Applications for Cohort 9 have closed! Stay tuned to meet our newest cohort in may.
Big Island Now
Free online workshops will be available this week for small businesses in Hawai‘i looking to develop and improve internet sales. House of Mana Up is utilizing 100% of its e-commerce profits, which will be matched by King’s Hawaiian, to develop programs to grow online sales for Hawai’i-based product businesses while the state experiences the impacts of decreased tourism in local markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honolulu Magazine
Thirty small companies, graduates of Mana Up’s 2018 and 2019 accelerator programs, found a home at Royal Hawaiian Center. Each collection is accompanied by a written narrative introducing the talent behind the products and fun details about the goods, forging an instant connection to the brand.
Press Release
Hawai‘i based product accelerator Mana Up’s fifth cohort contains a diverse mix of companies. From locally-sourced and brewed kombucha to non-toxic nail polish that leverages a patented formula, the cohort offers a wide range of authentic Hawai‘i consumer-packaged goods. The ten companies are spread across O‘ahu, Maui and Hawai‘i Island.
NBC News
As states begin reopening but many restaurants and specialty stores remain closed, you can still bring a bit of summer sweetness straight to your door. Sheldon Cho's family has been making jerky for 25 years in Kona, Hawaii, using only locally line- caught marlin and ahi tuna.
Pacific Business News
While it’s unknown when visitors will return to Hawaii, companies can send Hawaii-made products to them using e-commerce, said Meli James, co-founder of Mana Up.
Hawaiʻi Magazine
It’s been about two months since Mānoa Chocolate temporarily closed its retail space in Kailua on Oʻahu due to the spread of COVID-19 in the Islands.
The artisan chocolate maker, which specializes in bean-to-bar chocolate using locally grown (when possible) and ethically sourced cacao, had been giving factory tours twice daily, six days a week, in addition to selling its chocolates from the shop and wholesaling to larger retailers. All that suddenly stopped and Mānoa Chocolate’s business went mostly online.
Hawaii Business Magazine
Twenty years ago, Hawai‘i’s startup community was a barren sector with few resources to lift budding entrepreneurs with plans for innovative, fast-growth companies. That community is now filled with events, coworking spaces and programs that help these people build their nascent businesses and connect with investors, mentors and other partners.
Hawaii Business Magazine
Good advice from digitally savvy entrepreneurs for those who want to increase their online sales. Second of two parts. Here are some of the lessons they learned, plus advice from experts in retail, IT and digital marketing.
1. It's Easier Now to Build an Online Store
2. Make Connections and Get Feedback
3. Collect Data
4. Build Partnerships
5. Leverage the Hawai'i Brand
Hawaii Business Magazine
Many retailers see how important e-commerce has been during the coronavirus pandemic. As their bricks-and-mortar shut down, many retailers strengthened their social media and online advertising and added products to their websites.
Hawaiʻi Magazine
Small businesses can take many forms, from that little acai bowl stand down the street to that corner grocery store that’s got the best Spam musubi—you know the one—as well as a resident artist. And they’re all being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For Oʻahu-based artist Nick Kuchar, who has made a name for himself illustrating iconic Hawaiʻi landscapes in his signature retro style, it’s all about staying busy and positive in these uncertain times.
Hawaiʻi Magazine
Who doesn’t want a gift from Hawaiʻi?
(Even I do—and I live here!)
We bet your mom would, too.
With Mother’s Day nearing, here are 12 gift ideas—at all price points, for all moms, every one made or designed in the Islands—that will make her imagine she’s in paradise.
(Order soon, though!)
Honolulu Civil Beat
Hawaii’s long-term economic plan is a blank slate by design to be filled in by an ensemble cast, says Alan Oshima, Hawaii’s economic recovery chief.