Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15 for a specific reason: it’s the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, all declared on that date in 1821. Mexico’s independence day follows on September 16, Chile’s on September 18. The window wasn’t scheduled around convenience. It was built around pride in a shared history, and it’s a history worth celebrating.
Real businesses, real dreams
Across the businesses we’re proud to finance, a common challenge keeps showing up. Claudio González and Ornella Bornancini dreamed of modernizing their bakery and growing their team, but the business, not yet two years old, hadn’t yet built the credit history that opens up more financing options, despite zero delinquencies and a strong credit score. Patricia Angel wanted to turn a seasonal operation into something more diversified and lasting, and spent years building toward it. Christian Felipe Guzmán Herrera brought his family’s coffee tradition from Colombia to Brooklyn, chasing meaningful work over merely steady work. Karla Adorno saved to open her restaurant in Massachusetts. “I wanted to fulfill that dream and say that I can do it,” she said.
In each case, the paperwork just hadn’t caught up yet to a business, and a dream, that already had. A loan gave Claudio and Ornella the structure to grow their team. It gave Patricia the foundation to eventually reach traditional banking. It kept Christian’s roastery running through the pandemic, on a referral from TD Bank. It covered Karla’s payroll and equipment during the unglamorous months a business plan never accounts for. The loans themselves were modest, $25,000, roughly $50,000, $31,000. What they made possible was not.
Not one month. Every day, every year
Last week, we published our 2025 Annual Report. Forty-nine percent of the businesses Ascendus finances identify as Hispanic or Latino. That’s true in January, June, and December, not a figure that shows up once and disappears. Nationally, the pattern holds at scale: nearly 5 million Hispanic-owned businesses generate more than $800 billion for the U.S. economy annually, according to the Small Business Administration, and roughly one in four new businesses is Hispanic-owned.
This work doesn’t start on September 15 and end on October 15. It’s the same work, every day, all year. Hispanic Heritage Month is simply when we say so out loud, and celebrate it.
Trusted Sources
On Claudio González and Ornella Bornancini’s full story: Ascendus, The First Bridge: Del Plata Bakery: https://www.ascendus.org/client-stories/the-first-bridge-how-del-plata-bakery-found-its-footing-in-hollywood-florida/
On Patricia Angel’s full story: Ascendus, Ten Years of Growth, Built with Intention: https://www.ascendus.org/client-stories/ten-years-of-growth-built-with-intention/
On Christian Felipe Guzmán Herrera’s full story: Ascendus, Brewing Belonging from Bean to Cup: https://www.ascendus.org/client-stories/christian-felipe-guzman-herrera-brewing-belonging-from-bean-to-cup/
On Karla Adorno’s full story: Ascendus, Proud to Be a Mamacita: https://www.ascendus.org/client-stories/karla-adorno-proud-to-be-a-mamacita/
On the origin of Hispanic Heritage Month’s dates: Smithsonian, National Museum of the American Latino: https://latino.si.edu/learn/teaching-and-learning-resources/hispanic-heritage-month-resources/hispanic-heritage-month
On the scale of Hispanic entrepreneurship nationally: U.S. Small Business Administration: sba.gov/blog/2023/2023-09/national-hispanic-heritage-month-2023-marks-historic-time-hispanic-entrepreneurs
On national policy on capital access for Latino entrepreneurs: NALCAB, National Policy Forum (nalcab.org)
On what readiness looks like in practice for a business owner: Ascendus, Three Signs You’re Ready for Growth Capital: https://www.ascendus.org/resources/three-signs-youre-ready-for-growth-capital/
