From Sacramento to San Juan: Jamie Rodota on Investing $30M in Puerto Rico’s Startups

How do you build a thriving startup ecosystem far from Silicon Valley?

Meet Jamie Rodota, Senior Portfolio Manager at Parallel18 Ventures in Puerto Rico. After early career stints with the Sacramento Kings, WeWork, and Rise of the Rest (Steve Case’s Revolution fund), Jamie now leads a $30M fund to support Puerto Rican and international founders building on the island.

In this episode of The Startup Vagabond, Grant Watkins talks with Jamie about:

🇵🇷 Why Puerto Rico is becoming a launchpad for global startups and a bridge between the U.S. and Latin America

💸 How Parallel18 supports founders with non‑dilutive grants, investment capital, and deep local networks

🌍 Lessons from investing in overlooked ecosystems across the U.S. and now in Puerto Rico

📈 Founder‑market‑geography fit: Why your location can be your competitive advantage

🚀 Advice for early‑stage founders on when (and when not) to raise venture capital

If you’re interested in venture capital, accelerator programs, or building startups in emerging ecosystems, this is a must‑watch conversation.