Jp Foster

About Jp Foster

Operator | Investor | National Bank Founder | Board Director | GovernanceI’m a venture builder and strategic investor focused on scaling the next generation of human-centered innovation, where behavioral health, emotional resilience, and cognitive clarity form the foundation for transformative companies.As General Partner at Social Economy Ventures, I lead a differentiated investment thesis rooted in human systems. We back early-stage ventures at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, systems thinking, and deep tech, advancing behavioral science, emotional AI, mental performance, and ethical innovation. We believe these frontiers hold the greatest potential for both outsized returns and societal impact.Earlier in my career, I founded Solera National Bank, the first nationally chartered bank in Colorado in over a decade and the first Hispanic market-focused national bank in the U.S, dedicated to the legacy of my late Dominican grandmother, Patria. I’ve served on over 20 boards, including two publicly traded companies, and hold Known Entity status with U.S. banking regulators, having been approved to serve on multiple national bank boards.I’ve also led a family office hedge fund, and my early training on Wall Street with Smith Barney (now Morgan Stanley) and Merrill Lynch sharpened my approach to disciplined value investing.For the past decade, I’ve mentored more than 25 ventures through Stanford’s LBAN/SLEI program, where I remain the only mentor active across all 20 cohorts since inception. My investment approach reflects that operator-first mindset, pairing behavioral insight with systems rigor to reduce founder failure, unlock undervalued talent, and accelerate scalable ventures that push the boundaries of human potential.This work is both professional and personal. I come from a multigenerational family of psychiatrists and psychologists. Today, I see investing in human systems as the next frontier of responsible capitalism, where returns and resilience converge.

Experience

1. Bank Founder & Chairman Emeritus Chairman of the Board & Executive Committee

   Solera National Bank

   Jul 2003 — Present · Denver, CO, US

   Q4-2025:$1.56B assets. Founder of first federally chartered / publicly traded Bank Holding Company in Colorado in 10 years and the first Latino-markets focused commercial banks in the United States. Led all regulatory and Blue Sky IPO registration initiatives working closely with the: OCC, FDIC, SEC, Federal Reserve. Spearheaded proactive community engagement methods (qualitative & quantitative) to achieve cross-market feasibility analysis for federal bank applications. Served as C.O.B. and Chairman of the bank’s Executive Committee with $100MM P&L responsibilities.* Bank Founder & Chairman Emeritus* Chairman of the Board, Executive Officer (20••••09)* Chairman - Executive Committee* Chairman - Target Martkets Initiatives Committee* Member - Asset & Liability Committee* Member - Credit Committee* Member - Nominating & Governance Committee* Managed Bank\'s pre- & post-filing organizational and regulatory mandated phases.* Co-authored national applications to the OCC, FDIC, Federal Reserve Bank and the SEC.• Co-authored creation of bank\'s corporate governance, and policy standards, corporate bylaws and risk assessment measures.* Spearheaded initiative to coalesce 21-person Organizing Group. Recruited Executive Management Team.• Oversaw creation of all underserved markets bank initiatives, product and educational programming. • Successful multicultural market branding through grassroots marketing campaign and comprehensive community relations integration.

Education

• Syracuse University - Maxwell School

  Bachelor's Degree, International Relations

  1988 — 1992

Skills

• Strategic Planning
• Small Business
• Policy
• Private Equity
• Marketing & Branding
• Business Development
• Financial Analysis
• Leadership Mentoring
• Portfolio Management
• Start-Ups
• Presenter
• Strategy
• Management
• Team Building
• Banking
• Corporate Finance
• Executive Management
• Business Planning
• Leadership
• Strategic Partnerships
• Program Management
• Venture Capital
• White Papers
• Funding
• Management Consulting
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Financial Management
• Start-Up Operations
• Marketing Strategy
• Capital Raising
• New Business Development
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Entrepreneurship
• Project Management
• Marketing
• Consulting
• Public Relations
• Business Strategy
• Nonprofits
• Financial Services