Venture Capital Veteran Dr. Alicia Castillo Holley Joins CEA’s Advisory Board

TAMPA, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–CEA Group (“CEA”) announced today that Alicia Castillo Holley, PhD, a longtime veteran of the Venture Capital industry has joined CEA as Senior Advisor for Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship.

Dr. Castillo Holley is an experienced operator/investor in early-stage companies with a background in life sciences, strategy, and finance. Her areas of expertise include angel and venture capital investing, high-impact entrepreneurship, and life sciences. She is laser-focused on achieving socioeconomic impact and financial returns through investments, a formula that has given her a stellar reputation in the industry.

Dr. Castillo Holley is CEO and Founder of the Wealthing VC Club, a boutique investment club that provides access to VC-backed rounds to accredited investors. In two years, the group has invested in 28 companies, including 5 unicorns. The firm evaluates approximately 40 deals per month and is very active in the Silicon Valley ecosystem, sharing deals with over 50 VCs and angel groups. Additionally, Dr. Castillo Holley is an LP in 7 VCs in Silicon Valley.

Since moving to Silicon Valley in 2013, she has made over 40 investments in slightly over a decade; joining Sand Hill Angels (SHA), one of the most prestigious angel groups in the world. At SHA, she was a highly active senior member. Dr. Castillo Holley co-chaired the life-science group, and was a board member before leaving the organization in 2022 to focus on her club, personal investments, and philanthropic activities.

She is credited with being a crucial figure in developing the VC/entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chile where she lived between 1996 and 2002, founding the country’s first center for Entrepreneurship at the Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, and later Chile’s first seed capital fund “Capital Semilla”. Dr. Castillo Holley’s international fund network currently includes investments in the Lagos, Nigerian-based Aruwa Capital Management.

Dr. Castillo Holley is a well-recognized speaker and trainer in innovation, venture capital, and high-impact entrepreneurship; developing programs around the world in the Americas, Asia, Australia, Eastern, and Western Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Her education spans three continents graduating from the University of Western Australia receiving a PhD in Finance and Entrepreneurship, an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Babson College, and an MSci in Biotechnology and Engineering from Universidad Central de Venezuela. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Australian Institute for Company Directors.

A global trotter, Dr. Castillo Holley has lived in a number of countries, speaks several languages, and has supported the high-impact ecosystem around the world. She enjoys reading, gardening, traveling, and spending time with her very global family; philanthropically, she supports domestic harmony, pro-inclusion, and representation of diversity. Alongside her daughter they manage Box of Life, a non-profit that sends food to Venezuela, where she was raised.

Chairman and Founder, Rick Michaels, stated, “I am honored to welcome Dr. Alicia Castillo Holley to our Advisory Board and consider CEA to be extremely privileged to have Alicia join as our Senior Advisor for Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship. Her distinguished career in VCs and Silicon Valley along with her global networks are invaluable to CEA. Alicia’s wealth of knowledge and proven track record in entrepreneurship, especially in today’s financial climate, will benefit greatly our clients as well. I look forward to many collaborative ventures.”

About CEA Group

Founded in 1973, CEA is a leading provider of investment banking services. With a team of experienced personnel worldwide, CEA has an unequaled depth and breadth of industry knowledge, expertise, and long-standing industry relationships. CEA has completed over 1,000 transactions totaling $60+ billion in more than 60 countries. CEA’s reputation and track record of success is built on delivering innovative, value-added solutions and services to clients worldwide.

CEA Atlantic Advisors, LLC is a FINRA Registered Broker-Dealer and a member of SIPC.