Prosono Wins Startup of the Year honors

The Denver Metro Chamber chose the strategy firm from three finalists

Mike Taylor //May 2, 2019//

Prosono Wins Startup of the Year honors

The Denver Metro Chamber chose the strategy firm from three finalists

Mike Taylor //May 2, 2019//

Startup Business of the Year

Winner: Prosono

Prosono is a business strategy and social impact firm launched in 2016 to address two emerging trends: the rapid acceleration of change that businesses anticipate, and the growing expectations of employees, customers and investors for businesses to accept a deeper role in the biggest societal challenges. These expectations influence where people choose to work, the products they buy and the companies they invest in.

“We built the company to position ourselves to help companies be agile at scale and take advantage of these changing expectations,” says Prosono CEO and co-founder Jesus Salazar. “What we’ve done is pair two groups of people – business consultants who are experts in strategy, innovation and agility – with people who have been leaders in the not-for-profit and social impact space, which allows us to solve those challenges.”

The Denver-based firm serves “purpose-centered” clients nationwide, providing strategy and implementation to create a positive impact for business and the community. The company works with nonprofits, for-profits, government agencies, foundations and others, helping them to become more nimble in the face of change.

Julie Seltz, a principal at Prosono, gives an example of how the firm works with companies.

“Maybe it wants to make an impact in financial literacy,” Seltz says. “So who are all the players in financial literacy?” Prosono would help that company identify and target the most capable partners for making the desired social impact, and thus “have a true dollar figure return on investment for the work they’re doing and moving toward systemic change within that focus area.”

Prosono’s purpose seems to be resonating with the business community. Entering its third year of business, the company has exceeded 120 percent growth each year.

“The space we’re living in, which is this sort of integrated social impact, for-profit, not-for-profit space, is uncharted territory,” Salazar says.

The CEO says his long-term plan is to figure out how to show clients “5X value.” That is, every $1 invested will return $5 in terms of social and overall impact.

“We don’t know how to do that yet,” Salazar says, “which has spurred us to figure out where are the business problems we want to solve, and how do we run experiments to really figure out where the leverage points in our business model are that will drive us to that.”

 

Finalists:

ABBY&FINN seeks to improve the lives of the children and families they touch by partnering with organizations that use diapers as incentives for participating in parenting and child wellness programs. With each monthly diaper box subscription, they donate a diaper a day to families in need, with 449,200 diapers donated to date.

 

Agile Orthopedics has developed a unique and disruptive model within the clinical prosthetics industry, providing mobile, in-home and on-site prosthetic service. By combining convenience, cutting-edge technology, a patient-center approach and an uncompromised focus, they provide concierge service to patients across the Denver metro area.

 

 

2019 Business Awards: Start-Up Business of the Year Finalists from Denver Metro Chamber on Vimeo.