Expanding access to education, mentorship, and opportunity for individuals and communities, advancing economic mobility, entrepreneurship, and long-term community benefit.

501(c)(3) Status Pending

Our Mission

The Proxenia Foundation expands access to education, mentorship, and opportunity for individuals and communities, with the goal of advancing economic mobility, entrepreneurship, and long-term community benefit.

The Foundation supports educational and ecosystem initiatives that strengthen responsible hospitality innovation in Central Florida and beyond.

This includes support for aligned programs and partners that expand access, provide structured pathways, and connect innovation with real-world industry application.

Proxenia Accelerators is one such aligned initiative within the broader ecosystem.

Program Areas

Steward · Structure · Sustain

The Proxenia Foundation advances its mission through three interconnected areas, each focused on strengthening the systems that support responsible hospitality innovation over the long term.

Steward

Ethical Guidance and Ecosystem Alignment

The Foundation provides stewardship across the hospitality innovation ecosystem by promoting responsible governance, long-term thinking, and alignment between industry, technology, education, and community.

This includes supporting efforts that emphasize:

  • ethical innovation and accountability
  • industry relevance and real-world applicability
  • balanced risk and shared benefit across stakeholders

Stewardship ensures that innovation advances trust, inclusion, and durable value.

Structure

Access, Education, and Pathways to Participation

The Foundation supports the structures that enable broader participation in hospitality innovation, particularly where barriers to access exist.

This includes strengthening:

  • educational and experiential learning pathways
  • scholarship and access-oriented initiatives
  • partnerships between academia, industry, and community organizations

Structure focuses on building the connective frameworks that allow talent, ideas, and opportunity to move more freely through the ecosystem.

Sustain

Long-Term Impact and Ecosystem Resilience

The Foundation supports initiatives that contribute to the long-term health and resilience of the hospitality innovation ecosystem.

This includes:

  • ecosystem investment aligned with demonstrated community need
  • collaboration with organizations advancing workforce development and entrepreneurship
  • support for efforts designed to endure beyond individual programs or funding cycles

Sustain centers on outcomes that persist and compound over time.

In Development

The Foundation is building a disciplined operating base for long-term regional impact.

Scholarship Framework

Establishing criteria and workflows to fund founder participation in aligned education and mentorship pathways.

Academic & Operator Alignment

Strengthening collaboration between hospitality operators, academic programs, and early-stage innovators.

2026 Founding Steward Circle

Formalizing inaugural support to fund scholarships, outreach, and the Foundation’s first-year operating capacity.

About the Foundation

The Proxenia Foundation is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation serves the public benefit and operates with independent governance and transparent stewardship.

Drawing inspiration from the ancient Greek concept of proxenia —a civic role centered on hospitality, trust, and responsibility— the Foundation advances a modern commitment to opening doors, building connections, and strengthening opportunity through education and entrepreneurship.

All net earnings and resources are applied solely to the Foundation’s charitable and educational mission in support of the communities it serves.

Board & Governance

The Proxenia Foundation is governed by an independent Board of Directors responsible for stewarding the Foundation's mission, ensuring public benefit, and providing long-term oversight.

The Board provides governance and strategic oversight while upholding fiduciary responsibility and ensuring the Foundation operates with integrity, transparency, and accountability.

Learn About Our Governance

Part of a Broader Ecosystem

The Proxenia Foundation engages with a range of aligned organizations across hospitality, technology, education, and community development.

These include independent accelerators, educational institutions, operator groups, and public-sector partners working at the intersection of innovation and hospitality.

Explore an aligned program:

Proxenia Accelerators