About the Foundation
Hospitality as
moral obligation.
The Proxenia Foundation advances the understanding and practice of hospitality as a moral obligation — through research that documents the human dimensions of the industry, education that develops the next generation of hospitality entrepreneurs and innovators, and community engagement that connects the people building the future of the field with the knowledge and support they need to do it well.
Mission
The Proxenia Foundation advances the understanding and practice of hospitality as a moral obligation — through research that documents the human dimensions of the industry, education that develops the next generation of hospitality entrepreneurs and innovators, and community engagement that connects the people building the future of the field with the knowledge and support they need to do it well.
Three Commitments
Steward · Structure · Sustain
Steward
The Foundation provides stewardship across the hospitality innovation ecosystem — promoting responsible governance, long-term thinking, and alignment between industry, technology, education, and community.
Structure
The Foundation supports the structures that enable broader participation in hospitality innovation — building connective frameworks that allow talent, ideas, and opportunity to move more freely through the ecosystem.
Sustain
The Foundation supports initiatives that contribute to the long-term health of the hospitality innovation ecosystem — prioritizing work designed to endure beyond individual programs or funding cycles.
What We Do
Three Program Areas
Research
Original scholarship at the intersection of hospitality, technology, and the ethics of human welcome. Independent, evidence-based, and intended for public benefit. The Foundation publishes its findings and partners with universities and research institutions.
Education
Scholarships and curriculum partnerships delivered through university and accelerator partnerships — supporting founders and students who lack the networks and resources well-resourced founders take for granted.
Community
A mentor network and convening function that builds the relationships across operators, technologists, founders, researchers, and policymakers that make genuine collaboration possible — across institutional boundaries.
Where We Are
Formation Stage
The Foundation is at its earliest stage — which is precisely the right moment to join. The 501(c)(3) application is pending with the IRS. The Founding Board is being assembled from a small circle of people with genuine expertise in the work.
The Proxenia Accelerator — a separate but related entity supporting hospitality tech startups — is already operational and demonstrates the market need the Foundation exists to address at a deeper level.
Current Status
- Florida nonprofit corporation — Registration #CH82070
- 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt application pending with the IRS
- Founding Board currently being seated
- Board members will be announced upon formal constitution