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Co-Founder
Meli James is cofounder at Mana Up and president of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association. Prior to Mana Up, Meli's career path led her to Silicon Valley where she cofounded her first company, Nirvino, a #1 ranked wine app, an Apple Platform Top 100 App, and Top Ten Lifestyles App in 2007. She later moved back home, bringing her experience to Hawaii accelerators Blue Startups and the University of Hawaii’s Venture Accelerator. Meli has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of five Women to Watch and as one of eight Women Leaders Who Are Disrupting Entrepreneurship. She serves on the board of UHA Health Insurance and board of regents for Chaminade University. Meli is a graduate of and entrepreneur in residence at Cornell University.
Co-Founder
Brittany Heyd is cofounder of Mana Up. Before Mana Up, Brittany was cofounder and managing director at 1776 where she grew the organization from idea to global business including a $12.5 million venture fund, five locations, events in 75 cities across the world, and a software platform called Union. Brittany also held positions at the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Latham & Watkins, and Mark IV Capital. In 2020, she was recognized by Hawaii Business Magazine on its 20 for the Next 20 list and in 2021, she was named by Pacific Business News as an honoree of its annual Women Who Mean Business Awards. Additionally, she serves on the boards of the Calvin Shindo Student Venture Fund (University of Hawaii) and the Hawaii Pacific Export Council. Heyd holds a Juris Doctor / Masters of Public Policy from Georgetown University and a Bachelor's of Arts from the University of San Diego.
Retail Manager, House of Mana Up
Originally from Mystic, Connecticut, she came to Hawai’i to study at Chaminade University. Before Mana up, she was working for San Lorenzo Bikinis as their Inventory & Merchandising Manager. She is typically found checking the waves, rock climbing, or trying out different local coffee shops.
Gifting Sales Manager
Susan Havens is the gifting sales manager. Over the last 20 years she has worked in Hawai‘i’s hospitality industry with a concentration in corporate groups sales, and most recently was with Fairmont Orchid on Hawai‘i Island in group sales. Susan is a graduate of Purdue University with a B.S. in Agriculture. Susan oversees Mana Up Gifts, helping to manage and grow our new personal and corporate gifting programs!
Content & Marketing Manager
Growing up O‘ahu, she moved to the Pacific Northwest where she graduated from the University of Washington, graduating with B.A. in Communications and a concentration in Journalism. Courtney began her career as PR Coordinator at Neiman Marcus Honolulu. She later went on to build ultra-luxury multichannel campaigns and cultivated new brand partnerships as the Director of Marketing at Modern Luxury Hawai‘i.
Favorite Product at House of Mana Up: ua body ‘Iliahi Dry Oil
Program Manager
Originally from South San Francisco, CA, he graduated from San Diego State University with a BA in Journalism and a Minor in Film, Television, and New Media. Before relocating to Hawaii to join the Mana Up team on Oahu, Craig worked within the facilities and HR teams for GoPro and Amazon in Silicon Valley. When he is not in the office, you can find Craig singing along at a concert, making memories at a theme park, drinking the darkest coffee possible or perpetually trying to find the nearest musubi to eat.