Stuart Rogel

Stuart L. Rogel has spent more than 30 years helping companies grow, spanning organizations from early-stage startups to the Fortune 500. He is best known as the founding President and CEO of the Tampa Bay Partnership, the multi-county regional economic-development and advocacy organization. He joined the Partnership at its founding in 1994 and led it for roughly two decades — a tenure focused on recruiting companies to the Tampa Bay region and retaining employers already there — before stepping down and moving on to entrepreneurial and advisory work.

After leaving the Tampa Bay Partnership, Rogel founded Graylan Ventures, LLC, a Tampa-based consulting firm where he serves as President and Strategic Business Advisor. Through Graylan he provides C-level strategy and business-development services to startups and small- and mid-sized companies. He subsequently took on a role as Strategic Advisor / Partner at ProspEquity Partners, a Tampa private equity firm (founded 2016) that describes itself as committed to "conscious capitalism and a dedication to people and local communities." His broader career also includes experience associated with BBVA and New Boston Fund.

Rogel holds a Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Lake Forest College. He is a past president of the Florida Economic Development Council, a graduate of Leadership Florida (Class XXI), and a former Trustee of the Florida Chamber Foundation — a civic and economic-development résumé that underpins his role as a connector and strategic advisor rather than a pure financial investor.

• Operates primarily as a strategic advisor and angel/seed-stage backer, bringing operating and economic-development expertise rather than acting as a large-check lead investor.
• Through ProspEquity Partners, the emphasis is on "conscious capitalism" — building lasting economic *and* social value for all stakeholders, with a dedication to people and local communities.
• ProspEquity's declared sector breadth is wide: consumer products, high tech, manufacturing and distribution, agriculture, chemicals, B2B and B2C software and services, healthcare, power, defense, aerospace, transportation, and financial services.
• Rogel personally gravitates toward companies where operational strategy, business development, and regional/economic ecosystems matter — reflecting his Graylan Ventures work with C-level founders of startups and SMBs.
• Value-add angle: decades of relationships across Florida business, government, and economic-development networks, useful for market entry, partnerships, and regional expansion.