Sandra Lilia Velasquez is the CEO and Founder of Nopalera, a culture-forward modern Mexican luxury beauty brand she launched in November 2020 from her Brooklyn apartment. Born and raised in San Diego to Mexican parents, she spent 14+ years as the lead singer of Latin alternative band Pistolera before pivoting to beauty entrepreneurship, drawing on a background in CPG sales at brands including HiBar, Van Leeuwen, and Mast Brothers Chocolate. She is a recipient of the Latino Startup of the Year award at the L'Attitude Match-Up Conference, the Valde Latinx Entrepreneur Grant, and the Clean Beauty Summer School Pitch Grant, and also hosts The Nopalera Podcast and mentors emerging Latina founders.
