Applications for Cohort 9 have closed! Stay tuned to meet our newest cohort in may.
ABOUT OUR ACCELERATOR PROGRAM
Mana Up's accelerator is a six-month intensive program designed to uncover high-impact sales opportunities, tackle operational challenges, and develop executive leadership. Our program includes weekly workshops, connections to a network of industry experts, guidance in crafting an engaging narrative for expansion, and access to distribution and sales channels. The program is results-driven, focused on helping to grow companies and build the infrastructure to support their growth.
The six-month program includes workshops, weekly one-on-one check-in meetings, mentor matching with industry experts based on company need and stage, support on branding & narrative, access to discounted services and resources, introduction to new sales channels, access to capital, and an invitation to sell products through our retail brand, House of Mana Up (both at our brick-and-mortar stores & through our e-commerce store).
Weekly workshops focus on such topics including & much more:
Mana Up provides you access to new sales opportunities through our partners, mentors & broader network (domestic & internationally!).
You also have the opportunity to sell your incredible products alongside other successful Mana Up companies through our retail brand, House of Mana Up–online & at three of our store locations: Royal Hawaiian Center, Prince Waikiki & Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.
Through our suite of digital marketing partners, you gain the knowledge, skills, & connections necessary to scale your e-commerce presence to the next level.
With the increase of consumers’ preference for online shopping during the pandemic, we have doubled down on e-commerce training components of our program.
Our annual accelerator program culminates in our epic annual Showcase event. During this event, graduating companies hone in on storytelling in front of a global audience–"pitches" are followed by a marketplace & party! In 2022, we debuted our first hybrid event featuring an in-person party & marketplace, plus a global livestream.
Showcase Successes:
→ Reach 100k+ global viewers
→ Broadcasted on Hawaii News Now & 8 News Now in Las Vegas, plus Japanese-translated livestream
Mana Up stays actively engaged with alumni companies after the program ends! Benefits include:
The cost of the program is based on a percentage of revenue growth.
All companies in our accelerator program MUST:
We've been thrilled to work with entrepreneurs across Hawai'i with world-class products.
"Mana Up has helped us open new doors with retailers and buyers that we could never get face to face meetings with. They've also helped us see there is still huge market potential within Hawai’i through sales channels we never thought our product would be a good fit for. The program has also been a great place to connect and build lasting relationships with like-minded entrepreneurs in Hawai’i."
- Sheldon Cho, Kaimana Jerky (Cohort 3)
“Working collegially with the other entrepreneurs has become rather ingrained in us. So we are looking forward to continuing to nurture those relations and expand them. As everyone in the island is committing themselves to more loyalty toward local companies, we are really happy to be a part of it and will continue to promote that.”
-Dr. Lyn Lam, Co-Founder, Kapa Nui Nails (Cohort 5)
“As a result of Mana Up, we are implementing many new strategies and following up with many connections. As a management team, we are stronger and more professionally bound to think through our business goals and the words we choose to present them.”
-- Jason Brand, KoHana Rum (Cohort 1)