Veronica Pena Memorial Fund

I am setting up this gofundme for the children and husband of Veronica Pena, who unexpectedly passed away one month after giving birth to her third child.

Vero was my co-founder at Creci —an early stage social impact fintech founded with modest means.  She leaves behind three young boys, including her month-old newborn, Rodrigo; 7-year-old Guillermo; and 8-year-old Santiago.  She also leaves behind her husband, William; one brother; and her mother.


Since I heard the news, I have been in a daze, with my thoughts coming back to the sudden and unfillable void that her children and husband must now contend with.  I worry about the emotional and financial strain that William now faces raising three boys. To help with the latter, and with her family’s blessing, I have created this gofundme for Vero’s children and husband.  My hope is to give them a temporary reserve of expenses to alleviate the stress and pain of what they are going through.  These expenses include childcare, food and clothing, and education expenses. 

I respectfully ask those in my network (and those outside of my network who may receive it) to consider donating. No amount is too small, and all amounts will be put to good use.

Vero was a great friend and a terrific co-founder. She very much believed that one’s life is measured by the positive impact you have on others.  We were trying to build a company that did just that. She also had that rarer quality of her personal beliefs matching her actions, both in her professional endeavors and everyday action. The more observant I have become, the more impressive this is—people’s rhetoric often does not align with their actions. I do not exclude myself from this observation. Her example serves as a model for me.  

I met her at a company we both previously worked at, where she pushed the company to engage in social impact initiatives, including one that helped feed schoolchildren in her home country of Venezuela.  In fact, one aspect that I most admired was her refusal to leave Venezuela in light of the economic collapse of that country.  Her response was that, if all the good people left, who would be left to fight back against what was happening there and who would be left to rebuild the country.  She maintained this posture as she and her family lost most of what they had built and endured ever greater hardships.  I can only hope to be as strong as her. 

But we can at least alleviate what her children and husband will now face.  Please join me in financially supporting them through this hardship.