Velocity 2025 spotlights massive, untapped economic power of Latinos
Source: Latino Donor Collaborative | https://latinodonorcollaborative.org/
Velocity 2025 took place in Los Angeles from 24 – 26 September. Business leaders, policymakers, and cultural influencers convened to highlight the growth, spending power and influence of U.S. Latinos in the 21st century economy. Velocity is founded and curated by investor Sol Trujillo and his partner Andrea Trujillo, Velocity’s CMO, and an accomplished marketing, creative director, and branding expert.
Latinos in the U.S. now represent the fifth-largest economy in the world, generating the equivalent of $4 trillion in GDP. As companies continue to invest heavily in increasingly turbulent and uncertain international markets like China and India, the Latino economy offers a faster-growing, more sustainable and larger overall growth engine here at home.
This year Velocity unveiled new insights and new data, including three key reports that highlight the significant contributions of U.S. Latinos to the following sectors:
The 2025 Official LDC U.S. Latino GDP Report™ — Part Two: State-by-state data shows Latinos driving outsized GDP growth, with Mexican Americans leading in key states and immigrant GDP at $1.6T, plus 2030 forecasts and scenarios on the cost of reduced immigration. Our panel at Velocity featured Ana Valdez, President & CEO of the LDC, Sol Trujillo, Chairman of the LDC, and ASU Research Partners, José Jurado and Dennis Hoffman as speakers and was moderated by Contessa Brewer.
2025 LDC U.S. Latinos in Media Report™ — Shows: In a streaming-led market where Latinos over-index, on-screen representation still lags, and the report outlines concrete steps for studios, platforms, and advertisers to close the gap. Our panel at Velocity featured actor Jay Hernandez (The Long Game), actor Cristo Fernández (Ted Lasso) and producer Rick Telles (A Million Miles Away) as speakers and was moderated by Ana Valdez, President & CEO of the LDC.
2025 LDC U.S. Latinos in Tech — AI Edition™: A controlled experiment finds GPT-4’s narrative bias underplays Latinos as leaders and technologists, while real-world data shows Latinos are both active users and builders of AI, and details how to fix it. Our panel at Velocity featured a fireside chat between Ana Valdez, President & CEO of the LDC, and Ruben Barrales, SVP of External Engagement and Diverse Segments at Wells Fargo.
“The data is clear: Latinos are fueling growth across every major business sector, while comprising nearly 8 of out 10 workplace entrants in the economy,” said Sol Trujillo. “CEOs who fail to recognize this are being left behind in terms of market share and market cap. The name was chosen because we focus on intensity and speed of change in the 21st century vs what we are used to in the last 40 to 50 years — a wider and newer lens.”
“Latinos are a force that no company can afford to ignore and the future that no one can afford to miss,” said Andrea Trujillo. “Latinos in the U.S. are outpacing growth in turbulent global markets and are fueling America’s future. Our data makes it clear that Latinos are a powerful yet largely untapped accelerator of the American economy—driving innovation, shaping culture, and powering the next wave of U.S. prosperity.”
Velocity’s in-depth content tracks include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Kantar Brand Summit, Banking/Investing/Financing, Energy, Sports, Entertainment, Fashion, Music and the “Lunar Economy.” Sol Trujillo and other executives presented data, new reports and analysis regarding our Economy, Construction & Infrastructure, underscoring why Latino consumer spending power represents one of the world’s most dynamic economic opportunities. Sol was joined by a roster of key executives from some of the world’s most valuable brands and institutions, including Wells Fargo, Ford, T-Mobile, Bank of America, The Los Angeles Dodgers, Target, Axios, UCLA, ASU among others.
The speakers were also joined by executives from Microsoft, The Walt Disney Company, Kantar, and TIME alongside celebrated icons and game changers in the entertainment industry such as Esai Morales, Ramón Rodríguez and Suzette Quintanilla demonstrating Velocity’s unique fusion of commerce and culture.
About Velocity: Velocity is an annual gathering dedicated to redefining the new mainstream economy by highlighting the power, influence, and contributions of U.S. Latinos. The conference convenes CEOs, business leaders, cultural icons, and policymakers to share insights and strategies for harnessing Latino-driven growth across industries.
