What Prosperity Lab does

Prosperity Lab is a California-based nonprofit organization headquartered at 701 Vine Street in San Jose that delivers economic-empowerment programs to historically disinvested communities, women, and micro-enterprises in Santa Clara County and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Its core offerings span entrepreneurship training (the Spanish-language MEE "Motivando, Educando, Empoderando" program delivered in partnership with Be MEE), food-business incubation (the Mesa Redonda commissary kitchen at the CET facility with permitting support and compliance advising), digital-skills education (the Digital Equity Lab covering digital marketing, e-commerce, LinkedIn, WhatsApp Business, and content creation), capital-readiness advising (as a resource partner in the CalOSBA SCALE Program, a $25.3 million U.S. Treasury SSBCI initiative), youth entrepreneurship (the BYOB bootcamp for ages 18–25 including court-impacted and former foster youth), and website creation services. The organization operates additional sites at 301 N Jackson Ave in San Jose and has signaled a coming-soon El Segundo / Los Angeles area office, while programmatic reach is described as expanding into Northern and Central California.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally lightweight and oriented toward participant enablement rather than proprietary platform development: the Digital Equity Lab trains participants on mainstream consumer digital tools, and the organization itself uses a WordPress-based website (prosperitylab.org), Facebook, Instagram, and earned media (Telemundo Bay Area, NBC Bay Area's Comunidad del Valle, Alianza Metropolitan News, and Radio Lazer 93.7 FM) for outreach. Named team members include a CEO & President (Mimi M. Hernández), a Resource Champion, a Data & Outreach Specialist, an IT Manager & Marketing lead, a Digital Equity Lead Instructor, a Food Service Program Director, and program coordinators, supported by business advisors and an intern.

Revenue mechanics are grant- and donation-driven rather than transactional. Programs are provided free of charge to participants; Mesa Redonda offers free commissary-kitchen access for new businesses (first six months) and low-cost access for established businesses. Funding sources disclosed in the input include the City of San Jose Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs (OEDCA), the Sobrato Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), and the California Office of the Small Business Advocate via SCALE; the organization also accepts website donations. No operating revenue, operating-budget figures, or audited financials are disclosed in the source material.

Name

Prosperity Lab

Legal name

Prosperity Lab

Website

https://prosperitylab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Prosperity Lab is a San Jose-based nonprofit delivering free entrepreneurship, food-business incubation, digital-literacy, capital-readiness, and youth programs to underserved women, micro-enterprises, and immigrant entrepreneurs across Santa Clara County and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Economic Development Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171), Computer Training (611420), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG), Financial Literacy, Budgeting & Personal Finance (EDAMAHAE), Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI), Food Entrepreneurship (Food Trucks/Small Business) (EDAOAKAK), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG), Career Exploration & Industry Exposure (Guest Speakers, Company Visits) (EDAMAHAJ)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship training programs
• Food business incubation
• Digital literacy training
• Small business advising
• Community economic empowerment

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Prosperity Lab operates as a nonprofit organization funded through grants from government entities (City of San Jose Office of Economic Development, California Office of the Small Business Advocate) and foundations (Sobrato Foundation, SVCF)
2. Donations: Accepts donations through its website to support programs for underserved communities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Prosperity Lab is a nonprofit community organization that delivers free entrepreneurship training, food business incubation (including access to an industrial commissary kitchen), digital literacy education, capital readiness programming, and one-on-one business advising to underserved residents, women entrepreneurs, and micro-enterprises in Santa Clara County and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Programs are delivered through in-person workshops, online training, cohorts, and bootcamps in partnership with the City of San Jose, CalOSBA, and local foundations.

