for this week is securing your spot for the Old Town HQ event on April 16th, as it is expected to be the defining "move" for the community this quarter.

Hello Community, This Thursday, we’re opening the doors! A special collaboration night at The Latino Startup and ALPFA at the HQ in Old Town — where builders, creators, and future founders come together. This isn’t just networking. This is where ideas get tested. Where conversations turn into action. Where the next wave of Latino founders begins. Expect real connections. Real conversations. And the energy of people who are actually building. Here is the link to sign up! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cafecito-con-alpfa-san-diego-tickets-1985242856826?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios&sg=3f8c964f07f0d7bd2f84847d8d1b69940eb9e4ef8da896b4206f3032eec32a3a641364f970e10f6de5c60db0665306b2aa9b255dd9808b7d92c291a97f057a56613eb4486f42bbdab39ed5ddba Thursday. Old Town. Pull up. David

Big Conversation Today. Big Opportunity Ahead. Today I sat down with The San Diego Foundation—specifically with Hector Borjas, who leads the El Camino Fund. And something important clicked. We aligned on a core truth: 👉 Mindset is everything. Not just skills. Not just capital. Not just access. If we don’t shape how founders think, decide, and act—nothing else scales. Where the Capital is Moving The Foundation is actively looking to fund solutions in three areas: - Childcare - Trades - Elder care Why? Because these are massive, underserved, and growing sectors—and Latino entrepreneurs are already deeply present in all three. But presence ≠ scale. That’s where the opportunity is. The Insight That Hit Me I shared something I’ve been thinking about: There are thousands of Latino-owned trade businesses—construction, electrical, plumbing, landscaping… They’re strong. They generate real revenue. They serve real customers. But many are hitting the same wall: - No clear path to scale - No systems or operational structure - No transition plan to the next generation - No exit strategy And in many cases… 👉 The business dies with the founder. This is Not a Small Problem This is about: - Lost generational wealth - Missed economic expansion - Talent that never fully compounds - We don’t have a startup problem. We have a scaling and transfer problem. The Opportunity What if we built something specifically for this? A focused effort to help Latino-owned trade businesses: - Systematize operations - Build leadership beyond the founder - Create scalable models - Transition to the next generation (or new ownership) - Unlock real enterprise value This isn’t theory. This is already happening informally—just without structure, tools, or support. Call to Action: Let’s Build a Subteam I don’t want this to stay as a conversation. I want to explore this with you. If this resonates, I’m looking to form a small working group to:

Here is my video summarizing the takeaways from my lunch with the San Diego Fund. Watch it and let me know if you agree!

They have a clarity problem. At the beginning, everything feels important. Every idea feels worth exploring. Every opportunity feels like it could be “the one.” Every problem feels urgent. So you end up: - jumping between ideas - saying yes to things you’re not sure about - working a lot, but not always moving forward And at the end of the day, you’re busy but not clear on what actually mattered. This isn’t a discipline issue. It’s what happens when you’re building without clear filters yet. How can you shift out of this? Start getting honest about: - What problem you actually want to solve - Who you want to solve it for - What’s not worth your time right now Once that’s clear, things start to feel less chaotic and more intentional. What’s something you’ve been saying “yes” to lately that you’re not fully sure about?