Sandra Velasquez

Founder,
Nopalera

Sandra Velasquez is the Chicana founder of Nopalera, a modern Mexican beauty and lifestyle brand. She launched Nopalera in 2020 from her Brooklyn apartment with no outside funding or savings. The brand can be found in Mecca Australia, Ulta Mexico, as well as Nordstrom, Credo, Kohl’s and over 400 boutiques nationwide in the US. She is the winner of six pitch competitions and has completed six business accelerators, including Morgan Stanley and Stanford LBAN. Velasquez released her first book “Viva Latina!” on Quarto books in September 2024. Prior to launching Nopalera, she was the leader of Latin band Pistolera which toured internationally opening for artists such as Los Lobos and had her music featured on hit TV shows like “Breaking Bad” and the NPRTiny Desk Concert.