25th Year Anniversary

25 years supporting Florida’s economy by serving Hispanic entrepreneurs.

Highlights in our history:

NOVEMBER 1991
Born within the Hispanic Business Institute in Tampa, the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund West Coast, Inc. was established to help Hispanic entrepreneurs start and develop their businesses so they could compete and do business with mainstream businesses. Visionary business owners and community leaders led the charge and recruited the support of elected officials, among the first Mayor Sandy Freedman and Hillsborough County Commissioners Sylvia Gonzalez-Kimball and Pam Iorio.
OCTOBER 1995
Volunteer leaders of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando (HCCMO) established the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Greater Orlando as an independent 501(c)3, with funding from Orange County Mayor Linda Chapin and City of Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood.
1999
Established the first satellite office within the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce.
DECEMBER 1998
Hosted first Don Quijote Awards Gala in collaboration with partner organization HCCMO.
JULY 2008
Merged both organizations to form Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Florida, the largest organization of its kind in the state of Florida.
MARCH 2011
Established operations in South Florida, opening an office co-located with the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.
JULY 2014
Began delivering services multiple times per year in additional regions across Florida beyond the counties served by the three regional offices.
AUGUST 2016
Began delivering services occasionally to entrepreneurs in Charlotte, North Carolina.
NOVEMBER 2016
Upon completing the 25th year of service, the organization changed its brand to Prospera.
JULY 2017
Established permanent office and staff in Charlotte, NC.