Staff

 
 

Joey Mak

Chief Executive Officer

Since joining Chicago:Blend as its first executive director in 2021, Joey Mak has grown the organization from a promising idea into an institution that runs a venture fellowship whose alumni have secured VC roles at a placement rate above 80 percent — earning the National Venture Capital Association's "Inclusion Impact Award."

Before Chicago:Blend, Joey built programs and partnerships across some of the region's most influential institutions, including the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the University of Illinois, and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity — driven by the conviction that equitable access to capital and opportunity is fundamental to economic growth. He is a Crain's Chicago Business "40 Under 40" honoree and a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

Salvador Dueñas

Senior Director of Programs

Salvador Dueñas is the Senior Director of Programs at Chicago:Blend, where he leads the Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship, a program dedicated to helping underrepresented, aspiring VCs break into the industry. Under his leadership, 81% of fellows actively applying to VC roles have secured positions in the industry.

Before joining Chicago:Blend, Sal was the Senior Startups Manager at Future Founders, where he ran accelerator programs to help underrepresented founders achieve product-market fit. During his tenure, startups in the program collectively generated over $300 million in revenue and created more than 1,700 jobs. In 2021, Sal was named on the "25 Under 25" list by Chicago Inno.