Love x Money Ventures

Investment decisions are made by the firm's two co-founders and managing directors: Dr. Miriam Rivera and Dr. Jesse Martinez. Both are former Google executives and active angel investors who bring operator experience to their investment committee structure. The partnership model concentrates authority in the two principals, which is typical for firms deploying sub-$50 million in early-stage capital.

The firm sources primarily through the personal networks of Rivera and Martinez, which span Stanford University alumni, Google's early employee diaspora, and Latino venture communities. Rivera's board roles at academic institutions and Martinez's ongoing advisory relationships with technical founders create a top-of-funnel that competes less directly with institutional venture platforms. This network architecture is designed to surface companies before they are widely shopped to Bay Area generalist funds.

Love x Money focuses on Seed and early-stage rounds, with capacity for selective follow-on investments into existing portfolio companies that demonstrate product-market fit. The firm does not typically lead Series A rounds internally, preferring to co-invest alongside larger institutional leads at that stage. Early checks reflect an angel-to-Seed range, positioning the firm as a first- or second-check partner for technical founding teams.

The firm's primary activity is direct equity investment in early-stage startups, but the founders have historically participated in fund commitments and co-investment vehicles tied to their wider LP network. The stated strategy emphasizes direct relationships with founders, so sidecar vehicles and direct equity SPVs are the dominant structure rather than fund-of-funds allocations.

The firm actively co-invests alongside institutional venture funds that lead rounds where Love x Money has prior founder relationships. This hybrid posture allows the firm to access allocation in rounds that would otherwise be filled by larger syndicates. The model relies on Martinez and Rivera's existing relationships with Bay Area and national venture platforms to open co-investment lanes.

The Las Vegas headquarters distances the firm from the Bay Area's price-competitive seed market while keeping the founders within short travel distance to California. The location also anchors a regional network that includes emerging Southwest-based startup ecosystems often underrepresented in institutional venture portfolios. It reflects a deliberate geographic arbitrage strategy rather than a personal lifestyle choice.