The Latinx community in the U.S. is currently around 60 million people strong. In the next 40 years, that’s expected to nearly double. That equates to a purchasing power of $1.7 trillion—making Latinx an increasingly large player in American life and business.
But, according to Luis Linan and Aaron Jimenez, Latinx people often don’t feel seen, especially when it comes to the media landscape. They are often overlooked.
That’s why Linan and Jimenez founded Latinx Spaces, a digital media platform dedicated to amplifying the voices of the Latinx movement.
“The old rules of media are fading away, which is leading reinvention of what a media company can be and how it can operate,” Linan says. “There will continue to be changes in the coming years.”
[Photo: Courtesy Latinx Spaces]
Latinx Spaces sits at the intersection of Latinx art, culture, and politics. No more do people have to search multiple sources for content about the Latinx community—the website is rich with the ideas and histories that make up diverse Latinx cultures.
“Even though our content focuses on the Latinx artists and thought leaders, it is by no means exclusive to Latinx peoples,” Linan says. “We can all learn so much from other cultures, which I believe is what we could use more of.”
The startup has been bootstrapped up to this point, but is currently in the early stages of pre-seed fundraising for outreach marketing and content procurement. Once that is secured, the founders expect to bring the whole team—currently comprised of eight people—on full-time and hire more on the tech side of the business.
Minimal revenue is generated through advertising, but Linan and Jimenez have big plans in mind as Latinx Spaces continues to grow. Right now, they are focused on growing the site’s readership and audience as quickly as possible.
“Success in the next year would be constant rapid growth in our audience,” Linan says. “In the long term we feel we can be one of if not the largest Latinx focused media company in the world.”
[Photo: Courtesy Latinx Spaces]
Learn more about Linan, the co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jimenez, the founder and editor-in-chief, in our Q&A.
This installment is part of a new Dallas Innovates series in which we highlight some of Impact Ventures’ Spring 2020 Fellows. You can also read about Exgratias, Education PowerED, and HVACIntel.
“Being accepted into Impact Ventures really helped us get more organized and strategic on the business side of our business,” Linan says. “We are a team of great creatives but needed guidance on how to be a solid business.”
Meet Latinx Spaces
Luis Linan is the co-founder and chief operating officer. [Photo: Courtesy Latinx Spaces]
Aaron Jimenez is the founder and editor-in-chief. [Photo: Courtesy Latinx Spaces]
What are you most proud of in terms of your startup?
I (Luis) am most proud that we are still going after three years just as passionate if not more so than when we started. I think it speaks to belief that this company is making a positive impact in our community.
What mentors, partnerships, or deals have been pivotal to your initial traction?
We have developed relationships with record labels, book publishers, art collectives, political activists and more who want to partner with and contribute content.
Why did you start Latinx Spaces?
Aaron came up with the idea because it was something he (and all of us on the team) wanted but simply did not exist.
What can you tell us about Latinx Spaces’ mission?
We say our mission is to “be the media platform that creates substantive engagement with the thoughts, ideas, and histories that make up diverse Latinx and Latin American cultures.”
But what that basically means is we want to put the spotlight on all the amazing things the Latinx community is doing.
What opportunities do you see rising?
Different people enjoy content differently, but very few if any have taken a look at specifically the Latinx community. So find creative ways to engage with them through crafting high quality content are the opportunities we are most excited about right now
Has your company done any significant research and development?
We are currently conducting our own survey on the views on the state of media with emphasis on Latinx media for which there is limited research available.
Has the pandemic and social environment shifted your plans this year?
The social environment especially when it comes to desire for Afro-latinx and Latinx stories has changed in our favor and it’s content we have already been putting out for years and comfortable covering.
Tell us how Latinx Spaces might be able to help businesses or people in this current, fast-changing environment?
Even in today’s fast moving environment people still need easy to find high quality content that will have them think critically or from a different perspective, even more so when it comes to cultural issues or topics.
Have you made any changes at your company due to the economy or COVID?
Neither of those have affected our business or platform in a meaningful way so far. We have been operating almost exclusively virtually since the beginning so it hasn’t been a big shift for us.
This Q&A has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Read next
Dallas Innovates is highlighting startups in Impact Ventures’ spring cohort, which aims to assist the underrepresented startup community.
Meet Exgratias, a Financial Platform for Entertainment Gig Workers
Exgratias is a first-of-its-kind financial platform for the entertainment industry that helps contractual workers get paid quickly and effortlessly.
Meet Education PowerED, an Online Marketplace of Culturally Responsive Teaching
Education PowerED is behind a fast-growing educational movement designed to energize educators, empower students, and eradicate educational inequity.
Meet HVACIntel, an IoT Platform That Helps Contractors Manage HVAC Installations
HVACIntel hopes to disrupt the legacy industry with its patented IoT platform that monitors HVAC systems, proactively detects operational issues, and prevents failures.
Get on the list.
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