When Latinas Build Together, Communities Transform

March 31, 2026

Women's History Month doesn't end with a highlight reel. It ends with the women still showing up on day 365 — building, leading, and refusing to be invisible. In San José, those women have a name.

 

Unidas Somos Más Fuertes is more than a network. It's a movement rooted in San José — and it's been growing since 2016.

In Silicon Valley, where innovation is celebrated and resources flow freely, Latina women have too often been left out of that story. Unidas Somos Más Fuertes (USMF) was built specifically to change that.

Founded in 2016 in San José, California, Unidas was created in direct response to a gap — the lack of dedicated spaces where Latina emprendedoras could access support, resources, and community. Nearly a decade later, it has grown into one of the most consistent, culturally rooted organizations serving Latina women in the Bay Area.

Their mission is clear: motivate and inspire Latina entrepreneurs by providing tools for personal and professional growth, building strategic alliances, and honoring the cultural heritage that grounds us.

That last part matters. This isn't just a business networking group. Unidas shows up for the whole woman — the entrepreneur, the mother, the community member, the dreamer.

 

What They Actually Do

Unidas doesn't just talk about empowerment. They build it, event by event, taller by taller, connection by connection.

Their programming spans entrepreneurship training, digital marketing workshops, mindfulness and wellness sessions, cultural celebrations like Día de Muertos, and community relief efforts — including showing up with food and support during California's 2023 floods. They've hosted business mixers, partnered with Santa Clara County at the State of the County event, and ran intimate community workshops like Con Aroma de Café — a series blending marketing tools with mindfulness and human connection.

In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, they didn't pause. They held each other up — and they kept building.

That same year, Unidas was selected to participate in the Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative through the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University — a collaboration that placed university students directly alongside community organizations to strengthen social impact. It was a recognition that what Unidas was building had value beyond its own comunidad.

The Women Behind It

Organizations like Unidas don't run on mission statements. They run on people.

At the helm is Mary Mora, founder and visionary, whose belief that every Latina deserves to dream big has been the north star since day one. Around her, a leadership team that works — quietly, consistently, powerfully:

Lili Lopez in strategy and operations. Maribel Garibaldo as secretary. Tania Brito leading equity initiatives. Lulu Taba driving media and communications. Norma de la O in financial stewardship. Brenda Galicia as strategic advisor.

Seven women. One shared purpose. Countless hours of work that most people never see.

In December 2025, at their Celebration of Achievements, held at Santa Clara University, the comunidad gathered to honor these leaders and the Latina entrepreneurs they've helped rise. It wasn't just a ceremony. It was a declaration.

 

Watch: Celebration of Achievements 2025

This is what community looks like in action.

We had the honor of capturing Unidas Somos Más Fuertes at their Celebration of Achievements 2025 — an evening that honored Latina entrepreneurs, recognized the women who lead this organization with corazón, and reminded all of us why building together matters.

Hosted at Santa Clara University. Powered by comunidad.

As we close out Women's History Month, this video is our answer to the question: what does Latina leadership look like in Silicon Valley?

It looks like this.

 

Why This Matters Right Now

Latina women are among the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States. Yet access to capital, networks, and institutional support remains deeply unequal.

Unidas isn't waiting for institutions to fix that gap. They're filling it themselves — through community, through cultura, through showing up. They also actively channel Santa Clara County services and nonprofit resources directly to their members, connecting women to support systems that would otherwise be hard to find.

That's community infrastructure. And it's exactly what our comunidad deserves more of. 

Get Connected

If you're a Latina entrepreneur in the Bay Area — or you know one — Unidas Somos Más Fuertes is a space worth knowing.

🔗 unidassomosmasfuertes.org

Subscribe to their community. Attend their next event. Share their story.

Because when one woman rises, she lifts others with her. And when we build together — juntas — entire communities transform.

#JuntosAdelante #WeAreSVL #SVLVoices #LatinaOwned

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