Product overview

Prosperity Lab is a community organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs designed to support underserved entrepreneurs in Santa Clara County and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. The core offerings include: the MEE entrepreneurship program for women with three modules covering personal development and business skills; the Mesa Redonda food business incubator with access to a commissary kitchen; the Digital Equity Lab for digital literacy training; the SCALE capital access program; the BYOB youth entrepreneurship bootcamp; and the Website Program for online presence creation. These programs work together to provide holistic support from digital skills to business financing, serving micro-enterprises, women, and historically disinvested communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MEE (Motivando, Educando, Empoderando) / Viaje al Emprendimiento Spanish-language female entrepreneurship program delivered in three modules of eight sessions each, covering soft skills development, business finance, and personal well-being for women entrepreneurs in San Jose and Santa Clara County. Offered in collaboration with Be MEE.
• Mesa Redonda (Roundtable) Food Business Incubator Food business incubator providing technical assistance, permit support, compliance advice, and access to an industrial commissary kitchen at the Center for Employment Training (CET) for food entrepreneurs. Free for new businesses (first 6 months); low-cost for established businesses. 22 food businesses have benefited.
• Digital Equity Lab Digital literacy and technology training program offering workshops on digital marketing, social networks, e-commerce, WhatsApp business, LinkedIn, content creation, and website and branding creation for women-owned and micro businesses.
• SCALE Program (Success, Capital Access and Leadership for Entrepreneurs) Capital readiness program created by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) to help diverse small businesses access financing and resources; Prosperity Lab serves as a resource partner. SCALE is funded by the U.S. Treasury's State Small Business Credit Initiative ($25.3 million program).
• BYOB (Be Your Own Boss) Youth Bootcamp One-day (now 2-day) intensive entrepreneurship bootcamp for early-career youth ages 18 to 25, including court-impacted youth and former foster youth. Covers entrepreneurship mindset and tools, culminating in a pitch competition.
• Website Program Free website creation program providing digital tools and website development training for underserved entrepreneurs to establish their online presence.
• Sprout to Harvest Accelerator Intensive accelerator for food business growth focusing on operational excellence and revenue growth, offering hybrid learning, 1-on-1 mentoring, sales and marketing tools, and management certification.
• Business and Entrepreneurship Workshops Comprehensive training workshops covering entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and computer literacy skills for underserved residents of Santa Clara County, delivered in-person and online.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22 businesses have benefited from Mesa Redonda food business incubator
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CET (Center for Employment Training)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2024Partnership for Mesa Redonda Incubation Commissary Kitchen. CET provides access to industrial kitchen facilities, reducing operational costs for food entrepreneurs. Grand opening celebrated December 6, 2024.
• City of San Jose Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs (OEDCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2024Collaborative partnership with City of San Jose OEDCA to support female entrepreneurship program MEE. The city provides financial support and programmatic backing as part of efforts to assist micro-businesses, immigrant entrepreneurs, and businesses in historically under-resourced neighborhoods impacted by COVID-19.
• Radio Lazer 93.7 FMminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 April 2024Radio partner for promoting MEE Viaje al Emprendimiento program. Announcement aired April 15-19, 2024 to promote the first cohort launch.
• California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResource partner in the SCALE (Success, Capital Access and Leadership for Entrepreneurs) Program created by CalOSBA. SCALE is a $25.3 million program funded by U.S. Treasury's State Small Business Credit Initiative to help California small businesses access capital.
• Be MEEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for MEE Viaje al Emprendimiento entrepreneurship program. Be MEE co-develops curriculum and provides classes and activities to promote learning and soft skills development for female entrepreneurs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Grameen America: National microfinance nonprofit providing small-dollar capital, training, and peer support to women entrepreneurs in underserved communities — comparable target demographic and entrepreneurship-plus-capital model, but at much larger scale than Prosperity Lab.
• Pacific Community Ventures: California-focused nonprofit blending impact investing with small business advising for underserved entrepreneurs — comparable in mission and capital-access orientation, with broader statewide reach than Prosperity Lab.
• Accion: Global nonprofit supporting small business owners with capital, coaching, and networks — overlapping with Prosperity Lab's entrepreneur-support mission, particularly for women and minority-owned micro businesses.
• DreamSpring (formerly Opportunity Fund): National CDFI providing small business loans, coaching, and capital readiness to underserved small business owners — comparable capital-access role to Prosperity Lab's SCALE partnership but operating across many states.
• Kiva: Global crowdfunded micro-lending platform serving underserved entrepreneurs, including a U.S. small business program — comparable in capital-access orientation and target segment, though operating as a marketplace rather than direct service provider.

Direct peers

• Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center: Bay Area nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship training, food business incubation (commissary kitchen), and small business advising to low-income and immigrant entrepreneurs — a close analog to Prosperity Lab's Mesa Redonda and broader programming.
• Women's Initiative for Self Employment (WISE): Bay Area-based nonprofit providing entrepreneurship training, business advising, and access to capital for underserved women entrepreneurs — directly comparable in mission, geography, and target demographic to Prosperity Lab's MEE program.
• Mission Asset Fund: San Francisco-based nonprofit combining social lending and financial coaching for low-income and immigrant entrepreneurs — closely comparable to Prosperity Lab's mix of capital-readiness programming and community-rooted service delivery.

Regional players

• Main Street Launch: Oakland-based CDFI providing small business lending, coaching, and accelerator programs for underserved Bay Area entrepreneurs — overlapping with Prosperity Lab's SCALE and capital-readiness work in the same regional ecosystem.

Others

• SCORE: National nonprofit providing free business mentoring, workshops, and resources to entrepreneurs — comparable in free-of-charge educational programming, but lacking Prosperity Lab's culturally tailored Spanish-language and food-incubation focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/prosperitylab.org
• Instagraminstagram.com/prosperitylab_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prosperity-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Prosperity Lab