José E. Feliciano, Capitalizing on Success to Serve Others

The Latino Majority

For José E. Feliciano, success starts with failure.

Prior to co-founding prominent private equity firm Clearlake Capital in 2006, Feliciano persevered through failures that forced him to innovate rather than recede into the background. Today, as a powerful investor in Silicon Valley, he sees his story reflected in countless technology start-ups. Businesses where failure is celebrated—because out of challenge often comes invention.

Feliciano has experienced enormous growth with Clearlake, and he’s paid that success forward by founding the philanthropic Supercharged initiative and claiming a seat on the board of trustees for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino.

He believes that his career story isn’t unique—that regardless of his recent stake in the English Premier League soccer team Chelsea FC, he’s not on a path that’s invisible to others in the Latino business community. It’s a bold statement, but for Feliciano, as Latinos continue to grow into the new majority, so too will their access to capital and notoriety.