On a mission to create a more equitable world for entrepreneurs.
Our Mission
To create an equitable landscape for all entrepreneurs.
Our work is grounded in justice, inclusivity, and the belief in the potential of every entrepreneur, especially those from underserved communities.
Through strategic consulting, we aim to help the organizations and businesses we work with achieve success and make a lasting impact on their communities.
Our Team
A combined 30 years of championing small businesses.
Prospera Strategies is led by two colleagues, Marco and Kara, who share the same vision for a world where all business owners—regardless of race or gender—can thrive. Marco and Kara—who are both bilingual in Spanish and English—have a proven track record in leading small businesses and their support organizations to lasting impact and success.
Marco Perez • Partner
Marco Pérez is a friend and champion of small businesses. A seasoned entrepreneur and operational leader, he has led and coached hundreds of business who strive for long-term sustainable success and economic prosperity.
In addition to being the facilitator for Interise’s Next Level course, Marco is a facilitator for NBIC's Groundwork course and LAUNCH Chattanooga's startup classes. He co-founded the Capital Impact Pilot Fund, was certified through Kiva to bring access to crowdfunding 0% interest loans, and most recently has worked alongside business to use Wefunder as a platform to help Chattanooga's minority and women owned businesses have access to patient and non-extractive capital. He has owned multiple businesses of his own, built businesses for investors, and served as operations and finance manager and consultant to many other companies. He is a community advocate previously serving on the Board's of Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, and La Paz Chattanooga. In 2020, he was elected on the Hamilton County School Board. Marco has an MBA from Thunderbird's School of Global Management as well as ITESM in Monterrey, Mexico, an MA in Ministry Leadership from Crown College, and an undergraduate degree from Columbia International University.
Kara Cotto • Partner
Kara Cotto is a strategist and program builder who helps organizations turn good ideas into programs that work. Her work spans entrepreneurship, nonprofit strategy, program design, research, and funding, with a particular interest in helping organizations figure out what is working, what is getting in the way, and what to do next.
Over the course of her career, Kara has secured more than $5 million in grant funding, developed multiple business education curricula, led strategic planning and research projects, and built evaluation systems that help organizations better understand their work and results. In the past three years, she has also helped minority-owned businesses access more than $800,000 in financing, working directly with entrepreneurs to prepare for funding and navigate the process.
Raised in Peru, Kara is bilingual in English and Spanish and brings a cross-cultural perspective to her work. She particularly enjoys getting to know the people behind the organizations and businesses Prospera serves. Her approach is practical and collaborative: ask good questions, understand the situation before prescribing a solution, and build something that people can actually use.
Kara earned her degree in Community Development from Covenant College. Outside of work, she is an Ironman finisher who would generally rather be outdoors than indoors and is always up for an adventure.
Our Foundation
We strive for real outcomes.
We always start with the question, “How do we help entrepreneurs create a sustainable venture?” and work backwards from there to help create solutions with lasting impact.
We know the fight.
Equity means equal opportunity, something that is not accessible to every entrepreneur—from funding to social capital. We believe in the importance of creating pathways to guide entrepreneurs through these waters.
We take the word partner seriously.
Whether with organizations or small businesses, we work hand-in-hand with our clients to understand their unique strengths, challenges, and offerings, and create solutions that increase their capacity to succeed.